Learn effective horizontal scaling strategies for Meta Ads campaigns that expand reach while maintaining performance stability.
Want to grow your Meta Ads campaigns without risking performance? Horizontal scaling is the smarter way to expand reach while keeping results steady. Instead of just increasing budgets (vertical scaling), horizontal scaling duplicates successful campaigns to target new audience segments. Here’s a quick rundown of the 5 key tips to scale effectively:
Quick Comparison: Horizontal vs. Vertical Scaling
| Feature | Horizontal Scaling | Vertical Scaling |
|---|---|---|
| Goal | Reach new audiences | Maximize performance with one audience |
| Risk | Lower | Higher |
| Implementation | More complex, requires segmentation | Simpler, involves budget increases |
| Speed | Slower | Faster |
| Best For | Small budgets, diverse objectives | Larger budgets, proven campaigns |
Horizontal scaling helps you diversify audiences, reduce risks, and sustain growth. Use these tips to expand your campaigns confidently while maintaining performance stability.
Horizontal scaling in Meta Ads means duplicating successful ad sets to reach new audiences. By copying ad sets that are already performing well, you can explore different audience segments without jeopardizing the results of your original campaign. This lets you maintain strong performance while expanding your reach.
For instance, RevenueCat used this strategy by launching 70 static ads to test various creative approaches across different audience groups. The result? They increased Meta ad spend by 74.6% and cut customer acquisition costs by 40% in just three weeks [6].
This method also allows for controlled, incremental growth. When you duplicate an ad set to target a new audience, it acts as a test. If the new audience doesn’t perform as expected, your original campaign remains unaffected. This makes horizontal scaling especially useful for campaigns with multiple objectives, where tailored messaging and creative approaches are needed to meet the specific needs of each audience segment.
Next, let’s explore how horizontal scaling compares to vertical scaling and why understanding the difference is crucial for your campaign strategy.
Knowing when to use horizontal scaling versus vertical scaling can have a big impact on your campaign’s growth and stability.
Vertical scaling focuses on increasing the budget for existing campaigns that are already successful. While this can amplify results with the same audience, large budget increases can sometimes disrupt the platform’s algorithm, causing performance issues.
Horizontal scaling, on the other hand, involves creating multiple versions of successful campaigns to reach entirely new audiences. While this approach requires more effort in terms of setup and audience segmentation, it minimizes the risk of disrupting performance.
| Feature | Horizontal Scaling | Vertical Scaling |
|---|---|---|
| Goal | Expand reach to new audiences | Maximize impact on existing audience |
| Risk | Lower risk of performance drops | Higher risk of performance issues |
| Implementation | More complex, requires segmentation | Simpler, involves budget increases |
| Speed | Potentially slower | Potentially faster |
| Management | Higher effort with multiple ad sets | Lower effort with fewer ad sets |
| Best for | Small budgets, niche markets, multi-objective campaigns | Larger budgets, scaling proven campaigns |
The choice between these methods depends on your goals and budget. For campaigns with budgets under $10,000 per month or those targeting niche markets, horizontal scaling often provides more stable results and valuable insights into new audiences. For larger operations with well-established campaigns, vertical scaling might deliver faster results. However, even in those cases, adding elements of horizontal scaling can help maintain audience diversity and protect overall performance.
At Dancing Chicken, we use a mix of horizontal and vertical scaling to develop Meta Ads strategies that deliver steady growth and improved campaign outcomes.
"Duplicating audiences is a strategic mechanism for scaling and optimizing campaigns without compromising what already works. When used correctly, it supports cleaner testing, better segmentation, and more efficient use of ad budget." - Douglas Karr, Fractional Chief Marketing Officer, Martech Zone [5]
The best results often come from combining both approaches. Use horizontal scaling to discover new, high-performing audience segments, then apply vertical scaling to maximize the potential of the top performers. This balance ensures a mix of diversification and focused investment for long-term success.
To effectively scale your campaigns horizontally, focus on reaching distinct audience segments that align with your goals. Instead of going broad with generic targeting, create tailored campaigns that resonate with specific groups of potential customers.
This targeted approach delivers measurable results. For instance, segmentation can boost revenue by up to 760% [13]. Businesses using targeted advertising strategies also report a 2.5x increase in social media ROI compared to non-targeted efforts [14]. The takeaway? Different groups need tailored messaging to drive engagement.
"While you can try and market a product to everyone, consumers have different needs and preferences. What appeals to one group of consumers may not appeal to another group." - Sunil Gupta, Harvard Business School Professor [13]
When implementing horizontal scaling, you’re essentially testing different audience segments to identify which ones convert best. Each segment becomes a separate test case, helping you find high-performing groups without affecting your current campaigns. Facebook's audience tools can help refine this process.
