Meta Ads: Under the Hood

When Carol opened The Shoe Garden in Brisbane in 2012, she was recovering from burnout and building something she knew women needed: fashionable, colourful shoes for longer feet, starting at size 10. Mainstream retailers offer women with longer feet very few options, so Carol's customers don't just buy shoes from her. They light up, and some even tear up, when they finally have real choice.

Carol's niche and loyal customer base still didn't make marketing easy. After radio ads and other efforts that didn't deliver, she started working with Lume Marketing in 2024 to run Meta ads. Comparing the year before ads with the last financial year, the results were:

- 79% growth in online sales - 45% increase in new customers - Around 600% return on ad spend

In 2026, Carol went a step further. She completed our 8-week program and now runs her own ads, handling the tracking, analysis and optimisation herself.

In this episode, Megan and Carol talk about:

- How Carol built a business serving an underserved niche - Why consistency and repetition keep you top of mind with customers - Why Carol first chose to outsource her ads, and what made her ready to take them back in-house - How one-on-one training lets you apply what you learn to your own data and circumstances, beyond the general advice that's everywhere - How Carol's historical data from her time as a client gave her a head start when she took over - Why you need to either learn to run your ads well or hire experts, because doing neither stalls growth

Learn more about working with us:

• The next 8-week mentoring program where you'll learn to run Meta ads like a pro is opening soon. Apply now.
• Hire me and my team to run your ads. Learn more.
• Learn how to run your own ads. Click here.

Learn more about your host:

Megan Winter is a meta ads expert, an experienced ADMA and AMI-awarded marketer and founder of Goodkind Media. As an early-adopter of digital marketing and social media advertising, she has consulted to global brands owned by Heineken and Lexus, has taught hundreds of small business owners at The Facebook Ads Academy, and presented on digital marketing at Bond University.

Now, her passion is helping ethical, purpose-led brands achieve more income and impact with high-performing meta ads.

Connect with Megan on Instagram @meganwinter or LinkedIn

"Fire your agency" content is everywhere right now — but is it good advice? Megan (who runs both an agency and a training program teaching people to run their own ads) breaks down the truth: there's no universal right answer, only the right fit for your business and your timing.

In this episode Megan covers:

• What an agency actually is (and why the term "agency" has become diluted over the last decade)
• Why so many agencies are better at marketing themselves than they are at delivering results
• The real cost of hiring too soon vs waiting too long
• The "sleepless night test" — a simple way to know if a decision (or a fee) is right for you
• Key questions to ask yourself before hiring an agency, including whether you're ready to grow and whether you actually love data
• The red flags that mean it might be time to break up with your current agency — word salad reporting, being palmed off to a junior, order-takers, and agencies with no real strategy
• How to decide whether learning to run your own ads is the smarter move for where your business is right now

Learn more about working with us:

• The next 8-week mentoring program where you'll learn to run Meta ads like a pro is opening soon. Apply now.
• Hire me and my team to run your ads. Learn more.
• Learn how to run your own ads. Click here.

Learn more about your host:

Megan Winter is a meta ads expert, an experienced ADMA and AMI-awarded marketer and founder of Lume Marketing.

As an early-adopter of digital marketing and social media advertising, she has consulted to global brands owned by Heineken and Lexus, has taught hundreds of small business owners at The Facebook Ads Academy, and presented on digital marketing at Bond University.

Now, her passion is helping ethical, purpose-led brands achieve more income and impact with high-performing meta ads.

Connect with Megan on Instagram @meganwinter or LinkedIn

"Until you test, it's just a guess." You've probably heard Megan say it a hundred times — but most small businesses are still testing their meta ads the wrong way, which means they're not really testing at all. They're just guessing with extra steps.

In this episode, Megan breaks down the 5 most common testing mistakes she sees, and what to do instead so your data actually tells you something useful.

