The Complete Playbook To Running Meta Ads in 2025

SUMMARY

Ben Heath, founder of Heath Media, presents a 2025 playbook for Meta Ads, detailing strategies to overcome rising costs, attribution issues, ad fatigue, and outdated tactics through optimized campaign structures, creative approaches, budgeting, data tracking, measurement, and competitive advantages.

STATEMENTS

• Most Facebook advertisers rely on outdated strategies from a few years ago that no longer yield optimal results, leading to struggles amid rising costs and other challenges.
• Advantage+ campaigns are now the preferred structure for most advertisers, with consolidation into fewer campaigns—ideally one—to enable faster learning and better AI optimization by Meta.
• Targeting both cold and warm audiences in the same campaign or ad set is recommended, as Meta treats targeting suggestions flexibly, reducing overlap and improving data consolidation.
• UGC-style videos dominate as the top-performing creative format, making ads feel native to the platform like engaging content rather than overt advertisements.
• Hiring influencers to create ads enhances native feel and trust, applicable beyond e-commerce to gain competitive edges in various businesses.
• To combat ad fatigue, reuse successful video ads by varying the first 3 seconds with different hooks or locations, extending their lifespan without full recreation.
• Start with small budgets for testing new products or offers, scaling only proven campaigns while simultaneously introducing new creatives to maintain performance.
• Accurate data via Conversions API and Meta Pixel is essential, supplemented by external uploads like email lists, to fuel Meta's AI for precise targeting and optimization.
• Focus optimization on return on ad spend (ROAS) or cost per conversion, avoiding vanity metrics like CTR, and retain underperforming ads if Meta continues spending on them for funnel roles.
• Exceptional ad results require advantages beyond ad account settings, such as strong personal branding or superior offers, to boost trust and engagement.

IDEAS

• Meta's AI increasingly ignores manual targeting, treating it as suggestions, which makes consolidated campaigns more effective by pooling conversion data for faster learning.
• Combining cold and warm audiences in one ad set simplifies structure, as Meta mixes them anyway, leading to broader reach without unintended overlaps.
• UGC videos outperform polished ads by blending seamlessly into users' feeds, tricking the brain into viewing them as organic content rather than interruptions.
• Influencer-created ads leverage existing audience familiarity, increasing click-through and conversion rates by borrowing the influencer's credibility.
• Varying just the opening hook of a video ad can multiply its variants cheaply, bypassing ad fatigue since most viewers drop off in the first three seconds.
• Scaling budgets demands parallel creative scaling, as higher spend exposes ads to more people, necessitating fresh assets to avoid rapid performance drops.
• Hyros reveals hidden revenue like recurring payments that Meta misses, potentially showing campaigns as underperformers when they're actually highly profitable.
• Meta uses multiple ads in an ad set dynamically in funnels, so disabling low-ROAS ads can harm the winners by disrupting AI-orchestrated journeys.
• Personal branding amplifies ad effectiveness through recognition, turning vague impressions into trusted endorsements that drive higher engagement.
• Value rules offer a novel targeting method distinct from traditional options, allowing precise audience selection in ways that enhance advanced campaigns.

INSIGHTS

• Consolidating campaigns empowers Meta's AI to learn from unified data pools, transforming fragmented efforts into efficient, high-ROAS machines that outpace segmented rivals.
• Native-feeling creatives like UGC exploit human psychology on social platforms, where ad detection triggers instant dismissal, fostering deeper audience immersion.
• Accurate attribution isn't technical drudgery but a leverage point: even minor data improvements can cascade into massive ROAS gains, redefining market dominance.
• Optimization now favors AI autonomy over human intervention, as Meta dynamically sequences ads into personalized funnels, rewarding patience over hasty cuts.
• True scaling blends budget growth with creative renewal, preventing overexposure while sustaining momentum, much like compounding efforts in long-term ventures.
• Beyond-platform advantages, like branding, create moats that multiply ad efficiency, proving that technical perfection alone yields mediocrity in competitive arenas.

QUOTES

• "Most Facebook advertisers are still using strategies that worked a couple of years ago, but just don't produce the best results anymore."
• "UGC style video, so user generated content style video is king right now. That's what's producing the best results across the board."
• "If you improve your data accuracy and improve the inputs the meta's AI has by even 5% that might make a huge difference to the results um that they're able to get."
• "Within an ad set, be very careful turning off ads that have a lower return on ad spend... If Meta is continuing to spend money on it, even if it has a worse return on ad spend than the other ads, leave it on."
• "The businesses that produce exceptional results, they always have something else extra. They always have a competitive advantage that's not just within the ad account."

HABITS

• Persevere through early failures by analyzing mistakes and learning from mentors, as Ben Heath did over nine years before achieving financial stability.
• Build a personal brand consistently through content creation, like YouTube videos and social posts, to attract talent and clients organically.
• Obsess over data accuracy daily, uploading external sources and using tracking tools to inform every marketing decision.
• Test small budgets initially for new ideas, tweaking based on results before scaling, to minimize losses and maximize learning.
• Produce and iterate creatives iteratively, reusing successful elements with variations to combat fatigue without constant reinvention.

