What Is the Best Facebook Ads Strategy for 2026 Post-Andromeda?

Transcript

Once Meta dropped their Andromeda update, I saw hundreds of comments of people reporting that their return on ad spends dropped from really high three, six, even 10, all the way down to barely breaking even. And even though tens of thousands of advertisers spending hundreds of millions of dollars in Facebook ads have freaked out, the truth is is th... Read More

Key Insights

• The Andromeda update changes Facebook ads by automatically matching creative concepts to audiences.
• Effective Facebook ads strategy requires developing numerous creative concepts that convert at different rates.
• For new advertisers, start with a broad prospecting campaign with three ad sets to guide the algorithm.
• The pack system helps organize and scale Facebook ads by launching new creatives in separate ad sets.
• Retention campaigns should target existing customers separately to avoid overspending on them in prospecting.
• Scaling Facebook ads involves graduating top-performing creatives into interest groups and broad campaigns.
• Incremental attribution is crucial for understanding the true impact of Facebook ads on conversions.
• High ad spend requires uploading new creatives regularly and using cost caps to manage return on ad spend.

Questions & Answers

Q: What is the best Facebook Ads strategy for 2026 post-Andromeda?

Build multiple creative concepts and let Meta automatically match each concept to an audience. Start with a prospecting CBO campaign, separate existing-customer retention as spending grows, and introduce the pack system beyond $3,000 to test new creative without disrupting existing learnings.

Q: How did the Andromeda update change Facebook Ads targeting?

Before Andromeda, advertisers selected an audience and created ads for that audience. Post-Andromeda, the creative concept helps create the audience because the system automatically matches concepts to audiences, making systematic concept development central to the strategy.

Q: How should a beginner structure a Facebook Ads campaign?

Start with one prospecting CBO campaign containing three ad sets: one 100% broad ad set and two interest-based ad sets. Use two niche, relevant interest groups to guide the algorithm while the broad audience learns and attracts more spending against the right people.

Q: Which Facebook Ads campaign settings should beginners use?

Use campaign budget, highest volume or value, website as the conversion location, and maximize number of conversions as the performance goal. Set purchase as the conversion event, keep all placements open, and do not optimize for add-to-cart or initiate-checkout events when purchases are the end goal.

Q: When should advertisers create a separate retention campaign?

At the under-$3,000 stage, create a separate campaign specifically for existing customers because Facebook can overspend on them. Include purchasers from the past 180 days and an all-time customer list when available, and disable “use as a suggestion” so Facebook does not expand beyond that retention audience.

Q: What is the pack system in Facebook Ads?

The pack system places every new batch of creatives into a new ad set, or pack. For example, four new static, video, or catalog creatives would go into a fresh ad set, allowing them to start from scratch without resetting campaign-level learnings or interfering with existing ads.

Q: When should the Facebook Ads pack system be introduced?

Introduce the pack system after spending more than $3,000, or beyond about $100 per day. Between $3,000 and $10,000, launch broad packs and graduate the strongest ads into interest groups while retaining a separate existing-customer campaign.

Q: How does the pack system help scale Facebook Ads?

Multiple packs create a competitive environment in which Facebook directs more money to better-performing ad sets. When one pack fatigues, spending can shift to another high-performing pack, reducing the need to pause ads manually while the campaign accumulates more creative.

Summary & Key Takeaways

• The Andromeda update requires advertisers to adapt by focusing on creative concepts that automatically match audiences. Start with a broad prospecting campaign and track performance to optimize ad spend. Use a pack system to organize and scale ads effectively, and implement incremental attribution for better insights.

• For new advertisers, begin with a broad prospecting campaign with three ad sets to guide the algorithm. As you scale, separate retention campaigns from prospecting to avoid overspending on existing customers. Regularly upload new creatives and use cost caps to manage return on ad spend.

• The pack system helps organize Facebook ads by launching new creatives in separate ad sets, preventing learning resets. Top-performing creatives should be graduated into interest groups and broad campaigns to scale effectively. Incremental attribution is essential for understanding the true impact of ads on conversions.