In this episode, Megan covers these mistakes:

1. Testing without a strategy behind it — Throwing AI-generated creative into ads just to "see what happens" without checking it aligns with your brand and offer first. Testing rubbish still gives you rubbish.
2. Trusting the Meta dashboard as the source of truth — Why every platform wants to claim credit for the same sale, and why your website and sales numbers matter more than what Meta tells you.
3. Not checking that the pixel is actually tracking correctly — A real example of a client whose purchase pixel was triple-firing, making an $18 cost per purchase look like $6.
4. Testing too many things at once — Why changing your creative, landing page, and offer all at the same time makes it impossible to know what actually worked.
5. Panicking and adding more instead of reading the data — When results dip, the instinct is to create more. Often the real answer is hiding in the data already — like the account that was losing money until the data pointed straight to a landing page fix.

Plus, two real case studies: an account that started losing money (and what the data tells us to do about it), and a client who set a target of 100 memberships, tested the plan, and sold 104 while spending 20% less.

Learn more about working with us:

• The next 8-week mentoring program where you'll learn to run Meta ads like a pro is opening soon. Apply now.
• Hire us to run your ads. Learn more.
• Learn how to run your own ads. Click here.

Learn more about your host:

Megan Winter is a meta ads expert, an experienced ADMA and AMI-awarded marketer and founder of Lume Marketing.

As an early-adopter of digital marketing and social media advertising, she has consulted to global brands owned by Heineken and Lexus, has taught hundreds of small business owners at The Facebook Ads Academy, and presented on digital marketing at Bond University.

Now, her passion is helping ethical, purpose-led brands achieve more income and impact with high-performing meta ads.

Connect with Megan on Instagram @meganwinter or LinkedIn

This week Megan welcomes Lume Marketing account manager Britt Brown for her very first podcast appearance. Britt manages a rotation of Lume clients and brings 20+ years of marketing experience to the chat, including running her own family business.

The pair dive into one of their favourite team-meeting topics: marketing tactics. In this episode they discuss the Labubu craze, and what it can teach small business owners about the psychology behind why we buy. From there they unpack how the same tactics show up again and again throughout marketing history, from Prime energy drinks to the 1950s diamond ring campaigns that convinced the world "a diamond is forever."

In this episode Megan and Britt cover:

• How Labubu's blind box format created mystery and anticipation
• Why manufactured scarcity (and real scarcity) drives FOMO, and how FOMO is really just anticipated regret
• The role influencers played in turning a toy into a cult object
• What happened to demand once Pop Mart scaled production from 50,000 to millions a month
• Social proof in action, from bootleg resellers to a packed restaurant with a line out the door
• How Prime drink used the same playbook, targeted at kids, and why that's a whole ethics conversation on its own
• Why consumers aren't as easily fooled as brands think, and the difference between a genuine limited drop and a "fake" one
• How small businesses can borrow these tactics authentically, without needing Pop Mart's budget or scale
• Real examples: Mecca's loyalty program and reward emails, Britt's Cardera Coffee subscribe-and-save, and the power of a great "About Us" page
• Why brand story and community will always outlast a discount code, and why tactics are "the gravy, not the meat and potatoes"

People and brands mentioned in this episode:

• Rebecca Sparrow -- Goodkind Media client and how Britt found Megan
• Welds and Wood -- small business Megan purchases a floating shelf from
• Cardera Coffee — Goodkind Media client subscribe-and-save coffee brand, cited as an example of community/social proof driving a sale
• Labubu / Pop Mart — the toy craze that anchors the episode's discussion of scarcity, blind boxes, and hype
• Prime (energy drink) — co-founded by founded by Logan Paul and KSI (in the episode Megan says "Logan brothers or whoever it was".)
• Aldi — mentioned re: their toy/collectible packet promotions and kids trading them at school
• Coles — mentioned alongside Aldi re: bonus ticket promotions
• Mecca (beauty retailer) — used as an example of loyalty programs, birthday freebies, and purchase-triggered incentives
• Shein — mentioned twice: once re: knockoff Labubu dolls, once re: fast fashion ethics/pricing
• Chanel — mentioned as an example of a luxury bag Labubus were being attached to
• Showpo — fast fashion brand founded by Jane Lu, used as an example of selling "the vibe" not the product

Learn more about working with us:

• The next 8-week mentoring program where you'll learn to run Meta ads like a pro is opening soon. Apply now.
• Hire us to run your ads. Learn more.
• Learn how to run your own ads. Click here.

