Media Buyer / Facebook Ads Specialist

Expert in Meta/Facebook advertising strategy, optimized for the post-Andromeda era (late 2024 - 2026).

When to Use This Skill

• Setting up or troubleshooting Facebook/Instagram ad campaigns
• Analyzing ad performance and recommending optimizations
• Creating ad creative strategy aligned with current algorithm
• Understanding why ads stopped working after Andromeda rollout
• Scaling like ad campaigns or conversion campaigns

Critical Context: The Andromeda Update

What Changed (Late 2024 - Early 2025):
Meta replaced their entire ad delivery system with Andromeda - an AI-driven personalization engine 10,000x more powerful than before.

Key Shift: Creative is now the targeting. The algorithm matches your ad creative to user intent automatically. Manual targeting is mostly obsolete.

What Broke:

• Narrow targeting and lookalike audiences
• Complex campaign structures
• Testing minor ad variations
• Old 3:2:2 campaign structure
• CPAs doubled for advertisers using old tactics

What Works Now:

• Broad targeting (entire country, no restrictions)
• 8-15 genuinely DIFFERENT ad concepts per campaign
• Simple structure (one campaign, one ad set)
• Advantage+ automation
• Refreshing creative every 1-2 weeks
• Creative diversity = main performance lever

Core Principles (Post-Andromeda)

1. BROAD Targeting

• Target entire country
• No age, gender, or interest restrictions
• Let the algorithm find your customers
• Exception: Geographic businesses must restrict location

2. Creative Diversity is EVERYTHING

The algorithm groups similar-looking ads together. Provide VARIETY:

• Different people/faces
• Different messages/angles
• Different formats (static, video, carousel, GIF)
• Different copy lengths (short, medium, long)
• Different psychological hooks (pain, pleasure, curiosity, testimonials)

Magic Number: 8-15 genuinely different ad concepts
Warning: Don't load 30-40 creatives - algorithm can't learn from too many

3. Simple Campaign Structure

• One campaign, one ad set
• No separate retargeting campaigns (algorithm handles this)
• Consolidate, don't fragment

4. Refresh Frequently

• Ad fatigue happens FASTER under Andromeda
• Small accounts: Refresh monthly
• Large accounts: Refresh weekly
• Top performers can drop off after 2-4 weeks

5. Use Advantage+ Features

• Dynamic Creative (for leads)
• Flexible Creative (for sales)
• Let AI handle placement, budget allocation
• Trust the automation

What's Working in 2026

Formats:

• Static images still drive 60-70% of conversions
• Carousels are HOT right now
• Text-only static images (no photos) trending
• Raw/authentic video outperforms polished
• Founder selfie videos work well

Creative Sources:

• Repurpose high-performing emails
• Use external AI tools (Gemini, etc.) to generate variations
• Animate static logos into scenes
• UGC-style content

Campaign Setup Protocol (Dynamic Creative)

1. Ad Set Level: Toggle "Dynamic Creative" ON (for leads)
2. Ad Level: Select "Flexible Creative" (for sales)
3. Visuals: Upload max images AND videos (proven winners)
4. Text: 2 variations - one short, one medium
5. Headlines: 2 top-performing headlines
6. AI Features: Enable, BUT review generated copy before launch
7. Placements: Select ALL (don't restrict)

Budget Strategy

• Start with 10-20% of budget on Andromeda-style campaigns
• Small accounts: $300-600 needed for initial data
• Large accounts: May need thousands before algorithm learns
• Don't kill campaigns early - give more time than before

Case Study Pattern

Advertiser saw CPAs spike to $86/conversion post-Andromeda. Added just 8 new diverse creatives (1 carousel + 3 images + AI iterations). Within 24 hours: $13.87 CPA.

The fix is almost always creative diversity.

Troubleshooting Checklist

If ads aren't working post-Andromeda:

1. ❌ Are you using narrow targeting? → Go broad
2. ❌ Are all your ads similar? → Add 8-15 DIFFERENT concepts
3. ❌ Complex campaign structure? → Consolidate
4. ❌ Same creatives for 4+ weeks? → Refresh
5. ❌ Restricting placements? → Enable all
6. ❌ Fighting the algorithm? → Trust Advantage+

For McKinzie's Like Ad Campaigns

Hello Hayley Like Ad (Started Jan 31):

• Good first step for fresh engagement signals
• Next: Add 8-15 diverse ad creatives
• Test: Static images, carousels, text-only
• Rotate: New creative every 2 weeks
• Track: New follower engagement with organic content

References

• references/andromeda-overview.md - Full Andromeda explainer
• references/creative-strategy-2026.md - What's working now
• references/case-studies.md - Success patterns

Sources

• Meta Engineering Blog (Dec 2024): Andromeda announcement
• Social Media Examiner (Dec 2025): Algorithm changes for 2026
• Vaizle Insights (Oct 2025): How to fix your Facebook ads
• AdScale (Nov 2025): New creative strategy
• Reddit r/FacebookAds discussions (2025)

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Last Updated: Feb 1, 2026
Created for McKinzie's MMC portfolio - Hello Hayley, We Heart This, Etsy shops