Meta Just Told Us Which Facebook Ads Get The Best Results!

SUMMARY

Ben Heath, a marketing agency founder with over a decade of experience, shares Meta's insights on optimizing Facebook and Instagram ads for Reels to achieve 13% better ROAS and 16% lower CPA.

STATEMENTS

Meta's data shows that ads built specifically for Facebook and Instagram Reels deliver a 13% better return on ad spend and 16% lower cost per acquisition compared to other placement-focused ads, using the same advertisers, ads, and offers.
Ads designed for Reels should use a vertical 9:16 aspect ratio to fully utilize mobile screens, marking a shift from previous advice favoring square 1:1 formats.
Prioritizing vertical formats for ad creation is now more effective than feed ads, even if resources allow only one aspect ratio.
Adding audio to Reels ads is crucial, as users increasingly consume content with sound on, reversing earlier "sound off" recommendations.
Meta's Advantage+ Creative Enhancements simplify adding music and other elements while avoiding copyright issues, but advertisers should review and customize suggestions.
Key ad elements like text overlays and offers must fit within Reels' safe zones to ensure visibility across placements, including avoiding coverage by profile names or buttons.
Meta recommends consolidating campaigns and ad sets into fewer structures, allowing its AI to dynamically sequence ads from top-of-funnel to bottom-of-funnel within a single ad set.
Advertisers should not disable ads based solely on poor ROAS if Meta continues spending on them, as they may serve as essential top-of-funnel warmers for other ads.
Creative diversity, with 5-10 varied assets per campaign, boosts attention by 44% and ad spend efficiency by 24%, enabling Meta's AI to match content to user preferences.
For considered purchases, diverse creatives are especially vital, allowing Meta to deliver personalized ad sequences that align with individual triggers and personalities.

IDEAS

Shifting ad production to vertical formats prioritizes mobile-first Reels over traditional square ads, fundamentally altering how campaigns capture full-screen attention.
The 16% CPA reduction from Reels-optimized ads can transform scalability, turning marginal campaigns into business-defining successes.
Meta's AI now autonomously sequences funnel stages within one ad set, mimicking human marketing strategies but at machine speed and scale.
Audio integration flips conventional wisdom, as Reels' immersive viewing encourages sound-on engagement, enhancing emotional connection.
Safe zones force concise, focused messaging, preventing vital information from being obscured and improving cross-placement performance.
Consolidated structures challenge old multi-campaign habits, relying on AI to infer audience warmth without manual segmentation.
Disabling underperforming ads prematurely disrupts AI learning, as poor-ROAS creatives often prime audiences for high-converters.
Five to ten diverse assets per set amplify AI personalization, tailoring videos, images, or animations to subtle user traits like video length preference.
Impulse buys tolerate less diversity, but high-consideration sales demand varied triggers to navigate complex decision paths.
Accurate attribution tools like Hyros reveal hidden revenue, exposing Meta's underreporting of recurring value by up to 60% in some cases.

INSIGHTS

Optimizing for Reels verticals and audio elevates ad immersion, leveraging mobile behaviors to drive disproportionate engagement and efficiency gains.
AI-driven ad sequencing in consolidated campaigns democratizes advanced funnel management, reducing human error while maximizing algorithmic precision.
Creative diversity empowers Meta's systems to micro-personalize delivery, bridging personality differences for broader conversion uplift.
Prioritizing safe zones ensures universal visibility, transforming potential placement pitfalls into seamless multi-format adaptability.
Postponing ad deactivation until AI signals irrelevance preserves ecosystem balance, fostering holistic campaign health over isolated metrics.
True ROAS emerges from comprehensive tracking, unveiling attribution gaps that redefine perceived ad viability and strategic decisions.

QUOTES

"Ads that do so get a 13% better return on ad spend on average and a 16% lower CPA."
"If you only have the resources to create ad creative that's going to work in one aspect ratio, do it for vertical. Do it 9 by6."
"Don't turn something off like an ad off unless Meta stops spending money on it."
"Compared to using one single creative, meta campaigns incorporating five to 10 assets win more attentions that those that don't."
"Meta might be able to see what we make initially from our ad spend on that initial transaction, but not those subsequent payments."

HABITS

Persist through repeated failures by analyzing outcomes and learning from mentors, as seen in building a successful agency after nine years of losses.
Dedicate daily time to mentorship and team collaboration to refine ad strategies and achieve consistent performance improvements.
Regularly review and customize AI-suggested enhancements like music to align with brand identity while leveraging platform tools.
Introduce new ads to compete against existing ones, monitoring AI spend allocation rather than immediate metrics for optimization.
Track all revenue sources, including organic and recurring, using precise attribution software to inform broader business decisions.

