At HMC, we are strong believers in putting some paid PR alongside the content you’re producing for owned and earned channels. Adding a paid component to your PR strategy ensures your messages, stories and information is reaching the right people at the right time, on the right channels.
But one thing you can count on in the digital space is that it’s constantly changing. And there’s been a big change lately on Meta that all businesses must wrap their heads around.
If you have been running ads on Facebook and Instagram lately, you may have noticed your ad’s performance has been unpredictable, costs have gone up and conversions down. We can assure you, you’re not imagining this.
These changes are all due to Meta’s new Andromeda update, which has quietly changed the rules of how ads are delivered.
This shift has caught out many businesses, especially smaller ones with limited budgets who rely on simple campaigns with creative that needs to last for several months.
So what is the Andromeda update?
Andromeda is Meta’s biggest update in years. It changes how the system decides who sees which ad.
Previously, you could build very specific audiences for example “Hamilton women aged 30–45 who like yoga and coffee.” Meta would then show your ad to those people.
Now, Andromeda’s AI takes the lead. It looks at your ad creative: the images, videos, text overlays, music and words and uses those signals to find the right audience for you.
That means your creative has become your targeting. Instead of micromanaging audiences, you need to feed the system a steady variety of strong, distinct creative so it can learn faster and deliver better results. Andromeda loves variety and volume.
This is actually good news for those companies who come at their digital ads from a PR perspective. That’s because content that’s often used alongside PR campaigns, such as user-generated-content (UCG), educational creative and behind-the-scenes videos and imagery does really well now that Andromeda is in charge.
Andromeda rewards brands that keep their campaigns simple but their creative varied. It punishes over-segmentation, stale messaging, and lack of experimentation.
We realise that for many small and medium-sized businesses, this change can be very frustrating. You might have relied on a few tried-and-true ads that always worked, that you could run for months. Suddenly, this recipe no longer works.
The good news? You can still get strong results even without big-brand budgets.
How to adapt without overspending
We’re helping our clients adapt to Andromeda and here are a few key pieces of advice we’re sharing:
Simplify Your Campaign Structure
Keep it lean. Start with one campaign (for example “Sales” or “Leads”) and one broad ad set such as “New Zealand” or your region. Let Meta’s system find the right people.
Splitting small budgets across lots of tiny audiences slows learning and weakens results. The algorithm needs data volume to work properly, so give it space to learn.
Focus on Creative Variety
If you’ve only been running one or two versions of an ad with some tweaks in ad copy, it’s time to expand your mix. Aim for 5-10 distinct creative angles per campaign.
Each one should represent a different reason someone might choose your business, or target a different audience if you have multiple audiences.
Use what you already have
Andromeda doesn’t reward polish. It rewards authenticity and diversity. Repurpose what’s already on your camera roll or social feed. Turn images into video slideshows, change the text overlay of video clips, produce low-fi video UCG-style content:
Behind-the-scenes shots or short phone videos
Testimonials or customer quotes
Before-and-after examples
Staff photos or “how-it’s-made” clips
User-generated content performs extremely well under this new system.
Refresh regularly
Even strong ads will lose traction faster now because Meta cycles through creative more quickly. Refresh your content every few weeks. Swap in a new image or headline. Keep one or two proven winners running, but always have something new testing alongside. This will be one of the biggest challenges for small businesses.
Track What Matters
Shift your focus to creative performance. Monitor your click-through rate to see if people stop and engage, your form-fill rate to check relevance, and your cost per result to track profitability.
Don’t panic if results fluctuate early on. The system needs time (usually two to three weeks) to stabilise and learn which creative resonates.
The bottom line is: the Andromeda update marks a big shift, but it doesn’t spell the end for small advertisers, it just changes how you win.
Instead of fighting the algorithm, work with it. Keep your campaign structure simple, feed it a variety of creative messages, refresh often, and track what’s actually driving results.
If you do that, you can still make Meta ads one of your most cost-effective tools to add to your PR toolbox - even with a modest budget.
Want help adapting your Meta strategy to Andromeda? Get in touch.
