DTC Podcast Ep 605: Meta Attribution Change – Why ROAS Dropped 40%
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Apr 24, 2026 Chris Richards, account strategist at Pilothouse who helps ecommerce brands scale paid media. He unpacks Meta’s March attribution change and why reported ROAS plunged 30–45%. Short takes on rising CPA, the hidden role of social proof, why MER beats ROAS now, and how panicked retargeting can wreck long-term growth.
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Meta Redefined Click Attribution
- Meta reclassified what counts as a click: only actual link clicks now count as click-through attribution while likes/comments/shares moved to engaged-through attribution.
- This shifts lots of previously counted conversions out of seven-day click and hides social-proof-driven conversions on-platform.
ROAS Dropped 30–45 Percent On Platform
- On-platform CVRs fell and CPAs rose after the change, with Pilothouse seeing ~30–45% degradation for many accounts.
- Brands heavy on social-proof video (lots of likes/comments/shares) were hit worst because those interactions no longer count as clicks.
Social Proof Heavy Brands Lost Visible Attribution
- Chris describes brands with celebrity founders and high-engagement video losing visible attribution because engagement no longer counts as clicks.
- These brands see platform metrics fall despite real sales continuing off-platform.