Trybe
When a brand runs your video as an ad on Instagram or Facebook, three players are involved. Each one has its own color in this guide.
Makes the video and submits it.
Runs it as an ad and sets the budget and the goal, usually sales.
puts the money behind the videos it thinks will get the brand what it wants. For most brands, that's sales. So if your video isn't getting much spend, Meta doesn't think it'll sell, at least not yet. The rest of this guide shows why, and what you can change.
After your video is approved, you'll see one of these.
The brand can use your video. No ad with it has run yet.
An ad with your video is getting spend or views. A brand can run your video in more than one ad at once, and Trybe shows you how many.
It ran before, but it isn't running right now.
"Running" doesn't tell you how much. Even a small test counts, so a video can be running and still earn very little.
Every time someone scrolls, Meta picks an ad for that spot in a split second. Here's one of those moments.
Sarah opens Instagram at 9pm
Your video isn't only up against other skincare brands. It's up against every brand that wants Sarah's attention right then.
Paying more helps, but it doesn't automatically win. Meta weighs what the brand will pay against how likely Sarah is to actually buy. So a video people buy from can win spots over a brand that's willing to pay more.
Meta goes after whatever the brand asked for. For most brands, that's sales. So a video with lots of views but few sales usually won't get pushed for long.
Most ads go through the same three stages. Even the biggest winners don't last forever.
Illustration, not real data.
A new video usually starts with a small amount of spend while figures out who's likely to buy. Results jump around during this time.
That's why a new ad often looks slow at first. Give it a couple days before you judge it.
Brands usually put several videos in one group with one shared budget. doesn't split it evenly. It moves the money toward whatever is selling.
So usually one video takes off, and Meta gives it a lot of the budget. Once a video has a track record, a new one has to prove itself before Meta moves money over.
Example: how one shared budget often splits across six videos.
The more the same people see an ad, the less it sells. Every winner wears out eventually.
When it does, the brand needs the next one. That's why brands always need new videos, and why your next one has a real shot.
You can't control the brand's budget or Meta's choices. You can control your videos: what's in them, how different they are, and how many you submit.
Most brands want sales, so Meta pushes the videos it thinks will sell. Show the product early and give people a reason to buy, not just watch.
Look at their top performers on Trybe. Notice the angle, how fast they get to the product, and how raw or polished they feel.
Search the brand at facebook.com/ads/library. Ads that have run for months are usually winners, since brands rarely keep paying for ads that don't sell.
Results swing while Meta is still testing. One slow day isn't the final word.
Don't just remake the same video. Record it again, but change the setting, the angle, the first shot and the text on screen. Keep studying and trying until something hits.
Every video is another shot on goal. The more you submit, the more chances you have to land the next winner.
Every winning ad wears out eventually, and when it does, the brand needs the next one. Make sure it's yours.