Episode 267: Meta Ads Q&A - What’s Actually Working in 2026
Release Date: 03/18/2026
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The Smart Marketer Podcast
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Episode 271: Meta Ads Q&A: Targeting Evolution, Retargeting & What Actually Matters Now
The Smart Marketer Podcast
Episode 271: Meta Ads Q&A: Targeting Evolution, Retargeting & What Actually Matters Now Episode Description Are you overthinking your campaign structure while missing what actually drives results? In this episode of the Smart Marketer Podcast, Molly Pittman and Smart Marketer’s Director of Advertising, Denis Paskalev, continue the Meta Ads Q&A series, diving into retargeting, targeting strategy, and how the algorithm is really working in 2026. From whether you still need separate retargeting campaigns to how creative is now doing the heavy lifting, this conversation breaks down...
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Episode 270: Organic Social vs Paid Ads What’s Actually Working Right Now (And Why Most Brands Get It Wrong)
The Smart Marketer Podcast
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Episode 269: Meta Ads Q&A: Creative, Budgets, and What’s Actually Working Right Now
The Smart Marketer Podcast
Episode 269: Meta Ads Q&A: Creative, Budgets, and What’s Actually Working Right Now Episode Description In this episode of the Smart Marketer Podcast, Molly Pittman, CEO of Smart Marketer, and Denis Paskalev, Director of Advertising, answer real questions from marketers navigating the shift in Meta ads, starting with one of the biggest concerns right now: can small businesses still win? They break down the reality behind creative demands, including whether you really need dozens of new ads every week, and what actually drives performance when budgets are limited. “The information that...
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Episode 268: Axon Ads - How to Diversify Beyond Meta and Find New Customers
The Smart Marketer Podcast
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Episode 267: Meta Ads Q&A - What’s Actually Working in 2026
The Smart Marketer Podcast
Episode Description In this episode of the Smart Marketer Podcast, Molly Pittman is joined by Smart Marketer’s Director of Advertising, Denis Paskalev, for a live Meta Ads Q&A where they answer real questions from marketers about what is actually working with Meta ads in 2026. From campaign structure and creative testing to scaling strategies and performance metrics, this conversation breaks down the modern approach to Meta ads in a world where targeting is driven more by creative, messaging, and landing pages than traditional audience targeting. If you are running ads for ecommerce,...
info_outlineEpisode Description
In this episode of the Smart Marketer Podcast, Molly Pittman is joined by Smart Marketer’s Director of Advertising, Denis Paskalev, for a live Meta Ads Q&A where they answer real questions from marketers about what is actually working with Meta ads in 2026.
From campaign structure and creative testing to scaling strategies and performance metrics, this conversation breaks down the modern approach to Meta ads in a world where targeting is driven more by creative, messaging, and landing pages than traditional audience targeting.
If you are running ads for ecommerce, SaaS, info products, or local businesses, this episode will give you practical guidance on how to structure, test, and scale campaigns in today’s Meta ecosystem.
“I think people are putting too much pressure on trying to figure out the exact winning campaign structure, where actually there are other things that are usually more important.” – Denis Paskalev
You Will Learn
• Why there is no single perfect Meta ad campaign structure and what actually matters more
• When to use CBO versus ABO for creative testing and campaign control
• How to handle situations where one ad receives most of the budget in Meta campaigns
• The difference between vertical and horizontal scaling in today’s ad ecosystem
• Why scaling often causes CPAs to spike and how to prevent it
• How creative, messaging, and landing pages now act as targeting signals for Meta
• The metrics to evaluate during the first one to three days of ad testing
• When to move a winning creative from testing to scaling campaigns
• Whether videos and static ads should be tested together or separately
Links & Resources
• Free Meta Ads Mini Class – https://smartmarketer.com/meta-ads-mini-class-v3/
• Smart Marketer – https://smartmarketer.com
• Molly Pittman – https://mollypittman.com
• Smart Marketer Podcast – https://smartmarketer.com/smart-marketer-show/
• Omnisend – https://smartmarketer.com/omnisend (Use code SMART for 50% off your first three months)
Time Stamps
00:00:21 – Introduction to the Meta Ads Q&A
00:01:08 – Ezra Firestone on Omnisend and Email/SMS Growth
00:02:11 – Molly introduces the live Meta ads Q&A session
00:03:13 – The truth about Meta campaign structure in 2026
00:04:14 – Why Meta sometimes allocates most of the budget to one ad
00:05:41 – CBO versus ABO for creative testing
00:06:56 – Vertical and horizontal scaling strategies
00:07:58 – Why increasing budgets can break campaigns
00:09:38 – When to move a winning ad from testing to scaling
00:11:18 – How long ads should stay in testing campaigns
00:11:32 – Metrics to evaluate during the first days of testing
00:13:14 – Testing static versus video creatives
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