The Pubcast with Jon Loomer

Most advertisers still obsess over targeting controls, remarketing campaigns, and which single ad won. But the foundations of Meta advertising today point the other way: consolidate your budget, trust the algorithm, and let creative do the reaching. Jon breaks down the core elements that actually matter now, and the old habits worth abandoning.

For fifteen years Jon has written every word on his blog, so publishing an AI-generated post cut against everything he believes about content. But the master brief behind it was consolidated entirely from his own work and labeled as AI up front. Jon explains why transparency and a real problem to solve are what separate useful AI content from the empty kind.

Advertisers treat every drop in performance as creative fatigue, but what they're actually seeing is Meta shifting delivery from remarketing audiences to prospecting. That initial boost from low-hanging fruit isn't sustainable, and the decline that follows is normal, not a sign your creative is exhausted. Jon explains why creative fatigue is far less common than it used to be, how to use audience segment breakdowns to see what's really happening, and why the ads that survive the shift to prospecting are the ones worth keeping.

Once campaign construction is simplified, it's just you and your ads, and advertisers tend to either micromanage everything or freeze up and do nothing. Jon explains why starting with one or two ads is enough, how to evaluate performance in aggregate rather than obsessing over individual winners, and when to shift focus from creating more ads to fixing your landing page.

Jon's profile was incorrectly flagged for suspicious activity while posting in his own private Facebook group, and after identity verification failed without explanation, he was locked out of group activity with no timeline or recourse. He wasn't violating any rules, and Meta isn't even claiming he was. Jon explains why this experience exposes how broken Meta's AI-driven moderation and verification processes are, what it means for businesses that depend on the platform, and why Meta's push to replace staff with automation is setting a dangerous example when the systems clearly aren't ready.

Meta ads misinformation spreads because it pays in clicks and impressions, and advertisers with the smallest knowledge foundation are the most susceptible. Jon uses the customer lifecycle strategy feature as a case study in how one screenshot and unverified claims about new superpowers went viral, only for the feature to do nothing new at all. He explains why believable misinformation is the most dangerous kind, and how building a foundation in official documentation is the best defense against falling for it.

Today's question is about whether to split worldwide targeting into separate ad sets grouped by CPM when promoting a low-cost digital product on a $100 daily budget. That approach can help with lead campaigns, but purchases change the equation since Meta shouldn't waste budget on countries that don't convert. Jon explains why starting with a single ad set and monitoring the country breakdown makes more sense, how value rules can solve distribution problems without splitting your budget, and when you might need to narrow your targeting anyway. Want your question to be answered on a future episode? Go to JonLoomer.com/Question and record your question today.

Following best practices and simplifying campaign construction doesn't guarantee results, and advertisers who do everything right still get anxious when they're not constantly tweaking settings. Jon explains why your energy belongs on the ads, your offer, and your landing page rather than campaign complexity, and why these three things in that order are where you'll make the most impact.

Most advertisers obsess over placement performance, demographic distribution, ad-level micromanagement, and data discrepancies between Ads Manager and other platforms, but Jon spends almost no time on any of it. Jon explains why these seven common concerns are rarely worth your energy when optimizing for conversions, why the exceptions are narrower than most advertisers think, and where to focus instead.

Advertisers love restricting demographics, removing placements, and splitting budgets across ad sets, but most of these decisions are based on feelings rather than data. Jon explains why every change that adds complexity should be tied to a specific measurable problem, why Meta's algorithm already handles most of what advertisers try to control, and why value rules should be your first move before restricting anything entirely.

Today's question is about how advertisers should approach AI tools like Claude's new connection to Meta ads. AI has enormous potential for creative development, but it's not a replacement for knowledge. Jon explains why advertisers without a strong foundation will just execute bad strategies faster, why creative is the most promising use case, and why treating AI automation as a magic pill is the biggest risk right now. Want your question to be answered on a future episode? Go to JonLoomer.com/Question and record your question today.

Struggling ad accounts keep making the same mistakes, from undefined audience segments and unnecessary remarketing to inflated conversion results and overcomplicated campaign structures. Jon explains the most common problems he sees when auditing accounts, why each one reflects a misunderstanding of how Meta's algorithm works, and how to fix them.

Today's question is about how to decide when new Meta features like push delivery or AI platform connectors are worth testing. New features carry risk because there's no track record for effectiveness or problems to watch for. Jon explains why your appetite for risk matters most, why you should only experiment when you have a specific problem to solve rather than tinkering when results are already good, and why AI connectors in particular warrant extra caution until the risks are better understood. Want your question to be answered on a future episode? Go to JonLoomer.com/Question and record your question today.

