Should I use Advantage+ placements or select manually?

Start with Advantage+ (automatic) placements when launching a new campaign. Meta's algorithm distributes budget across placements based on where conversions cost least. After you collect 50+ conversions, check the placement breakdown. If one placement drives most of your spend at a bad CPA, break it out into a separate ad set or exclude it.

What is the cheapest Facebook Ads placement?

Audience Network typically has the lowest CPM ($2-4), followed by Reels ($4-6). But cheap impressions do not mean cheap conversions. Feed placements cost more per thousand views but often produce the lowest cost-per-action because users are more engaged and closer to buying.

Do I need different creatives for each placement?

Yes. A 1:1 image designed for Feed will look cropped and unprofessional in Stories (9:16). At minimum, provide a 1:1 asset for Feed, a 9:16 asset for Stories and Reels, and let Meta auto-crop for the rest. Use the placement asset customization feature in Ads Manager to assign different creatives to different placements within the same ad.

How do I check which placement is performing best?

In Ads Manager, go to the ad set level, click Breakdown, then select By Delivery > Placement. This shows spend, impressions, CPA, and ROAS per placement. Run this check weekly. Kill placements where CPA is 2x or more above your target.

Field Notes Updated May 2026 10 min read

Facebook Ad Placements in 2026: Where to Show, Where to Skip

Auto placements isn't lazy — it's usually right. Here's when to override the algorithm and when to leave it alone.

Facebook gives you 15+ placements across Facebook, Instagram, Messenger, and Audience Network. Every operator with strong opinions about which ones "work" is usually wrong about most of them.

Below: how I actually decide placement strategy, the placements that consistently underperform for most accounts, and why "Auto Placements" is right 85% of the time.

The default that wins

Auto Placements lets Facebook show your ad anywhere — Feed, Stories, Reels, Marketplace, Audience Network, etc. The algorithm allocates based on where it predicts your ad performs best.

This is right for most accounts because:

The algorithm has more data than you do about which placements drive your conversions
Placement-level performance varies by audience, time of day, creative
Locking placements limits the auctions Facebook can enter — you usually pay more per result

Default to Auto Placements. Override only when you have a specific reason.

When to override

1. Reels-only or Stories-only campaigns. If you have vertical video creative built specifically for Reels (full-screen, sound-on, 9-15 sec), running it in Feed where it shows letterboxed ruins the experience. Lock to Reels + Stories.

2. Audience Network exclusion. Audience Network shows ads on third-party apps. Conversion quality is often worse, and brand-safety issues happen. For most accounts I exclude it explicitly: it's 5-10% of impressions but 1-2% of conversions.

3. Messenger ads exclusion. Messenger placement converts worse than Feed for most non-conversation offers. Exclude unless your offer is conversation-driven (lead-gen with chatbot, customer service apps).

4. Format-specific creative. Carousel ads should run on Feed and Stories where carousels display correctly. Lock placements to where your format renders properly.

Real placement data from a 30-day analysis. Audience Network is the obvious exclude — cheap impressions, terrible conversion quality.

Format strategy by placement

Feed (FB/IG): 1:1 square or 4:5 vertical. Static images and short video both work. Largest single placement by volume.
Reels: 9:16 vertical, sound-on, 9-15 seconds. UGC-style wins.
Stories: 9:16 vertical, can be static. Shorter attention span — make the hook obvious in 1 second.
Marketplace: Same as Feed format. Often cheap impressions.
Audience Network: Don't waste effort on creative here — exclude the placement.

Asset customization

Facebook lets you upload different creatives per placement (e.g., square for Feed, vertical for Reels and Stories). Use it. Single horizontal video that gets letterboxed across all placements performs noticeably worse than format-optimized assets.

Minimum: separate assets for square (Feed), vertical (Reels/Stories), and Audience Network (if you keep it on, which you mostly shouldn't).

FAQ

Should I run separate ad sets per placement?

Mostly no. One ad set with Auto Placements + asset customization is usually cleaner. Exception: when you want different creative messaging for different placements.

Is Reels worth it for my offer?

If you can produce vertical UGC video, yes. CPMs are lower, conversion quality varies but volume is high.

Can I get Facebook to spend more on Feed only?

Yes — exclude other placements. But you'll usually pay 20-40% higher CPM for Feed-only delivery vs Auto.

Bottom line

Auto Placements with Audience Network excluded handles 90% of cases. Lock placements only when you have format-specific creative or proven placement-level economics. The algorithm allocates better than your gut for most accounts.