Meta Awareness Campaigns — Audit & Management

Quick Reference: Awareness Objective in Meta Ads Manager

The campaign objective is called "Awareness". It replaces the old Brand Awareness and Reach objectives. When creating a campaign, you select Awareness, then choose a performance goal:

Performance Goal	What Meta Optimises For	Use When
Maximize Reach of Ads	Show to as many unique people as possible within your audience.	Cold audiences, new market entry, broad awareness. Best for reaching people who don't know the brand yet.
Maximize Number of Impressions	Show as many times as possible (allows repeat views to the same person).	Reinforcement campaigns, event countdowns, short-window promotions where frequency matters.
Maximize Ad Recall Lift	Show to people most likely to remember seeing the ad after 2 days.	Brand building, new product launches. Skews towards existing brand-aware audiences.
Maximize ThruPlay Views	Show video to people who will watch 15+ seconds (or full video if shorter).	Video campaigns for retargeting pool building (25/50/75% watched audiences). Top of funnel.
Maximize Continuous 2-Second Video Views	Show video to people who will watch at least 2 seconds continuously.	Broad video distribution. Lower quality views but higher volume. Use sparingly.

Adfinity default: For most clients, use Maximize Reach for cold awareness or Maximize ThruPlay for video campaigns where you're building retargeting pools. Avoid "Maximize Impressions" unless there's a specific frequency strategy — it burns budget on the same people.

At a Glance

Cadence	Time	What You're Checking
Every 2–3 days	5 min	Spend pacing, delivery status, frequency spike check
Weekly	15–20 min	Reach, frequency, CPM, audience overlap, video metrics
Fortnightly	15 min	Ad creative performance, fatigue check, audience refresh
Monthly	25 min	Creative refresh brief, retargeting pool health, placement review, strategy check
Quarterly	30 min	Audience strategy reset, full creative overhaul, channel mix review

Every 2–3 Days

Quick Health Check

Ads Manager glance only — no exports, no Claude. Make sure campaigns are delivering and not burning budget on the same people.

1. Spend Pacing & Delivery Status

Where: Ads Manager > Campaigns tabTime: 1 min

Check that Awareness campaigns are spending within expected range. Look at the Delivery column — is anything showing "Learning", "Learning Limited", "Active", or "Off"?

Actions if flagged

Learning Limited: Audience too small or budget too low for the performance goal. Broaden audience or increase budget.
Significantly underspending: Audience may be exhausted or bid cap too restrictive. Check frequency.
Overspending: Check if daily budget was accidentally increased or if a campaign budget was set to lifetime and is front-loading.

2. Frequency Spike Check

Where: Ads Manager > Columns: Performance & Clicks or customTime: 2 min

Add the Frequency column if not visible. Check each Awareness campaign:

Below 2.0/week: Healthy. Leave it.
2.0–2.5/week: Watch zone. Audience starting to get saturated.
Above 2.5/week: Action needed. Expand audience, add new creatives, or pause to prevent waste and ad fatigue.

Frequency is the #1 killer of Awareness campaigns. High frequency = the same people seeing the same ad repeatedly = wasted spend and negative brand perception. Check this every time.

3. Disapproved / Rejected Ads

Where: Ads Manager > Ads tab > filter by "Rejected"Time: 1 min

Any ads rejected? Fix the policy violation or submit for review. Common issues with Awareness ads: text-heavy images (old 20% rule still affects delivery), misleading claims in video, or music copyright flags.

No log needed unless you make changes. If you adjust budgets, pause ads, or widen audiences, log it.

Weekly

Reach, Frequency & Video Metrics Deep Dive

The core weekly check for Awareness campaigns. Are we reaching new people efficiently, and are they actually engaging with the content?

1. Campaign & Ad Set Performance Review

Time: 8–10 minPriority: High

Export from Ads Manager Go to Ads Manager. Filter to Awareness campaigns only. Date range: last 7 days. Click Reports > Export Table Data as CSV.
Columns needed (customise if necessary): Campaign name, Ad set name, Delivery, Budget, Amount spent, Reach, Impressions, Frequency, CPM, ThruPlay views (if video), ThruPlay cost, Video plays at 25%/50%/75%/100%, Link clicks, CTR.