Learn more about your host:

Megan Winter is a meta ads expert, an experienced ADMA and AMI-awarded marketer and founder of Lume Marketing.

As an early-adopter of digital marketing and social media advertising, she has consulted to global brands owned by Heineken and Lexus, has taught hundreds of small business owners at The Facebook Ads Academy, and presented on digital marketing at Bond University.

Now, her passion is helping ethical, purpose-led brands achieve more income and impact with high-performing meta ads.

Connect with Megan on Instagram @meganwinter or LinkedIn

Everyone talks about ROAS like it's the holy grail of ad performance. But according to chartered accountant and business strategist Fi Johnston, it might be one of the most misleading metrics in your business.

In this episode, Megan sits down with Fi Johnston — founder of Peach Business, host of the Money Secrets podcast, and a business and finance strategist with 16 years in business — for a refreshingly honest conversation about what actually happens when businesses turn on meta ads, and why the number on your ads dashboard rarely tells the full story.

Plus, Fi shares exactly how she turned a $900 ad spend into $18,000 in revenue.

Fi has a unique vantage point: she works both with agencies running meta ads and with the business owners spending the money, which means she sees the front end of the ads and the back end of the balance sheet. Her take? A lot of businesses reach for ads to fix a problem ads were never going to solve.

In this episode, Megan and Fi cover:

• Why "my ads look great but my bank account doesn't" is more common than you'd think
• Why ROAS in isolation can be a dangerous, misleading metric — and what to look at instead
• How fixing your website or landing page can outperform "fixing" your ads
• Why meta ads should amplify a good business, not rescue a broken one
• The relay race analogy: how ads, website, email and customer service all have to run their leg properly
• How Fi overcame her dislike of meta's business ethics to use ads as a tool she controls, rather than one that controls her
• The real story behind Fee's $900 ad spend that generated $18,000 in revenue — including the landing page overhaul and the "meat and potatoes" video that halved her cost per lead
• Why simpler is almost always better: Fee's "shit or get off the pot" landing page redesign
• How to know if you're ready for ads (hint: you need to already know how to get people to take action organically first)
• Why treating your organic content like an ad — and your ads like a post — makes both stronger
• Whether ads can help you re-engage existing or lapsed customers, not just find new ones

If you've ever felt confused by ad reporting, or wondered whether you're actually ready to invest in ads, this episode will help you get clear on the numbers that actually matter. Learn more about working with us:

• The next 8-week mentoring program where you'll learn to run Meta ads like a pro is opening soon. Apply now.
• Hire us to run your ads. Learn more.
• Learn how to run your own ads. Click here.

Learn more about your guest:

Fi Johnston is a chartered accountant and business and finance strategist, and the founder of Peach Business. She's spent 16 years working with purpose-led business owners who take a balanced approach to people, planet and profit, helping them get clear on pricing, marketing strategy and team needs so their business can grow sustainably. Fi hosts the Money Secrets podcast and shares weekly insights through her email, The Peach Weekly.

Connect with Fi on Instagram @peachbusiness or listen to Money Secrets wherever you get your podcasts.

Learn more about your host:

Megan Winter is a meta ads expert, an experienced ADMA and AMI-awarded marketer and founder of Lume Marketing.

As an early-adopter of digital marketing and social media advertising, she has consulted to global brands owned by Heineken and Lexus, has taught hundreds of small business owners at The Facebook Ads Academy, and presented on digital marketing at Bond University.

Now, her passion is helping ethical, purpose-led brands achieve more income and impact with high-performing meta ads.

Connect with Megan on Instagram @meganwinter or LinkedIn

Black Friday came from big-brand retail marketers seeing an opportunity to leverage a cultural event to make money. So when small businesses try to replicate and compete they run into trouble.

• Small businesses don't have the economy of scale big businesses do
• Small business blindly follow big business strategy - big biz may be going on sale to capture share of market, or move dead stock. So 70% off makes sense for them. This does not work for small biz.

