Perpetual Traffic Podcast:
“The New Meta ‘Feeder Strategy’ That Breaks Andromeda (Full Walkthrough)”
Hosted by Ralph Burns & John Moran
Date: December 12, 2025
Podcast: Perpetual Traffic (Tier 11)
Episode Overview
This episode is a hands-on deep dive into the latest breakthrough in Meta (Facebook/Instagram) ads: adapting the "Feeder Strategy" (originally a Google Ads innovation) to Meta's new Andromeda update. Ralph Burns and John Moran share a comprehensive walkthrough—using real-world numbers, granular campaign structure examples, and learnings from millions in ad spend—designed for marketers struggling to diversify sales beyond a single flagship product.
The episode addresses a universal pain point for advanced advertisers: when Meta’s AI stubbornly favors one product ("flagship SKU") despite multiple offers, making it nearly impossible to scale or diversify customer acquisition. Ralph and John reveal the complete playbook they're using—one that contrasts sharply with traditional “set-and-forget” ad tactics—to outmaneuver the black-box logic of modern Meta campaigns, maximize campaign efficiency, and—crucially—drive sustainable business-wide growth.
Key Segments, Insights & Examples
1. The Andromeda Shift: Why Old Campaign Structures Stop Working
[04:45–09:25]
- Meta's Andromeda upgrade has fundamentally changed ad campaign optimization: campaigns now self-optimize aggressively toward top-selling SKUs, starving other products or offers.
- This "AI lock-in" means that if 80%+ of your pixel activity is, say, your immune health product, it’s almost impossible to scale other SKUs within the same account or pixel.
- Quote:
"Meta latches on to the most likely to convert product ... if you want to diversify, this is the episode right here."
— Ralph Burns [05:35]
2. What is the “Feeder Strategy” in Practice?
[07:30–09:25]
- Originally pioneered in Google (Performance Max) as a “two-tier campaign structure," the strategy involves:
- A “main” (all-products) campaign with full creative/offer access, optimized for broad acquisition.
- Multiple “feeder” campaigns—each focused on a specific product, SKU, or offer—to “feed” targeted activity to the main campaign and influence algorithmic optimization.
- Quote:
"We now have a way to cover all products with all creative everywhere ... and then develop individual feeder campaigns ... to steer the main campaign where we want it to go."
— John Moran [08:00]
3. Real-World Example: Pet Supplements Brand Facing Single-SKU Dominance
[11:30–14:00]
- The brand sells multiple pet wellness products, but 90% of sales and ad spend were locked into their “immune” SKU.
- Attempts to scale "joint," "digestive," or "oral care" SKUs always failed, as Meta relentlessly funneled all qualified traffic back to immune.
- John demonstrates that even with new products and creative, Meta’s optimization logic was unshakeable—unless they intervened with feeder tactics.
- Quote:
“Meta will only sell what is selling. ... How do you take what's not selling and make it sell so that Meta will sell it?”
— John Moran [13:29]
4. Implementation Mechanics: Building the Feeder/Master Campaign Structure
[16:08–18:57]
- Structure:
- Main master campaign: all products and creatives, open for broad optimization.
- “Feeder” campaigns: one for each SKU/offer, only promoting that specific product.
- By increasing spend in a feeder, Meta is “forced” to see more activity for the targeted SKU—this gradually influences the main campaign’s optimization patterns.
- Tangible results:
- Click-through rates (CTR) improved by 92%.
- Cost-per-click (CPC) dropped by 48%.
- Traffic volume spiked by 171% with only a 16% increase in spend.
- Quote:
“Now I can adjust the activity in that campaign by feeding it less or more of my other content ... It’s a massive unlock.”
— John Moran [17:04]
5. Testing & Attribution: Real Metrics from Scaling Experiments
[18:57–20:36]
-
When spend to the “joint” feeder was boosted by 57%, new joint customers in the main campaign increased by 61%—proving algorithmic influence.
-
New customer acquisition costs (NCAC) for joint dropped to $163, $120 below the global average.
-
Memorable Moment:
"My main campaign sold joint new customers 61% more ... $163 NCAC—$120 cheaper than our global average NCAC."
— John Moran [19:15]
6. Creative Diversification: Storytelling vs Product-Only Ads
[22:18–29:32]
- Narrative ("story") ads massively outperform standard product ads for awareness, engagement, and initial touch.
- The optimal creative flow:
- UGC/customer story ad to educate/engage (high CTR, but not instant buyers).
- Product-focused follow-ups to close.
- Using creative diversity in feeders allows you to “feed” each campaign with the most relevant stories and hooks for that product.
- Quote:
"Each time we showcase a story about a nice dog, they want to learn but they're not really ready to buy just yet."
— John Moran [23:42]
7. Scaling Up: The Power and Risk of Creative Volume
[27:03–29:43]
- Success depends on a relentless pipeline of new creative—up to 30 fresh creatives per week.
