Ads and ad placement overview

Last update: April 17, 2025

CREATED FOR:

Intermediate
User

The Insights Ads view shows a list of ads for the connected channel ad account. An ad is a promotional asset that includes visual and interactive content intended for distribution to a specific audience as part of a marketing campaign. For Facebook, the ads are Meta ad names.

TIP

GenStudio for Performance Marketing requires you to connect to a channel account to begin receiving data. See Connect channel account.

The Ads table is organized using Ad names. Click the settings (cog) icon above the right side of the table to toggle the viewable columns. The filter (funnel) icon above the left side of the table opens the Filter menu where you can select from multiple lists. Select Clear all above the table to remove all filters.

Ads filter and table

Click the download (arrow pointing down) icon above the right side of the table to download a CSV file based on the viewable table. The download automatically begins and places the CSV file in your default download location. Some tables may have multiple pages, which you can see below the right side of the table. The CSV file includes data from all pages of the table.

Ad details

Select an ad and view the performance metrics, text attributes, and placements associated with each ad. The Ad details page includes metrics for the ad click-through rate, cost per action, and spend—how much of the budget has been spent on the ad. Since ads can have multiple placements, such as a feed or a banner, you can see a breakdown of the same metrics for each ad placement. Use the left and right arrows under Performance by ad placement to cycle through the placement metrics.

Ad details with metrics and ad placements

Text attributes

Below the ad preview is a list of Text attributes associated with the ad. When assets and ads are approved and stored in Content, GenStudio for Performance Marketing generates tags based on their inherent features. See Media details for details about system metadata.

Ad formats

Insights in GenStudio for Performance Marketing currently supports the following available ad formats.

Supported	Unsupported
Asset Feed Spec (Placement Optimization) Single image or video Link	Carousel Collaborative Catalog Instant Experience Asset Feed Spec (other than placement optimization) Call (image/video) App (image/video) Messaging Lead (image/video) Slideshow (video) Collection (image/video hero asset) Shop (image/video) Photo or Video from Page Post / Instagram Post/media Branded Content Flexible Advantage+ Catalog

Ad placements

When you create a campaign with Meta ads, you may have selected where to run your ads based on the campaign objective. Ad placements broaden the audience reach for your ad.

The following is a list of supported ad placements:

Audience Network	Facebook/Meta	Instagram	Messenger
Rewarded video	Feed Video feeds Stories Marketplace Right column Reels Reels overlay In-stream video Search Business disco feed Profile feed	Stories Feed Explore Reels Explore grid Home Profile feed Search Stream	Stories Inbox

Ad performance

Insights metrics can help you evaluate which ads contribute to the success of a campaign and which ad placements are most effective.

The following table provides definitions and insights for key digital marketing metrics in the Ads table view. Each metric includes a brief definition as it relates to ad names, how the metric is calculated, and one or more insights to help understand its significance and impact on an ad.

Metric	Definition	Insight
Ad name	A list of ads for the connected channel account. Filter ads by selecting a campaign.	Sort the ad list by clicking on any of the key metrics.
Campaign	A campaign is a set of ads designed to achieve a specific objective.	When you filter the Ads table by campaign, the summary metrics of all ads for the campaign may be different than the campaign’s summary row in the Channels view. This discrepancy can occur if the channel source, such as Meta, and GenStudio use slightly different summary calculations.
Placements	A count of ad placements, locations where an ad appeared in the campaign.	Placements increase audience reach. Ads that show zero placements and zero media may indicate an unsupported ad type.
Media	The number of assets used in the ad or ad.	The count in the Ads table may be different than the count in the Ad details view. This discrepancy can occur if the channel source, such as Meta, and GenStudio use slightly different summary calculations.
Impressions	A count of each time the ad placement or ad loads in the channel, regardless of interaction or viewing.	A high impression count can indicate broad visibility, but for true performance insight, consider it in relation with other engagement metrics.
Clicks	The number of times users interact with a clickable element, such as a link or a call-to-action button, in an ad placement.	A high click count indicates strong interest and engagement with the content, which may be effective and reaching the right audience.
CTR Click-through rate	Percentage (%) of impressions that resulted in clicks on the ad within a campaign. Calculation: `clicks` divided by `impressions`	A high click-through rate indicates that the content is highly relevant and motivating to the audience in the messaging and design, and is effectively targeting the audience’s interests.
CPM Cost per thousand	Cost for every one thousand ad impressions. Calculation: total amount `spent` divided by reach, then multiplied by 1000	A low value may indicate cost-effective visibility, especially when paired with a high click-through rate.
CPA Cost per Action	Average cost spent to achieve a specific customer action, such as a purchase or subscription. Calculation: total amount `spent` divided by the number of customer actions completed	Use to monitor spending on ads that result in valuable customer actions.
CPC Cost per click	Average cost associated with each click in an ad placement. Calculation: total amount `spent` divided by `clicks`	Lower average costs may indicate cost-efficient ad spend, especially when compared with a rise in conversions.
Spend	The amount spent from the Campaign budget over a given period of time to place this ad.	A high spend amount in a short period may indicate rapid usage, which could lead to early depletion of resources. Track the amount spent against key performance metrics to help monitor the overall return on investment.

Placement performance

In the Ad details page view, the top three metrics reflect the overall performance of the selected ad. However, the Performance by placement section shows the detailed metrics for each ad placement. Use the right and left arrows to navigate through the different ad placements.

The following table provides definitions for ad placement performance metrics:

Metric	Definition	Insight
CTR Click-through rate	The percentage (%) of impressions for a single ad placement that resulted in clicks. Calculation:`clicks` divided by `impressions` This metric helps determine the effectiveness of the ad placement in engaging the audience.	A high CTR indicates that the ad placement is relevant and compelling to the audience, leading to more interactions.
CPA Cost per Action	The average cost spent on a single ad placement to achieve a desired customer action, such as a purchase or subscription. Calculation: total amount `spent` divided by the number of customer actions completed This metric helps evaluate the cost-efficiency of the ad placement in driving valuable actions.	A lower CPA suggests that the ad placement is effective in converting audience interactions into desired actions at a lower cost.
CPC Cost per click	The average cost associated with each click in a single ad placement. Calculation: total amount `spent` divided by `clicks` This metric helps assess the cost-effectiveness of the ad placement in generating clicks.	A lower CPC indicates that the ad placement is generating clicks at a lower cost, which can be beneficial for maximizing the return on investment.
Spend	The amount spent on a single ad placement, representing a fraction of the total amount spent on the entire ad. This metric helps track the budget allocation and spending efficiency for each ad placement.	Monitoring spend can help ensure that resources are being used effectively across different placements.

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