Advertisers fixate on delivery details like which ads Meta shows, placement distribution, or age skews, but rarely ask the most important question: is this actually a problem tied to bad results? Obsessing over inconsequential quirks almost always leads to unproductive tinkering that destroys consistency. Jon explains why you need to separate real delivery problems from gut-feeling complaints, why micromanaging Meta's optimization usually makes things worse, and how to know when a quirk in delivery actually matters versus when you need to step back and let Meta work.

Today's question is about what to do when one ad takes 50% of your budget and performance starts declining over time. Jon explains why uneven budget distribution isn't necessarily a problem, how push delivery can test whether Meta's allocation is correct, and why creating new and uniquely different ads is almost always the real solution over micromanaging which ads get spend. Want your question to be answered on a future episode? Go to JonLoomer.com/Question and record your question today.

The biggest challenge in Meta advertising isn't any single feature or update, it's the relentless pace of change that makes best practices obsolete within months. Jon explains why he stopped creating training courses after producing two that became immediately irrelevant, how he built an ad briefs library that stays current by pulling from his most recent content, and why solving the shelf-life problem led him to rethink how he delivers value to his community entirely.

Today's question is about the right funnel strategy for high-ticket consumer products on Meta. Cheaper leads don't automatically mean cheaper conversions, and a small discount may attract the wrong people while missing buyers who would purchase without one. Jon explains why optimizing straight for the purchase should always be tested first, why a tightly connected lead magnet beats a generic discount as a funnel entry point, and when remarketing is still worth using for high-ticket products. Want your question to be answered on a future episode? Go to JonLoomer.com/Question and record your question today.

Advertisers are quick to shut off ads when results look bad, but poor short-term performance isn't the same as wasted budget. New businesses and first-time advertisers are building awareness and data even when early numbers look awful. Jon explains why overreacting to initial results is usually a mistake, when you're actually wasting money through high volumes of junk traffic or mismatched demographics, and how to diagnose and fix those problems before they spiral.

Today's question is about whether adding too many ads to a single ad set can actually hurt delivery. Meta removed its old recommendation of no more than six ads per ad set, but that doesn't mean more is always better. Jon explains why starting small with a couple of creatively diverse ads and adding more only when needed is the smarter approach, why the delivery algorithm may get lost when it has too many options for the budget, and why pruning ads that Meta rarely shows should be part of your troubleshooting when results decline. Want your question to be answered on a future episode? Go to JonLoomer.com/Question and record your question today.

Two new features are changing how Jon creates ads. Push delivery lets you force spend to any existing ad to get answers, eliminating the need to start every new ad with a creative test. And the new creative workflow lets you combine multiple images and videos into a single ad with customizable text and URLs per creative, consolidating what used to require dozens of separate ads. Jon explains why both features make his previous process obsolete and why tying yourself to any single approach guarantees you'll fall behind.

Today's question is about the recommended structure and access levels between a client and agency when onboarding. Setting this up incorrectly can lead to serious problems, including getting accounts banned. Jon explains why the client should own all of their own assets and add your agency as a partner rather than a person, what access levels to grant for each asset, and why sharing login credentials or creating assets under the agency's business manager leads to problems when the relationship eventually ends. Want your question to be answered on a future episode? Go to JonLoomer.com/Question and record your question today.

Meta has spent years removing advertiser control over targeting and placements, so actively encouraging value rules seemed contradictory. But it makes sense when you see where things are headed. Jon explains how a new test version lets you bid based on custom audience labels for lead quality and customer value, why value rules fill a knowledge gap the algorithm can't solve alone, and why they'll replace traditional delivery controls as Meta locks everything else down.

Today's question is about whether to exclude existing customers from your ads when you want to acquire new ones, and how to do it. Meta retargets existing customers by default, which isn't automatically a problem because those people convert easily and keep your costs down, but it can mask real performance or lower your average order value. Jon explains why you need to confirm there's an actual problem before excluding anyone, how to use website and customer list custom audiences together since each is imperfect on its own, and why new features like customer lifecycle strategy and value rules for existing customers could change the approach entirely. Want your question to be answered on a future episode? Go to JonLoomer.com/Question and record your question today.

Advertisers love to blame Meta when results tank, pointing to outages, Advantage+ enhancements, and automated settings as proof the platform is out to get them. There's a little truth in every complaint, which is exactly why they spread, but they're also excuses that keep you from finding actual solutions. Jon explains why blaming Meta makes you look like an amateur to clients, how to troubleshoot performance drops by using breakdowns to isolate the real cause, and why the answer is almost always something within your control, usually the ads themselves.

Today's question is about whether a brand new ad account, Facebook page, and pixel need any special treatment before running sales campaigns. Conventional wisdom says to build followers first, run awareness campaigns, or season the pixel with top-of-funnel activity. Jon explains why these recommendations are nonsense and often counterproductive, how building low-quality engagement early can poison your remarketing audiences, and why optimizing for purchases or leads from day one is the fastest path to real results. Want your question to be answered on a future episode? Go to JonLoomer.com/Question and record your question today.

