Solved: Advantage System Issues on Facebook Lookalike Audiences

Hi there,

Thanks for reaching out! Happy to give you some initial thoughts on the Advantage Lookalike issue you're seeing. It's a really common frustration we see a lot lately, as Meta pushes everyone more and more towards their automated systems. The short answer is you can't really fight it directly, but you can change the game so it works in your favour.

The core of the problem isn't the 'Advantage' feature itself, but the campaign objective you're using. When you tell Meta you want 'Messages', its algorithm will do everything it can to get you the cheapest messages possible, and that almost always means sacrificing lead quality by going super broad. To fix this, you need to give the algorithm a much harder, more valuable goal to aim for.

I'll walk you through exactly how we'd tackle this, shifting from a low-quality message-based approach to a proper lead generation system that forces Meta's algorithm to find you better prospects.

We'll need to look at why Meta is forcing 'Advantage' on you...

First off, let's get one thing straight. You're not going to find a hidden button to turn off 'Advantage Lookalike'. Meta is moving everything towards what they call 'Advantage+' or 'Power 5' automation. This means giving the algorithm more control over targeting, placements, and creative. When you see them 'forcing' this feature, it's not a bug; it's the direction the entire platform is heading. Trying to find a workaround is like trying to swim against a very strong tide – you'll just waste energy.

The real question is, *why* does this automation lead to a drop in your lead quality? It's because of a fundamental misalignment between your business goal (high-quality leads from an LTV list) and the instruction you're giving the algorithm (get me cheap messages).

Think of the algorithm as a very literal, very powerful, but not very clever intern. You've told it, "Go find me people who will send me a message on WhatsApp or Messenger." The intern, wanting to impress you with its efficiency, goes out and finds the absolute easiest, cheapest people to get messages from. These are the people who are constantly online, click on everything, and are happy to fire off a quick "how much?" message with zero intention of ever buying anything. They are low-hanging fruit. The algorithm reports back, "Look! I got you 50 messages for just £1 each!" It thinks it has done a brilliant job because it achieved the objective you set for it. Meanwhile, you're tearing your hair out because none of these 50 people are serious prospects.

The 'Advantage Lookalike' feature just pours petrol on this fire. It says to the algorithm, "Hey, if you're struggling to find cheap messagers within that 1% LTV lookalike, feel free to look outside that group for even cheaper ones!" Of course, the further it strays from your core high-value audience, the lower the quality gets. It's a vicious cycle. You're actively paying Meta to find you your worst possible customers.

This is a trap many advertisers fall into. They choose a top-of-funnel objective like traffic or engagement or messages and then get frustrated when they don't see bottom-of-funnel results like sales. The solution isn't to fight the machine; it's to give it a better, more difficult, and more valuable instruction. You need to change the objective to one that aligns directly with your actual business goal.

I'd say you need to ditch the 'Messages' objective for high-quality leads...

If you want to stop the flow of low-quality leads, you have to turn off the tap. And in your case, the tap is the 'Messages' campaign objective. For B2B or any considered purchase, it's almost always the wrong choice. It optimises for conversationalists, not converters.

The far superior alternative is the 'Leads' objective, specifically using Meta's on-platform Instant Forms. Here's why this one change will solve 90% of your problem:

1. It raises the bar for intent. Sending a message is easy and low-commitment. Filling out a form, even a short one, requires more effort and signals a higher level of interest. A user has to stop, read the questions, and provide their actual contact information. This simple act of friction filters out a huge number of the time-wasters you're currently getting.
2. It allows for pre-qualification. This is the most powerful part. Within an Instant Form, you can ask 2-3 specific questions that force a prospect to qualify themselves. For example, if you sell to other businesses, you could ask "What is your job title?" or "What is your company size?". If a prospect isn't willing to answer these basic questions, they were never a serious lead to begin with. You've saved yourself a wasted conversation.
3. It feeds the algorithm better data. When you switch to a 'Leads' objective, you're telling the algorithm, "Stop finding me people who chat. Start finding me people who are willing to give me their contact details and answer qualifying questions." This is a much more specific, high-value signal. The algorithm will now look for patterns among the people who *actually complete the form*, not just those who click a 'Send Message' button. Over time, it gets progressively better at finding your ideal customer profile.

You essentially build a quality filter right into the start of your funnel. The 'Advantage' features will still be there, but now when the algorithm expands your audience, it's not looking for *anyone* to message; it's looking for *anyone* who looks like the type of person that completes your qualifying lead form. The quality is maintained because the objective itself is higher quality.

Here's a simple flowchart illustrating the difference in the user journey and qualification process between the two objectives. You can see how one path invites almost anyone in, while the other forces users through a crucial quality checkpoint.

You'll need a proper funnel, not just one lookalike...

Running all your ads to one lookalike audience, even a good one based on LTV, is like a fisherman only ever casting his net in one spot. You might catch some fish, but you're missing out on the rest of teh ocean. A robust advertising strategy requires a proper funnel structure, with different campaigns and audiences for each stage of the customer journey. This gives you more control and allows you to scale effectively.

We typically structure client accounts into three core campaign types: Top of Funnel (ToFu), Middle of Funnel (MoFu), and Bottom of Funnel (BoFu).

