TL;DR
Modifying a Facebook ad creates a new object in Meta's system, losing all accumulated learning data and causing up to 30% performance drop. Run new versions in parallel instead of editing existing ads.
Key Takeaways
- 1Ad creatives in Facebook are immutable—edits create new objects
- 2Each modification loses all learning data tied to the original ad
- 3Performance can drop up to 30% when you edit instead of duplicate
- 4Always publish new versions without stopping the original
- 5Let Meta's algorithm phase out the underperformer automatically
If you're running Facebook Ads, you might be unknowingly making a critical mistake that can significantly impact your campaign performance. Many marketers believe that making minor adjustments to their ads (such as tweaking an image, changing a word in the title, or altering the description slightly) is harmless. However, these small changes can have substantial consequences.
The Impact of Minor Adjustments
Facebook Ads relies heavily on its algorithm to deliver your ads to the right audience. The algorithm learns by showing your ad to various users, analyzing their reactions, and optimizing performance over time. This learning process is crucial for achieving the best results.
However, there's a catch: the "ad creative" object in Facebook Ads is immutable. This means that every time you make a modification, Facebook Ads creates a new object in its database rather than updating the existing one. As a result, the new ad lacks the learning data accumulated by the previous version, leading to a potential drop in performance.
Understanding the Immutable Nature of Ad Creatives
When you modify an ad, Facebook Ads treats it as an entirely new entity. This new ad starts from scratch in terms of learning and optimization, which can lead to a loss of up to 30% in campaign performance. While the ad set level data remains intact, all the specific data tied to the original ad is lost.
This makes sense when you consider that even minor changes in ad creatives can yield significantly different results. Accumulating knowledge on a similar but different ad is counterproductive and can hinder the algorithm's ability to optimize effectively.
The Solution: Run Ads in Parallel
To avoid this performance pitfall, publish the new version of your ad without stopping the original one. Let both versions run simultaneously. Facebook Ads will gradually increase the distribution of the better-performing ad and eventually phase out the less effective one.
By allowing the algorithm to compare and optimize both versions, you can maintain and even improve your campaign performance without disrupting the learning process.
Conclusion
Modifying your Facebook Ads can have unintended consequences on your campaign performance. By understanding the immutable nature of ad creatives and running ads in parallel, you can optimize your results and achieve better outcomes. Implement this strategy today and watch your performance metrics improve.
