128 - 3 Changes with Meta That Affect Your Ads (and How to Sell More Tickets Anyway)

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Aug 20, 2025

Meta has recently changed the ad landscape, making it crucial for marketers to adapt. Discover how weaker targeting affects ticket sales and learn to harness custom audiences instead. The podcast highlights the importance of creativity over targeting and explores new ad placements on Threads and WhatsApp. Gain insights into Meta's shift towards AI-driven marketing and the 'fishbone effect' for testing ads. Finally, find out tactical tips to optimize your marketing funnel and boost conversions!

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ADVICE

Build And Segment Custom Audiences

Build strong custom audiences (website visitors, purchasers, video engagers, page engagers).
Upload and segment these groups so Meta can find lookalikes that convert.

ADVICE

Use Local Radius Then Let AI Expand

Layer local radius targeting (20–30 miles) around your venue to improve ticket sales.
Then let Meta's AI expand from that starting point instead of over-segmenting.

ADVICE

Give AI Funnel-Based Guardrails

Give Meta AI guardrails by organizing audiences into funnel buckets (top/mid/bottom).
Treat those buckets like bumpers so the algorithm finds buyers, not random tire-kickers.

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Meta keeps moving the goalposts—and if you’re still running ads like it’s last season, you’re wasting money. In this episode of Sports Marketing Machine, Jeremy Neisser breaks down the three biggest changes Meta has rolled out—weaker targeting, new placements, and the launch of its AI engine Andromeda—and shows you how to stay ahead so your ads actually sell tickets instead of just burning budget.

Sports marketers who adapt will get cheaper ads and more conversions while their competitors are left scratching their heads.

Key Topics Covered

Why Meta stripped out many interest categories (and how to replace them with custom audiences)
The power of local radius targeting paired with AI expansion
How to use new ad placements on Threads and WhatsApp to follow fans across platforms
Why Meta’s endgame is no longer being the “biggest social network” but the world’s most powerful AI ad engine
How creative—not targeting—is now the #1 driver of ad performance
What the “fishbone effect” means for testing and scaling multiple ad formats
Tactical tips for building the right funnel with top, middle, and bottom audiences
Practical examples of creative that sells (e.g., reels of fireworks night vs. static graphics)

Timestamps

00:00 – Why Meta keeps changing the rules
01:30 – Change #1: Targeting got weaker (and what to do about it)
05:40 – Building custom audiences and giving AI guardrails
08:15 – Change #2: New ad placements on Threads & WhatsApp
10:30 – Meta’s real endgame: AI-first ad engine
15:20 – Change #3: Creative is king thanks to Andromeda
17:45 – How Advantage+ campaigns scale the right creative
20:00 – Main takeaways & what to adjust first

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Call to Action

If your ads feel more expensive or less effective than last year, it’s not you—it’s Meta. Adjust your funnel, upload fresh creative, and let AI work for you.

Share this episode with a teammate running ads, and leave a review on Spotify or Apple Podcasts if you found it helpful.

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