FACTS

• Heath Media has spent over $150 million on paid social ads, generating more than $600 million in revenue across 3,000+ global businesses in diverse niches.
• Ben Heath signed up 26 people in three months for a network marketing company but earned nothing, highlighting early entrepreneurial pitfalls.
• Meta's AI can dynamically sequence ads in funnels within one ad set, using some for top-of-funnel exposure and others for conversions.
• Hyros tracked £96,000 in revenue from a campaign, but Meta reported only £58,000, underscoring attribution gaps in recurring revenue models.
• High-spending businesses improve ROAS by 25% through just 5% better data inputs, enabling twice the profitable spend and greater market share.

REFERENCES

• Hyros tracking software for accurate attribution and revenue visibility.
• Ben Heath's mentorship program offering exclusive content, one-to-one coaching via Slack, and live calls.
• Videos on Ben's YouTube channel covering audience segmentation, external data uploads, and value rules.
• Advantage+ campaigns and Meta Pixel/Conversions API for ad account setup.
• Influencer collaborations for native ad creation.
• Value rules feature in Meta Ads for advanced targeting.

HOW TO APPLY

• Consolidate multiple campaigns into one Advantage+ campaign, excluding only necessary breaks like countries or product ranges, to pool data for Meta's AI.
• Target cold and warm audiences together in the same ad set, avoiding manual segmentation unless enforcing hard boundaries, to leverage flexible AI suggestions.
• Produce UGC-style videos by hiring influencers or actors, ensuring they feel like platform-native content to boost attention and reduce scroll-past rates.
• Extend a working video ad's life by creating variants with different 3-second hooks or backgrounds, then test them to overcome ad fatigue efficiently.
• Install both Conversions API and Meta Pixel, upload external data like email lists, and segment audiences (engaged, customers, cold) for precise AI optimization.

ONE-SENTENCE TAKEAWAY

Embrace consolidated Advantage+ campaigns, UGC creatives, accurate data, and branding edges to master Meta Ads for superior 2025 results.

RECOMMENDATIONS

• Shift to Advantage+ campaigns with minimal segmentation to accelerate Meta's learning and consolidate spend for optimal AI performance.
• Prioritize UGC and influencer videos over polished ads to create native content that captures attention and builds trust instantly.
• Scale budgets gradually alongside new creatives, starting small to test viability before aggressive expansion.
• Implement Hyros or similar tools for full attribution, uncovering hidden revenue to refine strategies without altering ads.
• Retain all Meta-spent ads in sets, optimizing via ROAS at the campaign level while building brand advantages beyond the platform.

MEMO

In the ever-evolving arena of digital advertising, Ben Heath, the seasoned founder of Heath Media, cuts through the noise with a no-nonsense playbook for Meta Ads in 2025. Having poured over $150 million into campaigns that yielded $600 million in revenue, Heath addresses the pitfalls plaguing advertisers: skyrocketing CPMs, murky attribution, relentless ad fatigue, and stubborn adherence to yesterday's tactics. His framework, battle-tested across thousands of global businesses, promises not just survival but dominance in a landscape where Meta's AI calls more shots than ever.

At the core of Heath's strategy lies a radical simplification: fewer campaigns, ideally one Advantage+ powerhouse. Gone are the days of hyper-segmented audiences; instead, consolidate cold and warm traffic into unified ad sets. Meta's algorithm, now treating targeting as mere suggestions, thrives on this pooled data, learning faster and sidestepping overlaps that dilute efficiency. Heath warns against micromanaging delivery—let the AI handle impressions, ages, and locations unless there's a compelling reason otherwise. This lean structure isn't laziness; it's precision engineering for an era where less truly begets more.

Creative reigns supreme, and Heath crowns UGC-style videos as the undisputed champion. These raw, user-generated clips—sourced from customers, hired actors, or influencers—mimic organic feeds, fooling users into lingering past that fateful first scroll. For e-commerce or service-based ventures alike, influencers add authenticity, leveraging their follower trust to spike conversions. To scale production without breaking the bank, Heath advises hacking existing winners: splice in varied hooks for the opening seconds or tweak backgrounds, turning one hit into a fatigue-proof arsenal. It's a clever nod to human attention spans, where 90% bail before three seconds elapse.

Budgeting and scaling demand discipline. Begin modestly, wagering only what you can afford to lose on unproven offers, then amplify proven performers without spawning new campaigns. But scale isn't solitary—pair budget hikes with creative infusions, as amplified spend courts overexposure. On data's front, Heath insists on dual setups of Meta Pixel and Conversions API, bolstered by uploaded email lists and audience segmentation into engaged, customer, and cold buckets. Tools like Hyros illuminate the shadows, revealing unreported revenue from recurring models that Meta overlooks, potentially transforming "meh" campaigns into goldmines.

Measurement evolves too: anchor decisions in ROAS or cost per conversion, dismissing vanity lures like CTR. A twist from Meta itself—ads in a set may form hidden funnels, with "losers" priming conversions—so prune only those the AI ignores. Yet, Heath emphasizes, buttons alone won't win wars. Exceptional results stem from intangibles: a magnetic personal brand, like his million-strong following, or unbeatable offers that command loyalty. In 2025, mastering Meta means blending tech savvy with human edge, turning ads from interruptions into irresistible invitations.