Meta Advantage+ Isn’t Broken, But Your "Reward Signal" Is

Many eCommerce founders feel like Meta Advantage+ is a "black box" that works for a while and then suddenly hits a wall. You see the purchases coming in, but your new customer growth has flatlined.

The truth? Meta is likely better at finding audiences than you are—but it’s only as good as the goal you give it.

WATCH: THE TRUTH ABOUT THE RETARGETING TRAP

Ready to fix your signal architecture?

Download the New Customer Acquisition Guide

Get the step-by-step framework to stop the Retargeting Trap and start scaling your real revenue.

Is your prospecting budget actually just expensive retargeting? See how Wicked Reports fixes your signal architecture.

The Problem: You're Rewarding the Wrong Outcome

If you tell Meta’s AI to "Optimize for Purchases," it will hunt for the easiest conversion possible to make its own scoreboard look good. The easiest conversion is always an existing customer or a warm lead.

When your prospecting budget gets pulled into warm audiences, you start paying for conversions you likely would have received anyway. This is the Retargeting Trap.

Is Your Account "Circulating" Instead of Scaling?

Run this quick checklist on your Advantage+ campaigns:

1. New Customer Percentage: Is it dropping while total purchases stay stable?
2. Frequency: Is it creeping up, even though this is supposed to be a "prospecting" campaign?
3. In-Platform ROAS: Is it high, but your total business revenue is stagnant?

If you checked these boxes, your account has the "retargeting disease."

The Solution: Shift the Signal Architecture

You can't "ask nicely" for Meta to find new customers. You have to change the reward signal.

• Stop relying on manual audiences: The lever is now creative architecture and high-quality data signals.
• Control the System: Define the optimization goal as New Customer Purchases specifically.
• Establish a New Scoreboard: Track New Visitor %, New Customer %, and New Customer Acquisition Cost (nCAC) weekly.

Real World Impact: Joanna Vargas

The success of brands like Joanna Vargas isn't down to a "magic button." It’s a combination of Andromeda-style creative volume and precision signal architecture. By giving Meta the right data, they forced the AI to hunt for new growth rather than recycling existing demand.

Ready to train Meta on the outcomes you actually want? Watch the Wicked Reports Demo.

Frequently Asked Questions

• Q: Why is my Meta Advantage+ ROAS high but my revenue is flat?

  • A: This is a classic sign of the "Retargeting Trap." Meta's AI is finding the path of least resistance to show you a conversion, which often means targeting people who already know your brand. Your in-platform numbers look high, but your business isn't actually growing.

• Q: What exactly is a "Reward Signal"?

  • A: Think of the reward signal as the "treat" you give the AI when it does something right. If you reward it for any purchase, it will take the easy route. To scale, you must change the signal to reward it specifically for New Customer Acquisition.

• Q: How do I stop my prospecting ads from retargeting?

  • A: You need to shift your signal architecture. By using a tool like Wicked Reports to define and track New Customer Acquisition Cost (nCAC) and New Visitor %, you can train the Meta algorithm to ignore existing demand and hunt for truly new customers.