Paid social
Search Engine Land is your source for paid social media marketing news and content. You’ll find a variety of up-to-date and authoritative resources, including the latest news, tactic-rich tutorials, and the latest data to help you work smarter and make better decisions.
What you read here is written by our experienced in-house team, and subject matter experts from leading brands and agencies.
Don’t miss out! Get the Search Engine Land newsletter delivered daily to your inbox. Subscribe for free!
Dig deeper into social media marketing:
Creative targeting is quietly fragmenting your Meta audiences
Ten ads can behave like one when they make the same pitch. Give each buyer persona a distinct angle to expand your reach.
How to prove paid social drives paid search demand
When attribution misses delayed and cross-channel influence, here’s how to measure the demand paid social creates and paid search captures.
More leads or better leads? Optimize for what your business needs
Form fills don't tell ad platforms what makes a lead valuable. Deeper-funnel signals can improve lead quality and campaign performance.
Meta Ads: Why creative diversity matters more than volume
Vary hooks, creators, messaging, formats, and offers to give Meta more creative combinations to match with different audiences.
12 things Reddit needs to make its ad platform more competitive
Reddit has a unique advantage: communities built around real questions and decisions. Its ad platform needs to catch up.
How to build curiosity into high-performing social ads
A strong hook only gets you so far. Learn how open loops, storytelling, and gradual reveals can keep viewers watching.
Why search ROAS depends on paid social more than you think
Search often gets credit for demand created upstream. Learn how to measure the halo effect before shifting budget between channels.
Paid media is becoming an SEO investment in AI search
Reviews, creator partnerships, and sponsored content can shape how AI systems understand and recommend your brand. Learn why.
How to measure paid social’s impact on paid search performance
Search often captures demand that starts elsewhere. Use these measurement techniques to identify what's driving it.
How to make Performance Max focus on net new customers
Reduce overlap between Google and Meta with a four-step framework that uses brand exclusions, audience exclusions, and Customer Match data.
How to structure paid social creative testing for better performance
Platforms can recognize when creative variations are nearly identical, making differentiated concepts more valuable than cosmetic tweaks.
3 ways to turn LinkedIn into a B2B AI discovery engine
From employee profiles to thought leadership content, these LinkedIn strategies can help B2B brands gain more visibility in AI search.
Why Facebook account lockouts are rising and what’s driving them
AI moderation, stricter security signals, and platform scale are increasing false positives — often without meaningful human review.
How to measure paid social’s impact on PPC
Social ads don’t always convert in-platform. Here’s how to prove their impact on paid search traffic and conversions.
Why ugly ads outperform polished creative and how to test them
Scrappy, lo-fi ads are capturing attention where polished creative gets ignored. Here's how to test it without risking performance.
How to reduce cost-per-hire with LinkedIn recruitment campaigns
Attract qualified, ready-to-move candidates using intent signals, pre-qualification, and funnel segmentation — without wasting budget.
LinkedIn Ads on a budget: How one playbook drove sub-$10 CPL
A real-world experiment shows how content depth, timing, and targeting can lower CPCs and improve lead quality in LinkedIn campaigns.
How to optimize influencer content for search everywhere
Turn creator content into search inventory with keyword briefs, platform research, and SERP tracking across TikTok, Google, and AI.
TikTok ad creative has a shorter shelf life. Here’s how to keep up
You don’t have to be the slickest brand to win on TikTok. Beat ad fatigue with lo-fi creative, fast edits, and constant testing.
5 B2B LinkedIn Ads tests to run in 2026
Short-form video, Thought Leader Ads, personalized creative, and Qualified Lead Optimization are showing promise. Here’s how to test them.
How to read Meta Ads metrics like a system, not a scoreboard
Stop toggling off “losers” based on surface metrics. Analyze relationships between KPIs to pinpoint bottlenecks and drive sustainable growth.
Inside Meta’s AI-driven advertising system: How Andromeda and GEM work together
Andromeda and GEM now determine how ads are selected, ranked, and sequenced across Meta. Here’s what changed and what drives results in 2026.
4 Facebook ad templates that still work in 2026 (with real examples)
The Facebook ads winning in 2026 use simple, repeatable structures that make problems, benefits and proof immediately clear.
Meta expands Threads ads to all users globally
Meta will roll out Threads ads worldwide next week, giving advertisers new ways to reach more than 400 million users.
LinkedIn introduces Reserved Ads, ad personalization, new AI tools
LinkedIn’s updates help B2B marketers reach buyers earlier with faster creative workflows, smarter targeting, and stronger feed visibility.
How Pinterest’s ad formats work and when to use each one
Get a clear breakdown of Pinterest’s ad lineup, what each format delivers, and how to align them with specific campaign goals in 2026.
AI tools for PPC, AI search, and social campaigns: What’s worth using now
The tools driving creative, workflow automation, and search visibility in performance marketing – plus guidance for choosing the right stack.
How amplifying creator content strengthens trust and lowers media costs
Paid amplification makes creator content work harder by boosting trust, cutting media costs, and drawing in new partners.
LinkedIn Ads retargeting: How to reach prospects at every funnel stage
From video viewers to stalled opportunities, learn LinkedIn Ads retargeting strategies that map to every funnel stage and grow B2B revenue.
How upper-funnel LinkedIn ABM drives measurable impact
See how incrementality testing highlights the lift upper-funnel campaigns create in LinkedIn ABM, beyond standard lead gen ads.
LinkedIn expands Thought Leader Ads to promote event posts
LinkedIn’s new ad format will let you amplify trusted voices to drive event engagement and build credibility with B2B audiences.
Facebook upgrades Professional Dashboard with new insights
The revamped dashboard equips creators with deeper insights, streamlined tools, and cross-device flexibility.
What is influencer marketing and how to navigate it
Influencer marketing drives trust and reach. Learn how it works, why it’s effective, and how to build campaigns that convert followers into customers.
X will put ads inside Grok AI answers
Brands could soon tap into a new high-intent ad channel as Grok’s AI responses become prime real estate for targeted promotions.
WhatsApp adds discovery tools, ads, subscriptions
WhatsApp’s Updates tab features let you reach 1.5 billion daily users through promoted channels, subscriptions, and Status ads.
5 LinkedIn Ads tests to run to drive growth
LinkedIn’s not just an awareness play anymore. Try these five ad types, tune your offer, and start pulling qualified leads into your funnel.
Meta Ads for lead gen: What you need to know
Learn how to use Meta Ads to drive high-quality leads with the right setup, targeting, and ad formats for B2B, local, or complex sales cycles.
Rethinking Meta Ads AI: Best practices for better results
Meta’s AI promises hands-off advertising – but not everything runs better on autopilot. Here’s where human insight still wins.
How to test UGC and EGC ads in Meta campaigns
Test user- and employee-generated content formats in Meta Ads to boost engagement, CTRs, and brand credibility.
Meta adds dynamic overlays to Advantage+ Catalog ads
Catalog ads now support dynamic overlays – sticker-style labels that highlight prices, discounts, and free shipping.