I booked the call to pick his brain on how to better scale the ad accounts I’ve been managing and left with some sharp reminders and new ways of thinking.

We talked about Meta’s algorithm, creative diversity, UGC, interest targeting and how all of it ties back to buyer psychology and the customer journey.

The biggest topic?

Creative diversity.

We spent almost an hour on this because, in Meta, so much of the content out there focuses on shortcuts instead of what actually drives scale.

In Meta, creative diversity is the biggest lever for scale. But too often it gets reduced to “chopping up a 40-minute UGC into different hooks.” That’s not real diversity.

True diversity means:

• A mix of messaging angles, formats, and buyer states
• Speaking to the same customer in different mindsets (unaware, problem-aware, ready to buy)
• Building an ecosystem of ads that work together and not relying on one “home run”

And it’s more than visuals. It’s psychology.

• Tap different triggers – curiosity, proof, aspiration, urgency, safety.
• Change the context – same creator in a new role, same product in a new situation, same buyer in a new state.

That’s the kind of diversity Meta rewards.

Take January as an example:

Gyms are packed. Health products get more expensive to advertise because demand spikes.

But the why isn’t one-size-fits-all.

For some, it’s chasing a new goal.

For others, it’s solving a pain point.

For others still, it’s trying to lock in a habit.

Same product. Different triggers.

And that’s where creative diversity matters, matching the message to the state your buyer is in, not just changing the face in the ad.

Hooks matter in Meta. But it’s the whole arc of the ad that drives performance.

The hook grabs attention.

The next 5–15 seconds decide if you keep it.

The ending decides if they act.

If your hold rate is low, don’t just blame the first 3 seconds. Look deeper:

• Did the next part pay off and escalate the curiosity the hook created?
• Did you show transformation? Whether instant, emotional, or aspirational instead of dragging the setup?
• Is the pacing and editing rhythm keeping people engaged, or is it flat?

Better hold rate → stronger signals for Meta.

But scale comes when you pair that with clicks, conversions, and true creative diversity.

We also talked about UGC. Why does it work?

UGC works, but not for the reason most people think.

It’s not just that “it feels real.”

It works when the creator mirrors the buyer’s world.

When their tone, context, and story feel like something you’d actually hear from a peer.

But authenticity alone isn’t enough.

If the message doesn’t hit the buyer’s need, state, or trigger, UGC falls flat.

UGC wins when it’s both relatable and relevant.

We also circled back to interest targeting.

Interest targeting still works, but only as a sprint, not a marathon.

Here’s why:

Meta might tell you an interest audience is 15M, but you’re not reaching all 15M. The algorithm shows your ads to the slice most likely to convert, which is usually a fraction of that pool.

That’s why fatigue hits fast. Ads cycle through the same people over and over, and performance drops even if the “potential size” looks huge.

How to handle it:

• Watch reach and impressions vs. audience size. It tells you how much you’ve really penetrated.
• Refresh creatives often if you’re staying on interests.
• And know when to graduate into broader targeting or stronger signal-based audiences for sustainable scale.

Quick wins are fine. But if you want scale, interest targeting can’t carry you there.

Remember, scaling in Meta is not just about finding the right hack. It’s about building a system of creative diversity, psychology, and signals that match how buyers actually behave