Claude Prompt — Weekly Awareness Review

You are auditing Meta Awareness campaigns for [CLIENT NAME]. Business: [BRIEF DESCRIPTION] Performance goal: [Maximize Reach / Maximize ThruPlay / Maximize Ad Recall Lift] Campaign & ad set data (last 7 days): [PASTE CSV DATA] Weekly budget: ฿[BUDGET] Target CPM: ฿[TARGET OR "no specific target"] Analyse and return: 1. **Reach efficiency** — What's the total unique reach vs. total impressions? Calculate the effective frequency. Is any ad set showing frequency above 2.5? Flag these for immediate action. 2. **CPM analysis** — CPM by ad set. Which audiences are cheapest to reach and which are expensive? Is CPM trending up (audience saturation signal)? 3. **Video performance** (if applicable) — ThruPlay rate (ThruPlays / Impressions). Completion rates at 25%, 50%, 75%, 100%. Which videos hold attention and which lose viewers early? Calculate cost per ThruPlay. 4. **Audience overlap check** — Based on the ad set names and targeting descriptions, are any ad sets likely overlapping (competing with each other for the same people)? Flag potential overlap. 5. **Budget reallocation** — Which ad sets are delivering the most efficient reach or ThruPlays? Should budget shift between them? 6. **Quick wins** — Top 3 actions ranked by impact on reach efficiency or video engagement. Be specific about which ad sets and campaigns need changes.

Actions

Pause or reduce budget on high-frequency ad sets (above 2.5/week)
Shift budget toward lowest-CPM, highest-reach ad sets
For video: pause videos with low ThruPlay rates (<15%) — they're not holding attention
Check if audience sizes are large enough (Awareness needs 500K+ for sustained delivery)

2. Retargeting Pool Growth Check

Time: 3 minPriority: Medium

Check in Ads Manager Go to Audiences. Check the size of video engagement custom audiences (25%, 50%, 75% watched) and page engagement audiences. Note the current sizes and compare to last week.

The whole point of many Awareness campaigns is to build retargeting pools that feed conversion campaigns. Check:

Are video view audiences growing week-over-week?
Is the 75%+ watched audience large enough to use as a retargeting source? (Aim for 1,000+ minimum.)
Are you creating lookalike audiences from your best video viewers?

The Awareness → Retargeting pipeline: Awareness campaign builds the audience → Create custom audience from video viewers (50% or 75% watched) → Use that audience in a Conversions/Leads campaign → Create lookalike from converters → Feed back into Awareness. This loop should be running continuously.

3. Log Changes

Time: 2 min

Claude Prompt — Weekly Log

I just completed the weekly Awareness campaign audit for [CLIENT NAME] on Meta Ads. Here's what I did: [DESCRIBE IN YOUR OWN WORDS — e.g. "Paused ad set targeting 18-24 Bangkok — frequency hit 3.2. Shifted ฿200/day to broad 25-54 set which has CPM 40% lower. ThruPlay rate on new UGC video is 22% vs 11% on the branded one."] Retargeting pool status: - 75% video viewers: [SIZE] (was [LAST WEEK SIZE]) - 50% video viewers: [SIZE] Previous changelog: [PASTE LAST ENTRY OR "First audit"] Generate a changelog entry with: date, analyst, account, campaigns, changes made, key findings (especially reach/frequency/retargeting pool), and what to check next session.

Fortnightly

Creative Performance & Fatigue Check

Awareness campaigns live or die by creative quality. This check catches fatigue before it tanks your CPM.

1. Ad-Level Creative Audit

Time: 8 minPriority: High

Export from Ads Manager Go to the Ads tab. Filter to Awareness campaigns. Date range: last 14 days. Export CSV.
Columns needed: Ad name, Ad set name, Delivery, Impressions, Reach, Frequency, CPM, ThruPlay views, ThruPlay rate, Video plays at 25%/50%/75%/100%, CTR (link clicks), Amount spent.

Claude Prompt — Creative Fatigue Check

You are auditing ad creative performance for [CLIENT NAME]'s Meta Awareness campaigns. Ad-level performance data (last 14 days): [PASTE CSV DATA] The client's business: [DESCRIPTION] Creative formats running: [e.g. "3 videos (UGC testimonial, brand intro, product demo) + 2 static images"] Analyse and return: 1. **Creative ranking** — Rank all ads by efficiency. For video: use ThruPlay rate as primary metric, CPM as secondary. For static: use CTR and CPM. Show the clear winners and losers. 2. **Fatigue indicators** — Any ads where CPM has increased week-over-week or frequency per ad is above 2.0? These are fatiguing. Flag for replacement. 3. **Video engagement curve** — For video ads, show the drop-off: what % of viewers make it to 25%, 50%, 75%, 100%? Steep drop-off before 25% = weak hook. Drop-off between 50-75% = content not holding. 4. **Format comparison** — How do video vs. static vs. carousel compare on reach efficiency and engagement? Should the mix shift? 5. **New creative suggestions** — Based on what's working, suggest 3 new creative directions to test. Be specific (e.g. "UGC-style testimonial with text overlay hook in first 2 seconds" not just "try more video"). 6. **Pause / replace recommendations** — Which specific ads should be paused now, and what should replace them?