- Creative “starvation” in a feeder (e.g., only 2 ads for “joint” vs 12 for “immune”) leads to immediate underperformance.
- This approach is confirmed at scale by both Tier 11’s own experiments and multiple high-spend clients (e.g., a human supplement brand spend $200K/day).
- Quote:
“We have two pieces of creative in joint ... We have 12 pieces for immune ... We haven’t done the same effort in sales process in the creative to get the attention we need.”
— John Moran [28:34]
8. Big Picture: This Works for Any Industry or Product Structure
[29:32–31:19]
- While examples are all supplements, the feeder methodology is universally applicable:
- Service businesses (ex: dentist: implants vs x-rays).
- Lead gen funnels.
- Any time one offer or product monopolizes performance, this strategy allows “manual override” of the ad algorithm.
9. Strategic Context: Business Model Drives Structure
[41:00–43:34]
- Product/offer diversification isn’t just about marketing—it directly shapes business valuation, acquisition appeal, LTV, and resilience.
- All campaign decisions tie back to company goals (e.g. prepping for acquisition vs maximizing short-term profitability).
- Quote:
“If you're looking to buy this company, I'm like, why would I buy the one company that has one product out of six that work? ... You want to have a multiplicity of different types of customers to make you more appealing to potential buyers.”
— Ralph Burns [42:03]
10. Final Takeaways: Immediate Next Steps for Marketing Teams
[44:09–end]
- The winning formula:
- Main all-products campaign broadens optimized reach.
- Feeder campaigns allow you to “pull levers” for underperforming SKUs without jeopardizing the headline winner.
- Massive creative diversity is essential (“no more 2015-style product-only ads”).
- Quote:
“It's killer. ... You're not just doing this to mess around. You're doing it with a business purpose in mind—to diversify your customer base.”
— Ralph Burns [43:34]
Notable Quotes & Moments
-
John Moran:
"Meta will only sell what is selling. ... How do you take what's not selling and make it sell so that Meta will sell it?"
[13:29] -
Ralph Burns:
"You want to have a multiplicity of different types of customers to make you more appealing to potential buyers."
[42:03] -
John Moran (sharing client success):
"Our CAC went from 280ish to 180ish, with two to three times the customers and four times the subscribers. ... He's spending $200K a day right now."
[31:09] -
Ralph Burns:
"If you’ve got an algorithm, if you’ve got AI, if you’ve got a large language model, whatever you want to call it, with meta, all of this makes sense from an advertising standpoint. This is how you persuade. This is how people become brand advocates."
[29:51] -
John Moran:
"We just found out that we can sell joint for 168. You want to do harder on that? … Now we got feeder for Andromeda ... it's like I can just be in its ear saying spend more there. It's smooth."
[43:13]
Timestamps for Key Segments
- [04:45] – The challenge of optimization in a “one product dominates” scenario
- [07:30] – Feeder Strategy explained
- [11:30] – How Meta ignores new offers in favor of flagship SKUs
- [13:29] – “Meta will only sell what is selling” dilemma
- [16:08] – Feeder/Master campaign structure and mechanics
- [17:04] – Clickthrough breakthrough, dropping CPCs, scaling traffic
- [19:15] – Experiment: Scaling “joint” sales through feeder spend boosts
- [23:42] – Why stories outperform product ads
- [28:34] – The creative volume and diversification imperative
- [31:09] – Third-party client results and proof points
- [42:03] – The business case for diversification and brand value
- [43:13] – Strategic lever-pulling in the new Meta era
Actionable Playbook: How To Implement the Feeder Strategy for Meta Andromeda
- Main “All Products” Campaign
- Broad targeting, all good creatives, optimized for new customer acquisition across your entire product set.
- Feeder Campaigns
- Each SKU or product gets its own campaign (and dedicated creative), optimized for new customers in that product niche.
- Creative Diversity
- Use different hooks—especially story-driven and UGC content—to seed each campaign.
- Ensure a steady flow of new and variant creative for each feeder to avoid premature fatigue.
- Lever Control
- Want to scale a lagging SKU? Increase feeder spend for that SKU until results (and main campaign sales) follow.
- Monitor attribution holistically (topline sales, not just Meta’s self-attributed conversions).
- Iterate Relentlessly
- Track segment-level NCAC and transferable lessons. Prepare to adjust based on business goal (e.g. product portfolio balance, M&A goals).
Final Word
If you’re stuck in the “one hero product” rut and Meta’s AI keeps forcing all your spend to a single SKU, the feeder strategy is your advanced toolkit to take back control, diversify customer acquisition, and build a healthier, more defensible business.
For the definitive walkthrough, including campaign naming, creative rotation, and more, replay timestamps [07:30–31:19] and [41:00–44:09] for live step-by-step coaching. For downloads, campaign templates, and further resources, head to [perpetualtraffic.com].
