How to Optimise Your Paid Media Testing Without Wasting Time or Budget

Each test in paid media turns uncertainty into learning: what to test, how to do it, and why the right budget and time make all the difference. Every part of a campaign can drive success, but it can also become a drain on time and resources if the approach isn’t right. So, what elements should you test, and how can you structure an effective routine for doing so?

The first step is understanding which elements have the greatest impact on results. Generally, the order of priorities should be: offer/value proposition, creative, headlines, targeting, format, primary text, call-to-action, and description. This isn’t just theory; it’s supported by performance data. For example, the offer is the backbone of any ad—without a clear and compelling value proposition for the user, no other element can compensate for it.

An effective routine for your testing strategies should include:

1. Define the key element to test: Instead of trying to assess everything at once, focus on a single element. For instance, does the headline effectively communicate the value of the offer?

2. Set clear hypotheses: Define what you aim to achieve with the change and how you will measure success (CTR, CPA, ROAS, etc.).

3. Design controlled variations: Create versions that differ only in the element being tested. This ensures results aren’t diluted by other factors.

4. Allocate an appropriate budget: This is where many uncertainties arise. Tests with very low budgets and/or short timelines tend to produce inconclusive data, mainly due to randomness. Without significant evidence, any decision based on such data will be built on shaky ground.

The issue with low budgets or short timelines is that they undermine the confidence that data can provide. Randomness, as mentioned, can lead you to incorrect conclusions, such as pausing an ad that could have performed better with more budget, time, or optimisation, or believing a winning variation is effective when, in reality, its better performance may have been random. A minimum timeframe of 7 to 14 days is recommended, depending on the volume of data you can gather, which will primarily depend on the budget and time dedicated to the test.

When this methodology is applied consistently, the benefits become much clearer. Optimisation is about building a system of continuous improvement. Ultimately, the real impact of paid media lies in discovering scalable and replicable patterns.

For those seeking sustainable results, the key is making the right changes supported by robust data. Next time you plan a test, ask yourself if the conditions are right for obtaining actionable insights. If they aren’t, it may be better to adjust the variables or postpone the test until they are. What do you think? What has been your biggest challenge when testing elements in paid media?

Occasions when it's better not to use Audience Network

Audience Network is a channel within the ad set section.

Our ad, if enabled, would be displayed on external websites and applications, i.e. outside of Facebook, Instagram and Messenger.

There would be several locations where our ad would be displayed on these external sites, either in banner or video format, etc.

One of the problems with Audience Network is that it tends to deliver a lot of low quality clicks and traffic, where low quality clicks and traffic are understood as clicks that have been made by bots rather than real users, or even clicks from competitors.

All this does is waste the advertiser's money inefficiently.

However, the biggest problem with the Audience Network is that many of the clicks that are generated from the Audience Network are accidental. This is because Audience Network ads are going to appear on these types of web pages where there is an excess of ads everywhere, and therefore there is a high probability that these accidental clicks will be generated, especially if we are talking about mobile devices that have small screens.

If one chooses to make the decision not to show ads through the Audience Network, I don't see how that will cause any problems.

There are occasions where using the Audience Network may be acceptable, in general it will depend on the objective of the campaign, in campaigns with traffic, reach or engagement objectives, I would exclude Audience Network. However, with conversion campaigns I would see it valid, putting it in automatic locations, because if you generate low quality clicks that do not convert, Meta will automatically not put resources there (it is quite common for this to happen).

In short, if you want users to take an action beyond the ad in your campaign, it would be best to exclude the Audience Network.

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