How to Improve Facebook Ads

Facebook ads (Meta Ads) continue to be one of the most powerful digital marketing tools. With more than 3M users across Facebook and Instagram, the platform is a gold mine for attracting customers.

Well, of course, if you compare it to how it worked 15 years ago… The reality is that it’s not a matter of luck: Facebook ads work when you apply the right strategy, target effectively, use engaging creatives (especially UGC video) and optimize every step of the funnel.

In this guide, you’ll learn how to make your Facebook ads really work today, how to optimize them, which metrics to track and why user-generated content is the differentiating factor that makes all the difference.

We’re not the ones saying this—Facebook explains it here.

To improve your Facebook Ads results, you need to understand how the algorithm thinks:

• It needs data volume to optimize.
• It requires at least 50 conversions per week to exit the learning phase.
• It favors ads with real engagement (clicks, shares, comments).
• It penalizes repetitive creatives or those with a low CTR.

Tip: creatives are key. Try different creatives so it can find your ideal customer.

A common mistake is trying to reach everyone. Today, smart targeting is more important than ever:

• Broad audiences (broad targeting): let Meta AI identify buyers within a large audience.
• Custom audiences: people who have already visited your website, interacted with your social media or purchased before.
• Lookalike audiences: audiences similar to your best customers.

Trick: combine broad targeting for prospecting + retargeting to close sales.

We’re no longer in 2019, when any image worked as a creative—the social media user is completely saturated. Creative accounts for 80% of your ads’ success (Creaboost source). You can have the best targeting, but if your ad doesn’t stop the scroll, it won’t work.

• It looks like authentic and organic content, not an intrusive ad. And it blends in well (even when marked as sponsored) in the social media feed.
• It builds trust through social proof, because UGC content creators show their faces and seem like real people telling a story.
• They use hooks (visual hooks) during the first few seconds to grab the user’s attention.
• It has higher CTR and conversions than any campaign image or traditional corporate video.

• Short UGC videos (10-20 seconds) explaining the benefits of the product or service
• POV (point of view): show the real user experience.
• Before-and-after comparisons.
• Unboxing with urgency-driven copy.
• Real customer testimonials.

Example of an effective ad: a creator showing in 7 seconds how an order arrives at their home, with on-screen text: “30% off the entire store—today only”, while opening and trying it.

At HICARI, you have dozens of UGC creators to choose from and create paid content with.

The key to creating Facebook ads that work is not launching just one, but testing multiple versions, different creative assets (videos, please), different targeting and/or formats.

• Test different hooks (3-second opening phrases).
• Change formats: Stories, Reels, Feed.
• Launch 3-5 UGC ad variations per campaign.
• Analyze CTR, CPM and CPA to identify the winner.

👉 You can apply the 70/20/10 rule for financial optimization to create Paid ads with an improved version, the 50/30/20 Paid Media rule:

• 50% new ads in testing.
• 30% variations of ads that worked.
• 20% scaling winning ads.

I’ve been running Paid campaigns for years, doing SEO (and SEO for videos), and working on acquisition for ecommerce and service websites (leads). Let me tell you: your ad only attracts the click, but the conversion happens on the landing page.

• Speed: less than 3 seconds to load on mobile.
• Mobile-first design (90% of traffic comes from smartphones). What will the user see Above The fold?
• Visible, direct CTA in the Above The Fold.
• Clear offer consistent with the ad.
• Social proof (reviews, UGC photos, testimonials).
• Explanation or demonstration of the product or service, preferably with video in addition to text and images.

Common mistake: sending traffic to the homepage. The right approach is to create campaign-specific landing pages.

Example of HICARI’s homepage:

1. First copy: “Leading UGC platform,” positively reinforcing what it is.
2. Stars and rating.
3. Heading clearly explaining the page content: “Create UGC videos for your brand”
4. Expanded summary of the concept.
5. Highlighted primary CTA and secondary button.
6. USPs such as “100% Free” or “No subscription”
7. All accompanied by a UGC video explaining it.

If you want to optimize Meta Ads, these are the key metrics:

• CTR (Click Through Rate): measures whether your ad captures attention.
• CPM (Cost per thousand impressions): reflects market competitiveness.
• CPA (Cost per acquisition): measures what you pay for each customer.
• ROAS (Return on Ad Spend): the most important profitability indicator.

1. If your CTR is low → change the creative.
2. If your CPA is high → review the offer and landing page.

Is it profitable? learn how to measure UGC ROI.

When you find a winning ad, scale it without disrupting the campaign:

• Increase the budget progressively (+10-20% every 3 days).
• Duplicate successful campaigns with new audiences.
• Reuse winning creatives in other formats.

Tip: avoid scaling too quickly, because the algorithm may “reset.”

Visit PROJECTS to see some of HICARI’s clients and get inspired.

PlayUZU: creates entertainment-style video content to sell the fun of its product. Content that doesn’t directly sell you the product, but disguises it in a fun, fast-paced video.

• Define your buyer persona.
• Use broad audiences + Meta AI.
• Active retargeting audiences.
• Set up lookalikes based on your best customers.

• Record at least 5 different UGC videos.
• The ads have a visual hook in the first 3 seconds.
• All videos work without sound (on-screen text).
• I have formats for Reels, Stories and Feed.

• Test different hooks, durations and copy.
• Measure CTR, CPM, CPA and ROAS weekly.
• Follow the new 50/30/20 rule for testing and scaling.

• Loads in under 3 seconds on mobile.
• Clear and visible CTA at the top.
• Message consistent with the ad.
• Includes customer reviews, photos and UGC videos.

• Increase the budget gradually.
• Duplicate winning campaigns with new audiences.
• Repurpose successful creatives in other formats.

Making your Facebook ads work isn’t about spending more, but about creating a consistent system of testing, optimisation and authentic creativity. If you don’t do this—or your agency doesn’t—you’re burning through your budget.

Video UGC has become the most powerful tool for improving results in Meta Ads: more human, more relatable ads that build trust.

At HICARI, you can find content creators ready to produce UGC ads that will make your brand stand out on Facebook, drive more conversions and optimise every euro invested