The learning phase on Facebook: everything you need to know about it

Today we will talk about Facebook, specifically advertising on it and the learning phase, which is a very important element of promotion.

Facebook Ads appeared back in 2007. Since then, it has been considered one of the most powerful advertising tools.

Yes, the interface here is quite specific and filled with various tools, which sometimes complicates working with Facebook Ads. However, once you get the hang of it, you will realize that it is a treasure trove for good promotion. 

So, if you want to read more about how Facebook Ads Manager algorithms work, we have already written about it in a previous article. 

There is a learning phase when working with FB algorithms. It helps to test ads and individually select the best option for each user. So let’s take a look at how the learning phase works in Facebook Ads and how to restart it.

How does learning work on Facebook?

After reading the word “learning” many people might think of specific courses, webinars, etc. But in FB, the training phase is a specific period of time when the ad delivery system collects all the necessary information about the effectiveness of your creatives.

If you are in the learning phase, you will see the corresponding status in the “Delivery” column. Then you will understand that Facebook is selecting the best way to deliver ads to your target audience specifically for you.

The learning phase can be activated:

• at the beginning of a campaign launch 
• after changing the targeting approach
• after changing other important settings

All this is designed to provide advertisers with the most positive results for their investment.

In this way, the algorithms show your creatives in different places to find the most convenient option for your ad. The important goal here is to find the perfect price-quality ratio.

It is worth noting that during the testing period, the cost per click and other metrics may not be very stable.

Typically, the learning phase requires 50 optimization events. Once this threshold is passed, you will see a change in the ad set status. The ad network’s algorithms will continue to analyze the data to ensure continuous improvement in ad delivery.

Can I skip the learning phase?

You cannot skip this phase and immediately get leads for pennies. 

The training phase exists so that the platform’s algorithms understand which target audience to show your ads to.

Without it, you risk spending a lot of time and money on ineffective results.

Many media buyers are not very happy with the learning phase because they face rapid budget depletion and minimal conversions.

However, these costs are definitely not wasted, because after the algorithms are optimized, you will get leads at a better price.

Restarting the learning phase and optimization

Sometimes you may see the message “Not enough results.” This means that Facebook Ads algorithms have not received the necessary amount of information. And this is an obstacle to stable traffic flow.

So if you are having problems with the learning phase in Facebook Ads, you can restart it.

To do this, you need to increase your budget. Webmasters advise increasing it by 200-300%, waiting 10–15 minutes, and then returning the figures to their original position.

And how does this restart the learning process?

When the algorithms notice that the budget has increased, an audience with a higher price is selected for your ad.

Then your status changes from “Not enough results” to “Learning.” 

And with the learning status, the system searches again for the target audience for your ads.

You can also consider this option:

Restart ad sets and creatives. Here you need to take into account that there will be repeated moderation when restarting. 

Verification may take significantly longer. And if you are advertising gray products, there is a risk of not passing moderation.

Therefore, it is sometimes worth restarting the learning phase without repeated moderation. 

In summary

Facebook Ads is a highly developed and powerful promotion tool. But there are many specific points to consider.

The learning phase helps algorithms to qualitatively select the target audience for your ads in order to make the advertising as effective as possible. Sometimes this process is annoying, requires more attention and patience, but the result is worth it.