#52- Secrets from a $25M Ad Strategist

Podcast Summary: Cracking the Meta Code — Scaling Ads with Strategy, Not Just Spend

In this episode, Sacha Awwa sits down with Manel Gomez, a Meta ad specialist managing $300K–$500K/month in spend for e-commerce brands across the U.S. and Europe. With over $25M in profitable ad spend under his belt and regular appearances at Meta HQ, Manel breaks down the technical evolution of Facebook Ads and how founders can navigate the increasingly competitive paid social landscape.

From bidding strategies to AI tools and platform trends, Manel offers a masterclass in modern media buying. Whether you're spending $30 or $30,000/day, this episode is a must-listen for anyone trying to make paid ads work in 2025.

Key Topics Discussed:

1. The Evolution of Meta Advertising

• How ad strategy shifted from 2016’s low-hanging fruit to today’s competitive battlefield
• The impact of COVID in three waves: low CPMs, the “golden era,” and post-boom attrition
• Why today's ad success requires deeper thinking, not just platform familiarity

2. Budget, ROAS & Reality Checks

• The importance of setting a daily budget based on your average order value (AOV)
• Why under-spending leads to poor machine learning performance
• How to manage client expectations on ROAS and discovery

3. Manual Bidding & Wave Surfing

• The power of manual bidding: cost cap vs. bid cap explained
• “Overbidding” to dominate the auction and bully competitors
• Timing ad spend around consumer behavior, pay cycles, and Shopify data

4. Creatives That Convert

• Why most user-generated content (UGC) is dying out
• Testing different formats (before/after, meme-style, image vs. video)
• Finding the one ad that drives scale—it’s 95/5, not 80/20

5. Platform Myths & Meta’s Real Agenda

• Why you should ignore most Facebook rep suggestions
• Advantage+ and multi-advertiser placement: what to watch out for
• The coming wave of Instagram Checkout and native shopping within Meta

6. The AI Reality Check

• Why AI is useful—but not a magic wand
• How tools like 11 Labs and Lovvo.ai can improve scale and localization
• Why human strategy still beats automation—for now

Key Takeaways for Founders & Media Buyers:

• Don't skip the research. It fuels every winning ad.
• Testing should be intentional, not guesswork.
• Your first goal is to find one killer creative.
• Strategic spend > impulsive scale.
• Ride the market waves—don’t fight them.

Follow Manel’s work and insights:

 📍 Instagram: @manelgomez

 📍 YouTube: Manel.gomez

📍Website: Meta Scaling Accelerator

 🎙️ Speaker at Affiliate World, Ads Accelerator & more

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▶️ YouTube: Uncomplicated Marketing - YouTube