To expand your reach while maintaining precision, take advantage of Lookalike Audiences and Custom Audiences.
Lookalike Audiences rely on Facebook's algorithm to find new prospects who share characteristics with your existing customers. These audiences are excellent for discovering users likely to convert. The key lies in the quality of your source audience. Use a base of 1,000 to 5,000 of your best customers [12] to give Facebook enough data to identify meaningful patterns. From one source, you can create up to 500 Lookalike Audiences [12], enabling extensive testing across different groups.
When creating lookalike audiences, size matters. Smaller percentages (1% or 2%) produce audiences that closely match your source data, while larger percentages (7% to 10%) expand reach but reduce similarity [12]. For horizontal scaling, start with 1-2% lookalikes for precision, then experiment with 3-5% audiences for broader reach.
Custom Audiences, on the other hand, focus on people already familiar with your brand. These can include website visitors, email subscribers, or app users. They allow precise targeting of individuals who’ve already shown interest, making them a perfect complement to lookalikes. Facebook automatically updates both audience types with new data, ensuring your targeting stays relevant without additional effort [12].
For example, an e-commerce store selling vintage watches could create multiple lookalike audiences from its 3,000 customers. One group might target luxury watch enthusiasts, another vintage collectors, and a third gift buyers. Each audience becomes a unique scaling opportunity with tailored messaging [12].
Don’t just rely on algorithm-generated audiences - explore new demographic groups to uncover untapped opportunities. Start by analyzing your existing customer data to identify patterns that might apply to other segments [14].
Facebook's Audience Insights is a powerful tool for this. It provides demographic and behavioral data to help you find secondary audiences that share interests with your primary customers [7]. These secondary groups often represent the best opportunities for horizontal scaling since they’re interested in your product category but may not yet know your brand.
Interest-based targeting can further expand your reach. For example, segment campaigns by interests like "yoga practitioners", "marathon runners", or "home gym owners." Each group has unique preferences, so tailoring your messaging is key.
A great example is a portable blender company that identified lifestyle overlaps between recreational hobbies and health-conscious consumers. By targeting these affinity audiences, they successfully reached users across multiple interest categories [9].
For broader demographic targeting, let Facebook’s algorithm optimize within wide ranges. Use your pixel data and conversion history to guide the platform toward promising prospects [1]. A/B testing is crucial here - experiment with different audience segments and ad creatives to find the best combinations [8].
Recent updates to Facebook’s targeting options mean detailed targeting exclusions have been removed as of March 31, 2025 [11]. This makes it even more important to define positive targeting criteria carefully.
"The horizontal scaling method can help bolster impression share and engagement via new audiences, ultimately allowing your campaign to find new pockets of prospects and develop your funnel with expanded reach. It's effective at helping you find better efficiencies in KPIs via new targeting criteria, and can be extremely effective for accounts that have less wiggle room in terms of budget/overall spend." - Justin Starnes, Paid Social Manager [10]
Although 58% of marketers say audience segmentation is one of their biggest challenges [14], the rewards are worth it. Companies that segment effectively report higher-quality leads and shorter sales cycles, with 56% seeing better lead quality and 36% achieving faster conversions [14].
Testing different ad creatives is an effective way to combat ad fatigue and overexposure. When people see the same ads too many times, engagement drops, and their likelihood of making a purchase decreases [18]. This is especially important today, as 91% of online users feel ads are more intrusive than they used to be [15], and 83% express a desire for fewer ads overall [16].
By testing a variety of ad creatives, you can avoid overexposure and pinpoint the messages that resonate best with your audience. Since creative elements drive 70% of an ad's performance [20], they’re a crucial factor in optimizing your campaigns.
"Ad fatigue accelerates when users are overexposed to ads, seeing the same ones repeatedly or encountering too many per page. Poor targeting, irrelevant messaging, and low-quality content exacerbate the problem."
- Erik Stebbins, Associate Director of Paid Social at NP Digital [15]
Testing multiple creatives achieves two main goals: it identifies the ads that convert the best, boosting your campaign’s overall success, and it sparks new ideas to keep your audience engaged before they lose interest [17].
Rotating your ad creatives strategically is key to maintaining audience interest. Regularly refreshed ads can achieve a 21% higher click-through rate (CTR) [20] and a 30% boost in engagement [20]. To make this happen, you need a structured approach.
Start by running 4–8 creative variations within each ad set. This keeps your ads fresh while ensuring you gather enough data to make meaningful comparisons [19]. Plan to update your creatives every two weeks to prevent fatigue and gather insights for future iterations [15].
