1d • General discussion
📊 Facebook Ad Experiment — Real-Time Documentation
(Messy. Honest. Still running.)
Why I’m Doing This
I’m documenting this in real time because most Facebook ad “case studies” skip the confusing parts.(full disclosure: chatGPT wrote this documentation and any advice or observations about this process is given by it ‘acting as’ the top Facebook ads marketer that I asked it to be.)
Before this, I hadn't run an ad in at least 5 years. This is not an area where I have a lot of experience or knowledge.
This is not a launch. Not a funnel. Not a scale play.
This is a small-budget boosted post test to invite the right people into my Automated CEO Community - and I want to show the actual process, including when Meta does weird stuff.
Starting Point (Before Ads)
- Profile size: ~1.3K followers
- Goal: Warm visibility + conversations (not cold conversions)
- Budget: Small daily boost
- Format: Boosted post, not Ads Manager
I chose to boost a post that already had organic traction instead of creating an ad from scratch.
The Original Post (Organic)
This was the post I boosted because it had the most traction (image attached):
"If you’re still trying to run your business on duct-taped systems and sheer willpower… you’re not alone. But you don’t have to keep doing it.
I opened The Automated CEO Community this morning, and within hours people started joining - people who are tired of holding their entire business together in their head.
(Details about workflows, clarity, templates, support, beta pricing, etc - I didn't include here)
If you’re on the fence, ask yourself:
How long do you want to keep operating on stress, memory, and caffeine?
Link in the comments."
Organic performance before boosting:
- 204 views
- 11 interactions
- 2 comments
This was my signal to test it with paid reach.
My Original Prompt (What I Asked For Help With)
Act as if you are the top Facebook ads marketer. I want to do a small cost ad (maybe a boosted post?) for one of my posts inviting to the Automated CEO.
From there, the strategy was shaped.
Strategy Decisions (Before Clicking Boost)
- Chose Engagement objective (not Traffic)
- Used a comment-based CTA instead of sending cold clicks
- Goal was warming + conversation, not instant signups
Recommended CTA approach:
“Comment CEO and I’ll send you the link.”
Reason:
- More engagement
- Lower costs
- Personal replies
- Better fit for community invites
Targeting We Intended to Use
Objective:
Engagement
Location: United States
Age: 30–55
Advantage+ audience expansion: ON
Interest targeting (kept broad):
Interests:
- Digital marketing OR Entrepreneurship
Behaviors:
- Small business owners
Job Titles:
- Small business
- Consultant
Avoided:
- AI tools
- ChatGPT
- Automation software
(Those tend to attract tool collectors, not implementers.)
Budget
- 💰 $7/day
- ⏱ Run for 6 days
Total spend ≈ $42 Perfect test range.
Where Meta Did Meta Things 🙃
After publishing, I went back to double-check the ad and noticed:
- The audience was wrong
- Advantage+ was OFF, even though I had selected it
So I:
- Corrected the audience
- Turned Advantage+ back ON
This caused:
- The ad to go back into review
- A brief pause in delivery
Important: This happened before any real spend, so no meaningful data or momentum was lost.
Approval Timeline (Including the Re-Review)
- Dec 13 — 2:33 PM: Ad approved
- Dec 13 — 6:20 PM:
At this point, it looked “dead,” but it wasn’t - delivery hadn’t ramped yet.
Actual Performance Once It Started Delivering
Dec 14 — 5:00 AM stats:
- Views: 101
- Reach: 99
- Post engagements: 39
- Cost per engagement: $0.13
- Comments: 0 (so far)
Key context:
- $0.13 per engagement is excellent
- Engagement includes reactions, taps, “see more,” profile clicks
- Comments often come later (Day 2–3), especially with thoughtful business owners
Engagement Nudge (Without Editing the Ad)
Instead of touching the ad again, I:
- Commented on my own post:
If this resonates, comment CEO and I’ll send you the link.
- Reacted to my own comment
- Let the ad continue running untouched
Pinning wasn’t available in this context - still fine.
What I’m Monitoring Going Forward
- Comments and DMs (often delayed)
- Cost per engagement staying under ~$0.20
- Profile visits
- Follower growth (starting point: ~1.3K followers)
- Quality of conversations vs raw clicks
This is a warming play, not a numbers flex.
Early Observations (So Far)
- Boosted posts ramp slowly - patience matters
- Engagement-first ads warm quietly before people speak
- Meta will mess with your settings - always double-check
- Fixing things early doesn’t ruin performance
- Comment-based CTAs lower costs and increase trust
- Small budget + clear message beats overbuilt funnels
Why I’m Sharing This
Because most ad posts only show:
- Clean screenshots
- Perfect outcomes
- “I spent $20 and made $2K” stories
This is the real process:
- Human decisions
- Platform quirks
- Re-reviews
- Slow starts
- Data before dopamine
I’ll keep updating as it runs.
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📊 Facebook Ad Experiment — Real-Time Documentation
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