Agencies that hide ad accounts from clients claim their campaign setup is proprietary, but modern best practices mean minimal campaigns and simplified structures that aren't worth hiding. The real value an advertiser brings isn't something a client can copy by looking at your settings. Jon explains why hiding your work destroys trust, why the fear of being replaced means you need to rethink where you add value, and why using the client's own ad account and assets is better for everyone.

Today's question is about whether a niche B2B audience can be too small for Meta ads to work effectively. Any business with a large enough real-world market to be profitable has an audience on Facebook and Instagram, so the issue isn't reach. The real question is whether Meta advertising will be worthwhile. Jon explains why no business is technically too niche for Meta, how success depends on creative, offer, lead qualification, and follow-up rather than targeting, and why the cost and quality of leads compared to their overall value is what determines if it's worth it. Want your question to be answered on a future episode? Go to JonLoomer.com/Question and record your question today.

Advertisers assume ads with thousands of comments and reactions perform better due to social proof, and fear making edits that would erase that engagement. But Jon duplicated an ad with 6,000 comments and the new version starting from scratch immediately matched and even beat the original's performance. He explains why we might be overvaluing social proof and why the content of your ad matters more than engagement signals.

Today's question is about CPM being double in the US versus the UK and whether that means you should allocate double the budget. CPM varies by country due to competition, but higher CPM doesn't automatically mean worse performance. Jon explains when to combine countries versus split them, how Meta balances costs and conversion rates, and why you should let results guide your budget allocation instead of CPM alone. Want your question to be answered on a future episode? Go to JonLoomer.com/Question and record your question today.

Meta provides no transparency about which specific images or videos perform best when using flexible format, related media, or AI generated creative. Breakdowns exist but share almost no useful detail. Jon explains why this lack of transparency is intentional at this point, why it matters for creative teams who need feedback, and why Meta needs to share this information despite the risk of advertisers misusing it.

Today's question is about advertising expensive products with long buying cycles that fall outside the seven or 28 day attribution window. Should you run traffic campaigns instead of purchase campaigns if most conversions won't be tracked anyway? Jon explains why you need to confirm this is actually happening, how multiple ads for different awareness levels can keep conversions within windows, and when to consider alternative approaches. Want your question to be answered on a future episode? Go to JonLoomer.com/Question and record your question today.

Advertisers claim Meta steals credit for conversions that were actually driven by email or Google, calling conversion reporting vanity metrics. But attribution is messy and trying to assign single-source credit misses the point entirely. Jon explains what different conversion types actually mean, why obsessing over credit is foolish, and how effective campaigns require multiple channels working together where shared credit matters more than exclusive credit.

Today's question is about the single most common point of confusion Jon wishes everyone understood about Meta ads. He can't pick just one, so he gives three. Jon explains why the algorithm being literal shapes everything, why targeting control is mostly unnecessary now, and where advertisers should actually focus when results aren't good. Want your question to be answered on a future episode? Go to JonLoomer.com/Question and record your question today.

Meta changed how click attribution works, and it's mostly for the better, but some advertisers might see a negative impact. Click-through conversions now require an actual link click, while social clicks and other engagement moved to a new engage-through attribution with a shorter window. Jon explains what changed, why some conversions will be lost, and which strategy gets hit hardest by the update.

Today's question is whether to launch a brand new campaign with creative testing or start testing later with new creatives. There's no absolute right answer, but Jon has a preferred approach with clear reasoning behind it. He explains why starting new ads with a test answers questions you'll have later, avoids the messy workaround of duplicating existing ads, and ensures you get meaningful data from the start. Want your question to be answered on a future episode? Go to JonLoomer.com/Question and record your question today.

Ads that were working fine suddenly tank, and advertisers assume Meta changed who they're showing ads to or messed up delivery. But there's usually a simpler explanation. Jon breaks down the five real causes of sudden performance drops, including randomness, competitive variables, website issues, and event delays, and why obsessing over daily results drives you crazy when seven-day averages are what matter.

Today's question is about using manual bidding like cost caps to control costs while scaling budget when campaigns perform well. By default, Meta tries to get the most results while spending your entire budget, which means a mix of auction costs. Jon explains why setting manual bid controls usually leads to inconsistent delivery and questionable quality, how it might restrict you to low-quality placements, and why outsmarting the algorithm rarely works. Want your question to be answered on a future episode? Go to JonLoomer.com/Question and record your question today.

Most advertisers obsess over targeting inputs that either do nothing or actively hurt results. Jon explains why he ignores audience suggestions, age restrictions, detailed targeting, and lookalikes entirely, how he uses value rules to handle demographic problems instead, and why the only inputs worth touching are locations and exclusions.