Use tools like Dynamic Creative in Ads Manager to automate the process, or manually upload and review variations. Check performance every few days, pausing underperforming ads and scaling the ones that work best [19]. This hands-on strategy keeps your campaigns optimized and ready for continuous improvement.
Some brands have mastered this method. For example, inBeat partnered with Hopper to tackle ad fatigue on TikTok by using user-generated content (UGC). By engaging top creators to produce fresh ads, they successfully reduced CPAs while maintaining strong engagement [21].
Another standout example is Genomelink, which used a robust creative rotation strategy on TikTok. By testing different hooks, calls-to-action, and video formats, they achieved a 77% reduction in customer acquisition cost (CAC), a 127% increase in completed registrations, and a 27% drop in cost per registration [21].
"David Morneau, our CEO at inBeat, emphasizes the importance of refreshing creatives every couple of weeks to combat ad fatigue."
- David Morneau, CEO at inBeat [21]
To maximize results, segment your audience and tailor your ads to their specific interests, demographics, or behaviors. This ensures that each group sees content that speaks directly to their needs [21].
Trying out different ad formats and messages can reveal combinations you might not have considered. Experiment with formats like carousel ads, video ads, and interactive polls to see what grabs your audience’s attention [15]. Each format has its strengths and appeals to different user preferences.
For instance, video ads can deliver a click-through rate 18 times higher than static banners [23]. But don’t overlook the importance of strong visuals - ads with eye-catching designs are 67% more likely to engage viewers [23].
Test various elements like headlines, visuals, calls-to-action, and messaging styles to understand what drives performance. Personalizing your messaging can boost engagement by 28% [23]. Tailor your approach for different audience segments; for example, what works for lookalike audiences may not resonate with custom audiences.
Häagen-Dazs offers a great example of creative testing in action. In April 2023, the company used AdCreative.ai to generate over 150 ad creatives for each product in their catalog, targeting the competitive Spanish market. This approach resulted in over 11,000 "get directions" clicks and a $1.70 reduction in cost per thousand impressions (CPM) [18].
Personalized and targeted content can also increase engagement by up to 48% [23]. Use this strategy to craft messages that address specific audience needs, whether you’re appealing to budget-conscious shoppers or premium buyers.
A/B testing is another powerful tool for refining your ads. Brands that use A/B testing often see a 37% improvement in their target metrics [20]. Compare different versions of your ads systematically to identify what works best [22].
Adapting your creatives for specific platforms is also crucial. For instance, Facebook, Instagram, and X each have unique audience behaviors and content preferences. Tailor your approach to fit these platforms. For video ads, focus on grabbing attention quickly, telling a compelling story, and including a clear call-to-action [22].
Hurom’s success story highlights the impact of strategic creative testing. By shifting from sales-driven promotions to a health-focused strategy, and leveraging UGC with optimized hooks and calls-to-action, they achieved a 60% reduction in CPA, a 36% decrease in CAC, and a 2.5× increase in ROAS [21].
Dynamic content, like geolocation targeting or time-sensitive offers, can add urgency and relevance to your ads - something static creatives can’t achieve [22]. Stay on top of trends and current events to keep your campaigns timely and engaging [21].
The secret to successful creative testing lies in consistent experimentation and quick decision-making. Regularly test new variations, analyze performance data, and scale the winners while retiring the underperformers. This strategy ensures your campaigns stay effective and engaging across all audience segments.
After nailing down your audience targeting and creative testing, the next step in horizontal scaling is smart budget allocation. Striking the right balance between testing new opportunities and scaling campaigns that already perform well ensures you’re maximizing returns while still exploring fresh possibilities.
Here’s a common rule successful advertisers stick to: dedicate about 10–15% of your budget to testing new audiences, creatives, and strategies [24]. The bulk of your resources should go toward campaigns that are already delivering strong results. This way, you’re gathering valuable data for future growth without risking the performance of your proven campaigns.
Start by clearly separating your budget for testing from the one used to scale successful campaigns. Think of your testing budget as an investment in discovering what’s next. For example, if you’re working with a $500 budget, allocate 10–15% of that, or $50–$75, to experimental campaigns targeting new segments or testing fresh creatives [26].
The remaining budget should focus on scaling campaigns that have shown consistent performance. For these, gradually increase budgets - around 20% every 24–48 hours - to maintain stability while scaling. Use tools like Campaign Budget Optimization (CBO) or individual ad set budgets to fine-tune your approach [24][25].
Redistributing budgets effectively means staying on top of campaign performance metrics. Keep a close eye on daily spending, impressions, clicks, conversions, and cost per acquisition (CPA) to make timely adjustments [27][29].
