Have you ever operated Facebook Ads and noticed the word “Learning” in the Ads Manager? If so, you might’ve wondered what this means exactly.
The learning phase is a key component of how Facebook’s ad delivery system works, and understanding what it is can enable you to get greater results from your campaigns.
So, what is the learning phase?
The learning phase is when Facebook’s ad system is figuring out how to deliver your ad in the best way. As your ad is shown to more people, the system gets a better idea of who is most likely to interact with it, where to show it and when.
This stage begins when you start a new ad or ad set, or you make a substantial change to an ad or ad set that already exists. This could be updating the budget, audience or creative, for example.
Throughout this period, your ad set is labelled as “Learning” in the delivery column.
Why it’s important
While your ad is in the learning phase, performance will be more inconsistent and your cost per action (CPA) might be higher. This is just because the system is learning and testing. The moment it has enough results, which is usually 50 conversions in a week, your ad exits the learning phase and starts to deliver more consistently.
What to avoid during the learning phase
To help your ads exit the learning phase smoothly and avoid getting stuck in “Learning Limited,” here are Meta’s recommended best practices.
Avoid editing your ad set too soon
Making changes during the learning phase resets it, delaying optimisation.
Only make meaningful edits
Don’t tweak ads unless you believe it will improve performance. Unnecessary edits can cause re-entry into the learning phase.
Limit ad volume
Creating too many ads or ad sets at once spreads the system’s learning too thin. Combine similar ad sets to pool learnings.
Use realistic budgets
Very small or inflated budgets confuse the system. Set a budget large enough to get results and avoid frequent changes.
Don’t try to skip the learning phase
It’s a necessary part of improving ad performance. Testing new creative and strategies helps long-term success.
What if your ad gets stuck?
If your ad set isn’t getting enough results, it may become “Learning Limited”. This means the system can’t optimise as well as it should. To fix this, you may need to adjust your budget, audience size or creative to improve performance.
Want better results from your Facebook Ads?
Getting to grips with the learning phase is just one side of the coin when it comes to effective Facebook campaigns. If you’d rather let the experts deal with the setup and optimisation, contact our team at Engage Web. We’ll manage your Facebook Ads from start to finish – so you can focus on your business. Contact Engage Web today and let’s make your ads work harder.
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