Episodes

The advertising space is noisier than ever with fake experts peddling guaranteed results and magical campaign structures. Jon outlines the five warning signs that should immediately make you skeptical of anyone's advertising advice, including why the loudest voices are often the ones you should trust the least.

Advertisers get stuck chasing magical strategies, complex testing methods, and guru tricks when their ads aren't working. Jon explains why these targeting strategies and intricate campaign structures are pointless distractions, and what you should focus on instead.

Mark Zuckerberg envisions a future where businesses simply tell Meta their objective and budget, and AI does everything else, including creating the ads. This isn't some distant fantasy. We're already halfway there with campaign automation, and the implications for ad agencies are massive.

When you "let results be your guide," make sure those results actually matter. Jon explains why advertisers often make bad decisions based on meaningless data and outlines four critical factors that determine when your metrics are truly worth acting on.

"Let results be your guide" is more than just a catchphrase. It's the antidote to rigid marketing formulas. Jon explains why universal answers to questions like "How often should I update creative?" and "Should I restrict by age or gender?" miss the point, and how focusing on your actual performance data leads to better advertising decisions.

A baseball manager's job is to put talented players in position to succeed, not over-manage with unnecessary bunts and quirky strategies. Jon explains why advertisers make the same mistake - focusing on complex campaign tactics instead of what actually wins: great ads.

Small budgets create a cascade of problems beyond just limited results. Jon explains why low ad spend makes it impossible to meaningfully test, optimize, or learn from your campaigns - and what to do when you simply can't spend more.

After 13+ years of working with Meta advertisers, Jon has identified four key characteristics that separate successful advertisers from those who struggle. It's not about tactics - it's about your approach to complexity, change, learning, and responsibility.

Advertisers often misunderstand what campaign objectives actually do. Jon explains why saying you're running a "sales campaign" or "traffic campaign" is misleading.

Your performance goal defines everything about your Meta ad delivery - who sees your ads, what quality of results you get, and which placements are used. Jon explains how the algorithm interprets each goal and why some lead to far better outcomes than others.

Most advertisers have misconceptions about how Meta attribution actually works. Jon covers four key aspects that explain why your Ads Manager results rarely match your backend data.

Meta's click attribution works differently than most advertisers understand. Jon explains what actually counts as a "click" and how to select the right attribution windows for different campaign types.

View-through conversions are often misunderstood or completely ignored in reporting. Jon explains when they provide real value versus when they're giving Meta undeserved credit, and how to properly evaluate them based on campaign type and audience.

Many Meta advertisers overcomplicate their approach in the belief that sophistication leads to better results. Jon explains why the opposite is often true, outlining a simplified strategy that focuses on fewer campaigns, minimal ad sets, and limited customizations.

Meta advertising conspiracy theories are a sign of lacking confidence. When results are poor, it's tempting to blame the platform rather than take responsibility. Jon explains why this approach is counterproductive and how to focus on the factors you can actually control.

This one fundamental fact changes everything about Meta advertising - the algorithm is completely literal. It does exactly what you tell it to do, not what you actually want it to do.

When should you use Advantage+ audience targeting? While it's now the default option, there are specific scenarios where original audiences may be the better choice. Jon explains the limitations, strengths, and when each approach makes the most sense.

While remarketing was once central to ad strategy, Meta now prioritizes these audiences automatically. Manual remarketing still has its place, but the results aren't what they seem.

Meta abandoned its podcast feature in 2022, but bringing it back with in-app optimization and a dedicated app could solve major promotion challenges for podcasters.

Meta's algorithm has evolved beyond detailed targeting. Interest and behavior targeting are no longer essential for most advertisers, but there's one important exception.

Recent controversial changes at Meta have raised questions about user exodus and advertiser response, but with limited alternatives and Meta's near-monopoly status, the impact may be different than what we saw with X.

Lookalike audiences made sense in 2014 when targeting options were limited, but with Meta's evolved algorithm handling audience expansion and remarketing automatically, they may now be unnecessary complexity.

After a hiatus, Jon returns with a reimagined Pubcast focused exclusively on Meta advertising. He explains the new format: shorter, solo episodes that cut straight to the point without interviews or unnecessary fluff.

Jon draws on the ups and downs of his business to explain what has motivated him the most -- and what has led to a lack of motivation.