Shift funds to high-performing campaigns or ad sets, but give each enough time to collect meaningful data before making changes. For pacing, adjust daily spending caps based on the campaign’s duration [26][28][29].
When redistributing budgets, consider the campaign type:
Finally, document all budget changes. Keeping detailed records helps you spot patterns and refine your strategies over time [28]. When scaling winning campaigns, a good practice is to duplicate successful ad sets and assign them larger budgets, rather than simply increasing the budget of existing ones. This helps maintain performance stability [24].
At Dancing Chicken (https://dancingchicken.com), we rely on these data-driven budget strategies to optimize Meta Ads campaigns. By ensuring every dollar is carefully allocated, we support consistent growth while maintaining a strong horizontal scaling approach.
To make the most of horizontal scaling, it's crucial to keep your audience segments distinct. Overlapping audiences can drain your budget and hurt campaign performance. Why? When ad sets compete for the same users, Meta prioritizes the highest-value ad and sidelines others. This competition can leave some ad sets stuck in the learning phase, unable to spend their budgets, and delivering inconsistent results.
The good news? Meta provides tools to help you spot and fix these issues before they derail your campaigns.
Meta's Audience Overlap Tool is your go-to resource for identifying overlap. Found in the Audiences section, this tool lets you compare up to five audiences at once. Simply check the boxes for the audiences you want to analyze, click Actions > Show audience overlap, and review the overlap percentages in the report. If you find that two audiences overlap by more than 30%, it’s time to rethink your targeting strategy [32].
However, keep in mind that this tool comes with a few limitations:
For example, in August 2024, Clix Marketing used this tool to analyze four audiences and discovered a 45% overlap between lookalike audiences running in separate ad sets. This explained their campaign underperformance, as the ads were competing against each other instead of effectively reaching new users.
Once you’ve identified overlapping audiences, the next step is to refine your targeting or consolidate segments. Your approach will depend on whether you’ve set different bids for these audiences [34].
Here are some strategies to reduce overlap:
"We targeted too much, and we went too narrow… and now we're looking at: What is the best way to get the most reach but also the right precision?"
- Marc S. Pritchard, Chief Brand Officer at Procter & Gamble [36]
In cases where refinement isn’t feasible, consolidation might be the better choice. Combine smaller, overlapping audiences into a larger campaign with a bigger budget. This is especially useful when targeting similar demographics or interests that naturally overlap [33].
Another helpful tactic is setting frequency caps to limit how often users see your ads across campaigns. Typically, 3–5 impressions per week is a good range to prevent ad fatigue while maintaining reach [35].
Lastly, make it a habit to regularly audit your audience lists. User behavior changes over time, and strategies that worked last quarter might create overlap issues today. Monthly reviews can help you catch these problems early and adjust your targeting before they impact performance [35].
At Dancing Chicken (https://dancingchicken.com), we’ve seen firsthand how eliminating audience overlap and applying strategic exclusions can transform campaign performance. These adjustments ensure every ad dollar is spent reaching new prospects, not competing for the same users.
When it comes to Meta Ads campaigns, combining horizontal and vertical scaling can create a well-rounded growth strategy. Think of it like diversifying your investments: you want to spread risk while maximizing returns. This mix helps you balance reaching new audiences and improving the efficiency of your existing campaigns.
Horizontal scaling focuses on expanding your reach by targeting new audiences, while vertical scaling hones in on increasing ROI by investing more in what’s already working [37]. Together, these methods allow you to grow steadily without putting all your eggs in one basket.
The trick is knowing when to use each approach. Start with vertical scaling to fine-tune your current campaigns. Once they’re performing well, use those results to fund horizontal scaling efforts [37]. This way, you can explore new opportunities without overextending your budget on untested audiences.
With your scaling strategy in place, the next step is to allocate your budget wisely. Before increasing budgets, identify the ad sets that consistently deliver stable results, such as a low cost per acquisition (CPA) or cost per lead (CPL) [1]. These are your high performers - the ones worth additional investment.
To scale vertically, increase budgets gradually. Boost winning ad sets by 10-20% every 3-4 days to give Meta’s algorithm time to adapt [1]. For example, if an ad set with a $100 daily budget is performing well, raise it to $110-$120 after three days of stable results. Avoid increasing budgets by more than 20% at a time to prevent campaigns from re-entering the learning phase [3]. You can also use Meta’s automated rules to adjust budgets based on specific performance metrics, like maintaining a target cost per conversion [1]. Keep in mind that while return on ad spend (ROAS) might dip slightly as you scale, as long as your marketing efficiency ratio (MER) stays above your goal, you’re on the right track [3].