Actions

Pause ads with CPM trending up + declining reach (classic fatigue pattern)
Pause videos with ThruPlay rate below 10% — they're not engaging
Add new creatives to existing ad sets (don't create new ad sets for creative tests)
Ensure each ad set has 3–6 active ads with a mix of formats
Brief new creatives based on winning elements (hook style, format, messaging angle)

2. Audience Expansion & Overlap Check

Time: 5 minPriority: Medium

Check in Ads Manager Go to Ad set level > Inspect (or use Audience Overlap tool under Audiences). Check if ad sets are competing for the same people.

Claude Prompt — Audience Review

Here are the ad sets running in [CLIENT NAME]'s Meta Awareness campaigns: [LIST EACH AD SET WITH: Name, Targeting description, Audience size, Last 14 days: Reach, Frequency, CPM] Analyse and return: 1. **Overlap risk** — Which ad sets are likely targeting overlapping audiences? (e.g. "Interest: Fitness" and "Lookalike: Website visitors" probably overlap significantly in a fitness brand.) 2. **Saturation check** — Any ad sets where Reach is a high % of estimated audience size? These are running out of new people to show to. 3. **Expansion ideas** — Suggest 2-3 new audience segments to test that wouldn't overlap with existing ones. Think about: interest stacking, lookalikes from different seeds, broad targeting with creative differentiation. 4. **Consolidation opportunities** — Should any ad sets be merged? Fewer, broader ad sets often perform better for Awareness with Advantage+ audience. Keep in mind this is for [COUNTRY] market. Suggest audiences relevant to this geography.

Actions

Merge overlapping ad sets to reduce internal competition
Exclude high-frequency audiences from ad sets showing saturation
Test 1 new audience segment per fortnight — add to existing campaign
Check if Advantage+ Audience (broad) outperforms interest-based sets — it often does for Awareness

3. Log Changes

Time: 2 min

Use the weekly logging prompt. Include creative changes and any audience adjustments.

Monthly

Creative Refresh, Placements & Strategy Check

Step back from the daily metrics. Is the campaign still serving its purpose? Is the creative pipeline healthy? Are we reaching the right places?

1. Creative Refresh Brief

Time: 8 minPriority: High

Review the last month's creative performance holistically and brief new content.

Claude Prompt — Monthly Creative Brief

I need to brief new Awareness creatives for [CLIENT NAME] on Meta. Here's what we've run over the last 30 days: [LIST EACH AD WITH: format (video/static/carousel), description, ThruPlay rate or CTR, CPM, total reach] The client's brand tone: [e.g. "Professional but approachable, B2B services"] Target audience: [DESCRIPTION] Key message/offer: [WHAT DO WE WANT PEOPLE TO KNOW] Based on what performed best, generate: 1. **What's working and why** — Identify the winning elements (hook type, visual style, messaging angle, format) from top performers. 2. **3–5 new creative concepts** — For each, describe: - Format (video length, static, carousel) - Hook (first 2–3 seconds / headline for static) - Key message - Visual direction - CTA (if applicable — Awareness ads often don't need a hard CTA) 3. **Specs reminder** — Confirm the sizes/lengths needed: - Video: 9:16 for Reels/Stories, 1:1 for Feed. 15–30 sec. - Static: 1080x1080 (1:1) or 1080x1350 (4:5). Less than 20% text overlay. - Carousel: 1080x1080 per card, 2–10 cards. 4. **Content calendar suggestion** — When should each new creative be added to keep the pipeline fresh across the month? Make the concepts specific to the client's business — not generic templates.

Actions

Share the brief with the creative team (or client if they produce content)
Set a deadline for new creatives: aim to add 2–3 new ads per month per Awareness campaign
Archive any ads that have been running for 4+ weeks with declining performance

2. Placement Breakdown Review

Time: 5 minPriority: Medium

Export from Ads Manager Use the Breakdown dropdown > By delivery > Placement. Note CPM, reach, and ThruPlay rate by placement (Feed, Stories, Reels, Audience Network, etc.).

What to look for:

Audience Network: Often delivers cheap impressions but very low quality. If it's eating more than 20% of budget, consider excluding it.
Reels vs. Feed vs. Stories: Compare CPM and engagement. Reels often has the lowest CPM for video. Feed typically has the highest engagement.
Right column / Search: Very low engagement for Awareness. Exclude if they're spending meaningfully.

Default recommendation: Use Advantage+ Placements (auto) and let Meta optimise. Only exclude placements if data clearly shows waste. Review monthly — don't micromanage placements weekly.

