Meta’s been nudging accounts toward broad targeting for two years now. The latest change makes it the default for new campaigns, and most accounts don’t catch it.
What we’re doing in response:
- Auditing every active campaign for the new default. About 1 in 3 needs a manual override.
- Tightening creative variation. Broad needs more creative, not less.
- Watching CPL by audience segment, not just account-wide.
What we’re not doing:
- Panic-pausing campaigns. Broad isn’t strictly worse; it’s different. The accounts that are losing money on it usually had targeting problems before.
The honest answer is: broad works when your creative is strong and your offer is clear. If either is weak, broad amplifies the weakness. Checking which camp an account is in is the first thing we do on every paid social engagement.