FACTS

Over 10 years, Heath Media spent more than $150 million on paid social ads, generating $600 million in revenue across 3,000 global businesses.
82% of mentorship program participants see notable ROAS improvements within 30 days.
Reels ads achieve 44% higher effectiveness and 24% more efficient ad spend with 5-10 diverse assets.
In one campaign example, Hyros revealed £58,000 in unreported revenue out of £96,000 total from ad spend.
Ben Heath's agency now exceeds $10 million annually with a 50+ team serving 500 clients yearly.

REFERENCES

Hyros tracking software for accurate Meta ad attribution and revenue visibility.
Ben Heath's mentorship program for daily guidance on Facebook ad optimization.
Meta's support documentation on Reels safe zones and Advantage+ Creative Enhancements.

HOW TO APPLY

Create ads in a 9:16 vertical aspect ratio to ensure full-screen fit on mobile Reels, prioritizing this over square formats for initial resource allocation.
Incorporate audio or music via Advantage+ tools, reviewing suggestions to select brand-aligned tracks and enable sound-on viewing for better engagement.
Position all critical elements—text, offers, CTAs—within Reels safe zones using Meta's guidelines to maintain visibility across placements like feed or stories.
Consolidate campaigns into one or few ad sets with 5-10 diverse creatives, allowing Meta's AI to sequence top-to-bottom funnel ads dynamically.
Monitor ad performance by AI spend rather than isolated ROAS; introduce new variations to compete, disabling only those Meta ignores entirely.

ONE-SENTENCE TAKEAWAY

Prioritize Reels-optimized vertical ads with diversity to unlock Meta's AI for scalable, high-ROAS campaigns.

RECOMMENDATIONS

Focus initial ad budgets on vertical Reels formats to capture 13-16% efficiency gains before expanding to other placements.
Build creative diversity with varied assets like videos and images to enhance AI personalization and attention metrics.
Integrate attribution software early to uncover hidden revenue, avoiding misguided optimizations from incomplete Meta data.
Consolidate ad structures ruthlessly, trusting AI sequencing over manual funnel segmentation for warmer audience paths.
Delay ad cuts until AI deprioritizes them, preserving top-funnel priming for overall campaign synergy.

MEMO

In the fast-evolving world of digital advertising, Meta has unveiled a pivotal shift: the secret to superior performance lies not in tweaking budgets or bids, but in crafting ads tailored for Facebook and Instagram Reels. Marketing veteran Ben Heath, whose agency has funneled over $150 million into social campaigns to yield $600 million in revenue, breaks down the data. Ads optimized for Reels boast a 13% higher return on ad spend and 16% lower cost per acquisition—metrics that can make or break scalability for businesses worldwide. This isn't mere speculation; it's drawn from comparisons of identical ads and offers run across placements, highlighting Reels' outsized impact on mobile-first audiences.

Heath, who bootstrapped his path from teenage entrepreneurial flops to a $10 million agency serving 500 clients annually, emphasizes starting with a 9:16 vertical aspect ratio. This format fills screens seamlessly, reversing outdated advice for square creatives that merely "work" everywhere. "If you only have resources for one format, go vertical," he advises, noting how it prioritizes Reels' dominance over traditional feeds. Audio emerges as another cornerstone: with users increasingly enabling sound, silent slideshows fall flat. Meta's Advantage+ tools streamline music addition, sidestepping copyright woes, but Heath urges customization to match brand voices.

Visibility demands precision, too. Crucial elements—offers, text overlays, calls to action—must nestle within Reels' narrow safe zones, as outlined in Meta's documentation. Stray outside, and profile overlays or buttons obscure them, tanking performance even on non-Reels placements. This disciplined approach ensures adaptability, turning Reels-born ads into versatile assets. Yet, Heath warns against over-segmentation; Meta now favors consolidated campaigns with fewer ad sets, empowering its AI to orchestrate funnel progression within a single structure—top-of-funnel teasers priming users for bottom-funnel converters.

Creative diversity unlocks this AI magic. Campaigns blending 5-10 assets—videos, images, animations—garner 44% more attention and 24% higher spend efficiency, per Meta. For impulse buys, simplicity suffices, but considered purchases thrive on variety, letting algorithms match talking-head authenticity to one viewer and sleek graphics to another. Optimization evolves accordingly: resist killing low-ROAS ads if Meta invests; they're likely funnel feeders. Instead, pit newcomers against incumbents, culling only those the algorithm ignores.

Heath's journey underscores perseverance's role amid these innovations—from zero-revenue ventures at 19 to mentoring a million marketers today. Tools like Hyros further illuminate truths Meta misses, revealing up to 60% unreported recurring revenue in his campaigns. As user behaviors pivot toward immersive Reels, advertisers who adapt—embracing verticals, sound, and AI synergy—stand to redefine their digital edge, scaling not just ads, but enterprises.