Social Media Marketing Talk Show

Episode: Facebook Updates: Brand Tools, New Ads, Creator APIs, and More
Host: Jerry Potter (Social Media Examiner)
Guest: Tara Zerker (Founder, Successful Ads Club, Facebook Ads Expert)
Date: September 29, 2025

Overview

This episode spotlights the latest Facebook and Meta updates set to impact social media marketers, including new ad placements, creative tools, advertising strategies for evolving privacy laws, WhatsApp and Threads ad formats, UK policy shifts, advancements in creator discovery, and the roll-out of an AI video app called Vibes. The discussion is lively, practical, and “nerdy” in Tara’s words, providing real-world takeaways marketers can apply immediately.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Reels Trending Ads Expansion

[02:29 - 03:25]

• Description: Meta is expanding access to "reels trending ads". Advertisers can now place ads directly in or after the top 5% of trending organic Reels posts.

• Results: Early case studies show significantly increased ad recall and improved ad outcomes.

• Quote:

  "If you can get that ad placed right after a trending reel, you're probably going to have a better outcome from your ads." — Tara Zerker [02:18]

• Psychology Behind the Feature: After watching engaging content, viewers' attention is heightened, making them more receptive to ads.

• Quote:

  "We're just moving. And... you want to be able to stop that thumb scroll. Right? And if you're already watching something that's trending, it's viral, it's top 5% of videos... your attention is focused on whatever comes next." — Tara [03:32]

2. Threads Ads: New Formats & Expansion

[04:25 - 04:58]

• Updates: Threads (Meta’s Twitter competitor) is rolling out carousel and video ad formats. Advantage plus Catalog is coming soon.
• Trend: Meta’s strategy is to increase ad placement options, driving better performance and keeping advertisers engaged.

3. Value Rules for Ad Optimization

[05:00 - 07:10]

• Announcement: Meta introduced account-wide “value rules,” allowing advertisers to specify bidding preferences for valuable demographics.
• How it Works: Example: Bid 60% higher for males aged 35–44; bid 20% lower for a less desirable segment.
• Quote:

  “You can now... go into these value rules... and tell Meta, 'this is my most valuable target.' ...I think this is phenomenal, especially for larger budget clients.” — Tara Zerker [05:40]

4. Landing Page View Optimization for Non-Pixel Ads

[07:36 - 08:50]

• Situation: Running ads without MetaPixel tracking has previously forced marketers to “fly blind.”
• Update: Facebook now offers landing page view optimization for such traffic ads.
• Impact: This feature is reducing ad costs by 31%, granting more actionable results even without pixel data.
• Quote:

  “Meta is seeing that it's a 31% reduction in cost. ...There are plenty of scenarios where you cannot pixel. ...This is a wonderful improvement.” — Tara [07:36]

5. UK Audience Reach Impacted by New Privacy Option

[10:38 - 11:33]

• Change: UK users can now subscribe to an ad-free experience on Meta apps. Those who pay won't be tracked for advertising.
• Expected Impact: Possible dip in UK ad reach as adoption grows.
• Quote:

  “If you are targeting UK audiences, you may see some impact from that for sure.” — Tara [10:38]
  “If you don’t pay this, then you’re agreeing to let [Meta] track you. If you do pay, you’re ad-free and they don’t track you, right?” — Jerry [11:14]

6. WhatsApp Status Ads Introduced

[12:11 - 13:11]

• New Options: Marketers can create click-to-WhatsApp ads that show in the “Updates” tab of WhatsApp status.
• Mechanism: Engaged users are taken directly to a chat with the business (auto-messages required).
• Great For: Non-US and European markets where WhatsApp is a key business channel.

7. Community Notes on Facebook

[13:29 - 14:58]

• Stats: 70,000 contributors have joined; ~6% of the 15,000 submitted notes are published.

• Purpose: Community-policed content notes similar to Twitter/X’s Community Notes.

• Notable Moment:

  "Have you ever seen a community note? I've never seen one." — Jerry [14:42]
  "I don't think I have either." — Tara [14:48]

• New Notification: Users who engage with a post will now receive notifications if it later gets a Community Note.

8. Vibes — Meta’s AI Generated Video App

[15:56 - 17:01]

• Overview: “Vibes” is a feed within the Meta AI app for entirely AI-generated video content.

• Use: Content creators can make and share AI videos across Vibes, Facebook, and Instagram.

• Sentiment: Skepticism from Tara regarding appeal to audiences.

• Quote:

  "I'm not feeling it. I am not, I'm not vibing with this idea. I don't know if I can get into an all video, like, all AI video feed." — Tara [15:56]

• Host Reflection: Difference between “just AI” and AI as a tool for human creativity.

9. Ad API & Creator Marketplace Improvements

[18:47 - 20:14]

• Catalog Ads Expansion: Greater variety of creative assets can be automatically pulled into ads via the Advantage+ Catalog.

• Advice:

  “Take a look through your Advantage plus catalog. Make sure those images are looking ad ready.” — Tara [19:13]

• Creator Discovery API: Meta is opening up its creator marketplace more widely, making creator/influencer partnerships easier to identify and forge through third-party tools.

• Comparison: TikTok’s marketplace has outpaced Meta’s; this update should close the gap.

Notable Quotes and Memorable Moments

• On the psychology of Reels Trending Ads:

  "We're just moving... we move four times faster on mobile than versus desktop... you want to stop that thumb scroll." — Tara [03:32]

• On Value Rules:

  "Now you can actually go and tell Meta that this is the most valuable type of client for me." — Tara [05:49]

• On Landing Page Optimization:

  "Meta is seeing that it's a 31% reduction in cost... This is a really wonderful improvement." — Tara [08:07]

• On WhatsApp Status Ads:

  "It's going to be basically like a messenger ad, but that will happen inside of WhatsApp." — Tara [12:30]

• On Vibes:

  "I'm not vibing with this idea. I don't know if I can get into an all video, like, all AI video feed." — Tara [15:56]

Timestamps for Key Segments

• Reels Trending Ads Expansion: 02:29–03:25
• Threads Ads Formats / Catalog Expansion: 04:25–04:58
• Value Rules Launch: 05:00–07:10
• Landing Page Optimization (No MetaPixel): 07:36–08:50
• UK Privacy Shift / Subscription Option: 10:38–11:33
• WhatsApp Ads Rollout: 12:11–13:15
• Community Notes Expansion: 13:29–14:58
• Vibes: AI Video Feed: 15:56–17:01
• API/Creator Marketplace Updates: 18:47–20:14

Resources and Further Learning

• Tara Zerker’s Successful Ads Club: successfuladsclub.com
• Social Media Examiner Live Shows: SocialMediaExaminer.com/liveshow

Closing Thought

This episode offers a blend of news, practical ad updates, and honest banter. There’s a continued shift towards AI-driven tools, more privacy-conscious audiences (especially in the UK), and ongoing improvements to ad formats and third-party integrations—setting up marketers with emerging opportunities and a few new challenges for the months ahead.