The old rulebook is obsolete, and the answer about the ideal number of ads now should be considered variable.
Things are changing…
The Old Rule
Until recently, there was a much clearer answer to this question. Meta’s own documentation suggested no more than six ads in an ad set. After that, there was no benefit to additional ads.
Of course, that was a generalization and there were always exceptions, but it was a good rule of thumb. Whenever someone asked me about the number of ads they should use, I’d refer to that guideline.
The Change
Well, that guideline disappeared because of (presumably) Andromeda. Or it was a happy coincidence that it disappeared during the early spring of this year.
Meta created Andromeda to handle the huge increase in creative variations. Not only variations of single ads due to Advantage+ Creative and AI-generated enhancements, but because of additional ads.
Meta now openly recommends “creative diversification.” It’s a phrase they’re using often when talking about ad strategy now. Diversification by format, style, angle, and more.
This is a new approach that opposes many of our assumptions about what works. I’ve heard of advertisers finding success with 10, 20, and even 50 ads in an ad set.
What About Budget?
So, the question now is whether there’s an ideal number of ads by budget. I’d caution restraint on answering this question prematurely. It would be reasonable to assume that budget is an important factor, but I wouldn’t assume it without testing.
The results advertisers are seeing are far different from what was reported in the past. Budget doesn’t seem to be preventing Meta from distributing many ads and variations.
Right now, the old rulebook is out the window, and we should approach this with an open mind. What have you seen?