This is where your LTV Lookalike audience belongs. The goal here is to reach new people who have never heard of you before but who resemble your best customers. But you shouldn't stop at just one lookalike. This is where you test!

• Your LTV Lookalike: This is your control group. It should be your best-performing cold audience.
• Other Lookalikes: If you have enough data, create lookalikes from other high-intent actions. A lookalike of people who have submitted a lead form, or a lookalike of people who have spent the most time on your website.
• Detailed Targeting: This is often overlooked but can be incredibly powerful. Don't just target broad interests. Think about your Ideal Customer Profile (ICP). What software do they use (e.g., HubSpot, Salesforce)? What industry publications do they read? What influencers do they follow? Group these into themed ad sets and test them against each other. I remember one campaign we worked on for a B2B software client where targeting users interested in competitor software brought in some of their highest-quality leads.

All of these ToFu campaigns would now use the 'Leads' objective with your new qualifying Instant Form.

This is for people who have shown some interest but haven't converted yet. They've visited your website, watched one of your videos, or engaged with a past ad. They are no longer cold. The goal here is to build trust and remind them of your value. The audience pools are smaller, but the conversion rates should be much higher.

• Website Visitors (30/60/90 days): Anyone who has visited your site. Exclude people who have already converted.
• Video Viewers: People who have watched a significant portion (e.g., 50% or more) of your video ads. This is a brilliant way to build a highly engaged retargeting pool.
• Social Engagers: People who have liked, commented on, or saved your Facebook or Instagram posts.

For these audiences, you might still use the 'Leads' objective, but your ad creative could be different—maybe a case study, a testimonial video, or an ad that handles a common objection.

These are your hottest prospects. They are on the verge of converting but just need a final nudge. This is your smallest but most valuable audience.

• Lead Form Initiated, Not Submitted: A crucial one. Retarget people who opened your new Instant Form but didn't finish it. A simple ad saying "Still interested? Finish signing up..." can be incredibly effective.
• Visited Key Pages: People who visited your pricing page or a specific service page but didn't become a lead.

Your offer here can be more direct. The goal is to get them over the finish line. This structured approach ensures you're not treating every user the same. You're guiding them through a journey, and this seperation of audiences will give you much clearer data on what's working and what isn't, far beyond what a single lookalike campaign can provide.

You probably should focus on what a lead is actually worth...

One final, and critical, mindset shift. You're worried about a decrease in lead quality, which is understandable. But this is often tied to a fear of paying too much per lead. The truth is, the cost per lead (CPL) is a mostly useless metric on its own. The only thing that matters is the relationship between what it costs you to acquire a customer (Customer Acquisition Cost - CAC) and what that customer is worth to you over their lifetime (Lifetime Value - LTV).

If you don't know these numbers, you're flying blind. You might be turning off a campaign with a £50 CPL that actually generates your most profitable customers, while keeping a campaign with a £10 CPL that brings in nothing but dead-ends. You need to do the math.

Let's run through a quick example.
Average Revenue Per Account (ARPA): How much does a typical customer pay you per month? Let's say £300.
Gross Margin %: What's your profit margin on that revenue after costs of service? Let's say it's 70%.
Monthly Churn Rate: What percentage of customers do you lose each month? Let's say 5%.

The calculation for LTV is: (ARPA * Gross Margin %) / Monthly Churn Rate
LTV = (£300 * 0.70) / 0.05 = £210 / 0.05 = £4,200.

So, each new customer is worth £4,200 in gross margin to your business. A healthy business model often aims for a 3:1 LTV to CAC ratio. This means you can afford to spend up to £4,200 / 3 = £1,400 to acquire a single new customer.

Now, let's work backwards. If your sales team closes 1 in 10 qualified leads into a customer, you can afford to pay up to £1,400 / 10 = £140 per *qualified lead*. Suddenly, that messy £5 message from a tyre-kicker looks terrible, and paying £60 for a properly qualified lead who has filled out a form and fits your ICP looks like an absolute bargain.

This is the math that unlocks aggressive, intelligent scaling. It frees you from the tyranny of chasing cheap, low-quality leads and allows you to confidently invest in acquiring customers who will actually grow your business. Use the calculator below to plug in your own numbers and see what you can truly afford to spend.

This is the main advice I have for you:

To pull this all together, here is a straightforward, actionable plan to fix your lead quality problem. This isn't just theory; this is the exact process we would implement. It shifts the focus from chasing cheap interactions to investing in a system that generates genuinely qualified leads.

Implementing this structure takes effort, but it builds a predictable and scalable lead generation machine, rather than just a noisy inbox. It stops you from being at the mercy of the algorithm's whims and puts you back in control by defining what a good lead actually looks like for your buisness.

I know this is a lot to take in, and moving from a simple setup to a multi-layered funnel can feel daunting. It involves not just changing settings, but rethinking your entire approach to the platform, from audience strategy to creative and measurement. Getting it right can be the difference between burning cash and building a profitable acquisition channel.

If you'd like to go through this in more detail and see how it could apply specifically to your account, we offer a completely free, no-obligation consultation. We can jump on a call, share screens, and walk through your current setup to identify the biggest opportunities for improvement. It's often the quickest way to get clarity and an actionable plan.

Hope this helps!

Regards,

Team @ Lukas Holschuh