A balanced approach to scaling can help reduce risk. Horizontal scaling offers slow, steady growth by testing new audiences, while vertical scaling can drive faster results but often comes with higher volatility [38]. A good rule of thumb is to allocate 15-30% of your budget to experimenting with new audiences and invest the rest in proven ones [38]. This ensures you’re exploring fresh opportunities without jeopardizing your core performance.
During high-stakes periods like Black Friday, you can ramp up spending on your best-performing ad sets while simultaneously testing new audiences for future campaigns [39]. To make this strategy work, start simple. Focus on vertical scaling first, then gradually introduce horizontal scaling as you identify promising new audiences. Running small trials and comparing results to your performance goals can help you refine this approach.
The right balance depends on your business. Companies with diverse product lines might lean more on horizontal scaling, while those with a single high-performing offer may prioritize vertical scaling. At Dancing Chicken (https://dancingchicken.com), we’ve seen firsthand how blending these methods can transform campaigns. By pairing the reach of horizontal scaling with the efficiency of vertical scaling, our clients achieve steady, sustainable growth without relying too heavily on any one strategy or audience segment.
Horizontal scaling reshapes how Meta Ads campaigns are approached, especially when juggling multiple objectives. Instead of pouring your entire budget into a single campaign, this method spreads your efforts across various audiences, creatives, and strategies. The result? Greater adaptability and reduced risk. Together, these techniques work to create dynamic, multi-layered growth.
Every tactic - whether it's diversified targeting or smarter budget allocation - serves a purpose in the horizontal scaling playbook. For instance, in one lead generation campaign, targeting two new personas led to impressive results: a 43% drop in cost per lead for the first persona, a 17% reduction for the second, and a 15% increase in overall scale - all while lowering the account's overall cost per lead [40].
Creative quality is a game-changer, influencing 56% of campaign success. Refreshing your creatives can slash the cost-per-click by 19% and the cost-per-conversion by 21% [4]. At the same time, thoughtful budget distribution allows you to double down on proven strategies while still testing fresh audiences to uncover new opportunities.
"Finding new horizontal scale opportunities, whether through new audiences, new positioning, new products, etc. is the key to long-term sustainable performance."
Horizontal scaling isn't about quick wins. It’s about building momentum for long-term growth. By running multiple campaigns simultaneously, you gain the flexibility to tweak and optimize in real-time [40]. This approach may not deliver instant results like a short-term promotion, but it sets the stage for steady, compounding success [4].
These five strategies work together to provide a reliable framework for managing complex campaigns. Whether your goal is lead generation, boosting sales, or increasing brand awareness, horizontal scaling equips you to tackle diverse objectives effectively. It allows you to reach distinct demographics with tailored experiences, driving both engagement and a better return on ad spend [40]. By spreading your efforts, you also reduce risk [2].
To grow your audience effectively, start by building lookalike audiences modeled after your top customers. Begin with a 1% similarity to focus on highly relevant users, and as you gain traction, expand to 3-5% to tap into a broader group. This strategy allows you to connect with people who share similar traits with your best customers.
Combine this with custom audiences created from your website visitors, previous buyers, or conversion data. Targeting these high-value groups helps you scale your campaigns without sacrificing engagement or efficiency. Together, these approaches ensure your ads remain impactful while reaching more potential customers.
To prevent audience overlap, begin by clearly defining your audience segments. Break them down using criteria like demographics, interests, or behaviors. Tools such as audience analytics and exclusion lists can help you separate these groups, ensuring that each campaign targets its specific audience without competing for the same users.
Keep an eye on audience settings and update them regularly to align with changes in user behavior or shifting campaign goals. Fine-tuning your targeting strategy this way allows you to expand your reach while keeping your campaigns focused and effective.
To find the right balance between horizontal scaling and vertical scaling in your Meta Ads campaigns, start by analyzing your current performance and growth targets. Vertical scaling is all about increasing the budget for ad sets that are already delivering strong results, aiming to maximize returns. On the other hand, horizontal scaling focuses on creating new ad sets or campaigns to tap into entirely new audience segments.
A smart approach is to start with vertical scaling to get the most out of your high-performing campaigns. Once you've pushed those to their limits, shift to horizontal scaling to reach fresh audiences and broaden your impact. This combination helps maintain steady growth while keeping risks in check. Keep a close eye on performance metrics to fine-tune your scaling strategy and ensure it aligns with your objectives.
When it comes to Meta ads, many brands don’t realize just how profitable the platform can actually be. Or even worse, an agency overpromised and underdelivered... leaving them frustrated with a fortune spent on ineffective campaigns.
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