Anyone else feeling like Meta ads are getting harder every year?

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Blunderpuff

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Started running Facebook ads back in 2019. Back then you could throw up a basic ad with simple interest targeting and it would convert. CPMs were cheap. Results came fast.
Now it feels like a completely different game. CPMs have gone up like crazy. iOS changes broke tracking. Advantage Plus is pushed on everything. Creative needs to be refreshed every week or it dies.
I am still getting results but I have to work 3x harder for the same ROAS I was getting 3 years ago.
Is it just me or is everyone feeling this? And what has changed the most in your experience- costs, targeting, creative, or something else?
 
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Yeah it’s not just you, CPMs are higher, tracking is weaker after iOS updates, and now creatives matter way more than targeting to keep ads working.
 
It's all about the creative now, mate. Since data tracking is dead, your ad content is what actually does the targeting. Instead of wasting time tweaking budgets or audience setups, put 90% of your energy into testing new hooks and angles
 
In my experience, the biggest change is data and tracking capabilities. When conversion signals are no longer as complete as before, algorithms also have more difficulty optimizing. Therefore, ad content now becomes the biggest differentiating factor.
 
Content plays the crucial role now. The most creative and engaging ones still bring the good results. It's definitely hard when you compare seven years ago.
 
Blunderpuff said:
Started running Facebook ads back in 2019. Back then you could throw up a basic ad with simple interest targeting and it would convert. CPMs were cheap. Results came fast.
Now it feels like a completely different game. CPMs have gone up like crazy. iOS changes broke tracking. Advantage Plus is pushed on everything. Creative needs to be refreshed every week or it dies.
I am still getting results but I have to work 3x harder for the same ROAS I was getting 3 years ago.
Is it just me or is everyone feeling this? And what has changed the most in your experience- costs, targeting, creative, or something else?
Click to expand...
You're definitely not the only one. In my experience, the biggest shift has been creative quality. A few years ago, average creatives could still perform well with decent targeting, but now the creative does most of the heavy lifting. I also feel that Meta's automation has improved, but it takes much more testing and a larger budget to find winners. Curious to know if anyone has found a reliable way to keep ad fatigue under control without constantly producing new creatives.
 
creative fatigue is the biggest one for me, you basically need a content factory now not just a few good ads
 
Blunderpuff said:
Started running Facebook ads back in 2019. Back then you could throw up a basic ad with simple interest targeting and it would convert. CPMs were cheap. Results came fast.
Now it feels like a completely different game. CPMs have gone up like crazy. iOS changes broke tracking. Advantage Plus is pushed on everything. Creative needs to be refreshed every week or it dies.
I am still getting results but I have to work 3x harder for the same ROAS I was getting 3 years ago.
Is it just me or is everyone feeling this? And what has changed the most in your experience- costs, targeting, creative, or something else?
Click to expand...
You're not alone. A lot has changed.
For most advertisers, creative has become the biggest factor. Targeting is more automated now, while higher CPMs, iOS privacy changes, and increased competition have made scaling much harder.
The days of relying on basic interest targeting are mostly gone.
 
Yes, Facebook advertising is becoming increasingly difficult. The landscape is currently saturated with ad creatives; you need to constantly refresh your creative assets and repeatedly navigate the review process to have any chance of running successful campaigns.

BTW, the increasingly strict restrictions on BM are undoubtedly driving up costs.:(
 
Yeah same here bro its not you ads just got more expensive and creative heavy now old simple targeting days are gone.
 
These days, creative quality tends to make the biggest difference. With targeting becoming less precise, strong ad angles, hooks, and fresh creatives often have a greater impact than constantly adjusting budgets or audiences.
 
Yeah same here, feels like now its more about creatives and testing than targeting, old easy days are gone tbh.
 
Blunderpuff said:
Started running Facebook ads back in 2019. Back then you could throw up a basic ad with simple interest targeting and it would convert. CPMs were cheap. Results came fast.
Now it feels like a completely different game. CPMs have gone up like crazy. iOS changes broke tracking. Advantage Plus is pushed on everything. Creative needs to be refreshed every week or it dies.
I am still getting results but I have to work 3x harder for the same ROAS I was getting 3 years ago.
Is it just me or is everyone feeling this? And what has changed the most in your experience- costs, targeting, creative, or something else?
Click to expand...
The cheap 2019 days are gone because of the iOS tracking rules. Now you have to spend triple the time making creative or your ROAS drops instantly.
 
"Absolutely—between rising competition, stricter policies, and higher costs, Meta ads seem tougher to master every year."
 
Blunderpuff said:
Started running Facebook ads back in 2019. Back then you could throw up a basic ad with simple interest targeting and it would convert. CPMs were cheap. Results came fast.
Now it feels like a completely different game. CPMs have gone up like crazy. iOS changes broke tracking. Advantage Plus is pushed on everything. Creative needs to be refreshed every week or it dies.
I am still getting results but I have to work 3x harder for the same ROAS I was getting 3 years ago.
Is it just me or is everyone feeling this? And what has changed the most in your experience- costs, targeting, creative, or something else?
Click to expand...
Yes, feel same, competition is too fierce, we must rack our brains to come up with creative ideas now
 
I'm trying to understand what the best form of targeting is on Meta. I have created my own custom audience and uploaded it, and that's the only way I've managed to get any traction on this channel. What do people think?
 
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