Meta Ads in 2025: What You Need to Know

If we worked together in 2024, you probably heard me say: “Let’s move your ad budget to Meta.” And I meant it.

Back then, we were consistently seeing lower CPCs, better conversions, and incredible brand visibility across Facebook and Instagram—especially for local, service-based, and women-led brands.

But over the past few months, I started noticing a pattern.
The same strategies that crushed it in 2024 were now underperforming, even with great creative and solid audiences. So I did what I always do when something’s off…

I started asking questions.

And last month, I had the rare opportunity to speak directly with a Meta Ads engineer 1:1—and that conversation completely reshaped how I’m advising clients moving forward.

Here’s what I found—and what it means for your business.

Meta’s AI Is Now In Control—Not You

Gone are the days of carefully layered interests and hyper-specific audiences. Meta has intentionally phased out most manual targeting options, particularly in “sensitive” categories like parenting, health, and finance.

Instead, the platform is shifting power to its own automation tools, most notably Advantage+ Audiences and Advantage+ Shopping Campaigns.

According to the Meta engineer I spoke with:

“The algorithm knows more about your ideal customer than you think. We want advertisers to let AI decide—not fight it.”

What That Means for You:

• Manual targeting ≠ results anymore.

• Your focus should shift to feeding Meta’s AI high-quality data it can work with: email lists, engaged followers, lead form submissions.

• Broad audience strategies now outperform narrow ones—but only when paired with the right creative.

Lookalikes Have Been Replaced by First-Party Data

Remember when a solid lookalike audience was your secret weapon? In 2025, Meta’s moving away from that model. Lookalikes are less effective, and the platform now prioritizes Advantage+ Targeting, which uses wider behavioral signals rather than custom audience expansion.

Instead, you need to build your own warm audiences—and fast.

Focus on:

• Custom audiences built from your CRM, your email list, or your website traffic

• Short retargeting windows (7–14 days) to stay top-of-mind

• Regular audience refreshes to avoid fatigue and keep performance high

Your Creative Has to Do All the Heavy Lifting

If AI is handling targeting, your content has to capture attention—and keep it.

Meta is rewarding native, unfiltered, human-first content that feels like it belongs in someone’s feed. Think Reels, Stories, and selfie-style videos that share a quick story or answer a relatable question.

What’s working best right now:

• Short-form video that feels conversational (not salesy)

• UGC-style visuals, even if they’re DIY

• Messaging that connects to emotions or solves a clear problem

The Meta engineer was blunt about it:

“The algorithm doesn’t care how pretty your ad is—it cares if people are watching, clicking, and engaging.”

Retargeting Still Works—But It’s Shrinking

iOS privacy updates and tighter Meta policies mean retargeting audiences are smaller and expire faster. But they’re still one of your most powerful tools if you use them right.

In 2025, retargeting looks like:

• Targeting video viewers, IG engagers, and lead form opens—not just website visitors

• Running retargeting sequences that hit within a week of initial engagement

• Using custom audiences to build trust faster through intentional content (not just ad repetition)

What This Means for You

If your Meta Ads strategy hasn’t changed since 2024, it’s time for a serious refresh.

Meta Ads still work. But they require a new playbook—one that embraces automation, prioritizes strong creative, and builds campaigns around first-party data and emotional resonance.

And the truth is, you don’t have to figure this out alone.

At HerAIgency, we specialize in helping female founders adapt their ad strategies to align with the latest changes—without overwhelm, burnout, or wasted spend.

Whether you need help optimizing your current campaigns or want to completely revamp your ad strategy, I’ve got you.

Stay Tuned: Later this week, I’ll be sharing a full comparison of Google Ads vs. Meta Ads in 2025—when to use each, what’s working, and how to spend smarter across both platforms.

Until then, if you’re ready for a campaign audit or want help refreshing your Meta Ads strategy, visit www.HerAIgency.com or email me at [email protected].

Let’s make your ads work with the algorithm—not against it.