3. Retargeting Pipeline Health Check

Time: 5 minPriority: Medium

Review the full funnel connection between Awareness and Conversion campaigns:

How many people have we reached in the last 30 days? Is that growing MoM?
What % of reached users are entering retargeting pools (video viewers, page engagers)?
Are those retargeting audiences being used in active Conversion/Lead campaigns?
Have we created updated lookalikes from recent video viewers or engagers?

Claude Prompt — Funnel Health

Here is the current state of [CLIENT NAME]'s Meta ads funnel: AWARENESS (last 30 days): - Total reach: [NUMBER] - Total spend: ฿[AMOUNT] - Average CPM: ฿[AMOUNT] - Video ThruPlays: [NUMBER] RETARGETING AUDIENCES (current sizes): - 75% video viewers (30 days): [SIZE] - 50% video viewers (30 days): [SIZE] - Page/post engagers (30 days): [SIZE] - Website visitors (30 days): [SIZE] CONVERSION CAMPAIGNS (last 30 days): - [Brief summary of performance: conversions, CPA, ROAS if applicable] Questions: 1. Is the Awareness spend proportionate to the retargeting pool growth? Calculate cost per retargeting-ready user. 2. Are the retargeting pools large enough to sustain the Conversion campaigns without fatigue? 3. Should Awareness budget increase or decrease based on the pipeline needs? 4. Any audiences we should be building but aren't?

4. Competitor & Benchmark Check

Time: 3 minPriority: Low

Check the Meta Ad Library (facebook.com/ads/library) for competitor activity. Are they running Awareness/video campaigns? What creative styles? Any new messaging angles? Use this to inform next month's creative brief.

5. Log Everything

Time: 3 min

Monthly logs should include creative refresh plans, placement changes, retargeting pool status, and strategy notes. This is the entry the AM or manager will read for the client monthly report.

Quarterly

Strategy Reset & Full Creative Overhaul

Big-picture review. Is Awareness the right objective for this client? Is the audience strategy still valid? Time to rethink, not just optimise.

1. Awareness Strategy Review

Time: 10 minPriority: High

Claude Prompt — Quarterly Strategy Review

I'm doing a quarterly review of [CLIENT NAME]'s Meta Awareness strategy. Last 90 days summary: - Total Awareness spend: ฿[AMOUNT] - Total unique reach: [NUMBER] - Average CPM: ฿[AMOUNT] - Average frequency: [NUMBER] - Total ThruPlays (video): [NUMBER] - Cost per ThruPlay: ฿[AMOUNT] Retargeting pool growth over the quarter: - 75% video viewers: Started at [SIZE] → Now [SIZE] - Website visitors: Started at [SIZE] → Now [SIZE] Conversion campaign performance (for context): - Total conversions: [NUMBER] - Average CPA: ฿[AMOUNT] - What % of conversions came from retargeted audiences? Questions for strategic review: 1. **ROI of Awareness** — Given the spend on Awareness vs. the growth in retargeting pools and downstream conversions, is Awareness spending justified? Calculate an estimated cost-per-retargeting-ready-user and compare to CPA from retargeting. 2. **Audience evolution** — Has the target audience shifted over the quarter? New segments performing better than expected? Segments that never converted downstream and should be dropped? 3. **Performance goal review** — Is the current performance goal (Reach / ThruPlay / Ad Recall) still the right one? Should we test a different goal next quarter? 4. **Creative themes** — Which creative themes and formats consistently performed best over 90 days? What should the creative strategy focus on next quarter? 5. **Channel mix** — Should Awareness budget shift to other platforms (TikTok for younger audiences, YouTube for longer content) or stay concentrated on Meta? 6. **Budget recommendation** — Should Awareness budget increase, decrease, or stay the same next quarter? Why? Think strategically — this informs the next 3 months of top-of-funnel activity.

2. Full Audience Reset

Time: 10 min

Review all audience segments used over the quarter. Which drove downstream conversions? Which were dead weight?
Rebuild lookalike audiences from fresh data (last 90 days converters, top video viewers)
Consider testing Advantage+ Audience (fully broad) if not already — Meta's machine learning has improved significantly for Awareness
Remove any saved audiences based on outdated interests or demographics

3. Creative Overhaul Plan

Time: 5 min

Plan the creative pipeline for the next quarter:

How many new creatives are needed per month? (Aim: 3–5 new ads/month)
What formats will you prioritise? (Video typically wins for Awareness)
Can you source UGC or KOL content? (UGC consistently outperforms branded content on Meta)
Any seasonal opportunities to plan around?

4. Quarterly Summary for AM

Time: 5 min

Generate a summary using the quarterly prompt output. Share with the AM to include in the client QBR. Keep it jargon-light — focus on reach, audience growth, and the connection to business results.