Today's question is about testing different customer personas using the creative testing tool. Advertisers used to create separate ad sets for each persona with adjusted targeting, but that's outdated now. Jon explains why all customer personas can exist in one ad set, how Meta finds the right audience for each ad combination through creative diversification, and when splitting by persona actually makes sense versus when it's unnecessary complexity. Want your question to be answered on a future episode? Go to JonLoomer.com/Question and record your question today.

Audience suggestions cause confusion because advertisers think they're tight constraints when they're not. Jon proposes how Meta could eliminate suggestions entirely while keeping audience controls like location and exclusions. The result would strip away the illusion of control, prevent mistakes based on false assumptions, and force advertisers to focus on what actually matters without pretending inputs do more than they do.

Today's question is about determining what works from top performing ads to inform the next batch of creative. Creative testing used to isolate single elements, but now ads generate thousands of combinations through text options, placements, and enhancements. Jon explains why finding one winning combination isn't the goal anymore, how to use the creative testing tool to identify themes instead of specific winners, and why success comes from many winning combinations in aggregate. Want your question to be answered on a future episode? Go to JonLoomer.com/Question and record your question today.

Advertisers believe something works and only pay attention to evidence supporting it while ignoring contradictions. They blame Andromeda or the algorithm when strategies stop working instead of questioning their assumptions. Jon explains why confirmation bias makes experienced advertisers the worst offenders, how to test beliefs instead of confirming them, and why staying curious and open to being wrong gets better results than clinging to outdated strategies.

Today's question is about preventing customers from purchasing the same audiobook bundle twice through ads. Excluding customers is a balance of risks versus benefits, and no single custom audience catches everyone. Jon explains why you should exclude multiple custom audiences including website purchasers and email lists, how to improve match rates, and why keeping audiences dynamically updated limits repeat purchases. Want your question to be answered on a future episode? Go to JonLoomer.com/Question and record your question today.

Audience suggestions feel like control, but Meta ignores them constantly, especially for age and gender. There's no proof they impact detailed targeting or lookalikes, yet they cause confusion and wasted effort creating multiple ad sets. Jon explains why Meta should eliminate audience suggestions entirely, how the illusion of control hurts results, and why you'd be better off without them.

Today's question is whether you should remove email signup popups from landing pages when sending paid Meta traffic to them. Popups don't technically violate Meta's rules, but they can contribute to bad post-click experiences that drive up your costs if they hurt bounce rate or dwell time. Jon explains how Meta measures ad quality through landing page experiences, when popups become a problem versus when they might be fine, and why you should test a version without the popup to see what actually works. Want your question to be answered on a future episode? Go to JonLoomer.com/Question and record your question today.

Advertisers have a tendency to overcomplicate their campaigns with multiple ad sets, restricted targeting, removed placements, and turned-off enhancements, often without clear reasons for these decisions. Jon challenges you to audit your current campaigns and question every piece of complexity you've added by asking why you made each decision, what problem you were solving, and whether there was a better solution that didn't require watering down your budget or limiting Meta's optimization.

Today's question is about campaign structure for seasonal products, specifically whether to split major holidays into separate ad sets with spending limits. Seasonal businesses face a unique challenge of running evergreen products year-round while also promoting holiday-specific items for limited periods. Jon explains how to structure a CBO campaign with multiple ad sets for different seasons, when to turn seasonal ad sets off based on performance, and whether ad set spending limits are actually necessary or just adding unnecessary restrictions. Want your question to be answered on a future episode? Go to JonLoomer.com/Question and record your question today.

Advertisers blame Meta when their leads are low quality, pointing to the algorithm exploiting weaknesses like age range or placements to get cheap conversions. But the real problem with lead quality usually has nothing to do with Meta or your ads. Jon explains why your follow-up process, email deliverability, sales team, and automation are what actually determine lead quality, and the specific steps you need to take to make sure real leads don't get ignored or lost in spam folders.

Today's question is why campaigns stop working after two or three weeks when the ads generated sales initially and there's no ad fatigue. Meta starts by showing ads to low hanging fruit, the people most likely to convert, which often includes your remarketing audience even with algorithmic targeting. Jon explains why this group gets exhausted quickly, how audience size and product niche affect the drop-off, and why it's not normal to go from great performance to bad performance if your fundamentals are solid. Want your question to be answered on a future episode? Go to JonLoomer.com/Question and record your question today.

Creative diversification sounds great in theory, but most advertisers take Meta's recommendations too literally and waste time creating 20 ads at once that never get shown. There's a smarter way to approach creative diversity without overwhelming yourself or your budget. Jon explains how to stack creative diversity in phases using the creative testing tool, starting with one theme and learning what works before building the next uniquely different set, so you're being strategic instead of just creating more ads for the sake of it.