So… how do small businesses make Black Friday work for them? Listen to this episode to find out how to use meta ads to make sure your business wins this Black Friday Cyber Monday holiday sales period. Megan covers how to:

• Understand what role BF will play in your business plan
• Understand your number so you don't grow yourself to death
• Plan your offer so it works for your business
• Time it properly
• Create intentional messaging.
• Use ads effectively and avoid overpaying at the busiest time of year
• Plan to win

Learn more about working with us:

• The next 8-week mentoring program where you'll learn to run Meta ads like a pro is opening soon. Apply now.
• Hire us to run your ads. Learn more.
• Learn how to run your own ads. Click here.

Learn more about your host:

Megan Winter is a meta ads expert, an experienced ADMA and AMI-awarded marketer and founder of Lume Marketing.

As an early-adopter of digital marketing and social media advertising, she has consulted to global brands owned by Heineken and Lexus, has taught hundreds of small business owners at The Facebook Ads Academy, and presented on digital marketing at Bond University.

Now, her passion is helping ethical, purpose-led brands achieve more income and impact with high-performing meta ads.

Connect with Megan on Instagram @meganwinter or LinkedIn

Have you ever walked away from a conference with pages of notes but no idea where to start?

That's exactly how I felt after spending three days at Cairns Crocodiles with Mia Fileman from Campaign Del Mar.

In this episode, we're sharing the ideas that made us stop, think, and question the way we approach marketing. We chat about why creativity is making a comeback, why strategy should come before tactics, and why the brands people remember aren't the ones trying to blend in.

If you're a founder, marketer or small business owner who wants to build a better brand, create marketing people remember, and stop chasing every shiny new tactic, this episode is for you.

Learn more about working with Lume Marketing

● The next 8-week mentoring program where you'll learn to run Meta ads like a pro is opening soon. Apply now.

● Hire us to run your ads

● Learn how to run your own ads

One of the biggest surprises from the conference was what wasn't being talked about. Despite all the noise around AI, very few speakers saw it as a competitive advantage. Instead, the conversation centred on creativity, instinct, purpose-led marketing and understanding human behaviour.

We discuss why founder energy is such a powerful advantage, why the best ideas often feel uncomfortable before they're successful, and how brands like Pinterest are helping people get off their screens and back into real life.

We also talk about why podcasting is having a moment, why attention on its own isn't enough anymore, and why the brands creating genuine value will always outperform the ones chasing the latest algorithm. Whether you run a purpose-led brand, an ecommerce business or a service business, these are ideas that reach far beyond marketing.

We also share some of the behind-the-scenes realities of attending an event like this while running businesses and raising families. Because great marketing isn't just about campaigns. It's about creating space to think differently, challenging your assumptions and bringing fresh ideas back to your customers.

If you've been wondering why your Meta ads aren't working, whether your marketing has become a little too safe, or how to create marketing that people remember, I think you'll enjoy this conversation.

As I always say, ads are an amplifier. Brand first, ads last. The best Meta ads, Facebook ads and Instagram ads start with a clear strategy, great creative and a genuine understanding of your customers.

I'd love to know what stood out most for you from this episode. Are you going to embrace more creativity in your marketing? Focus more on long-form content? Or stop worrying so much about following the so-called rules? Come and tell us over on Instagram. We'd love to continue the conversation with you at @meganwinter

Contact details mentioned:

● Connect with Mia Fileman or Campaign Del Mar on Instagram, Facebook or via her website.

● Connect with Goodkind Media (previously Lume Marketing) on Instagram or via our website

● Megan Winter on Instagram or LinkedIn

References

● Cairns Crocodiles

● Amy Keen

● Paula Bloodworth

● John Evans' podcast Uncensored CMO

● Pinterest

● Xanthe Wells

● Uber Eats

● Bonds – Robert Irwin Campaign

● Kim Anderson

● Marketing Circle

● Ripple Festival

● Tully Walter, Mike Wilson, Leigh Lavery and Kim Anderson

● Got Marketing? Episode with Kim Anderson

Resources

● Should you run your own ads or partner with an agency? Take the quiz here to find out.

● 10 most common Meta ads red flags, and how to avoid them. Download for free here.

Loved the pod?

● Leave a review and you may just find yourself getting a shoutout on the pod.

Are you convinced your Meta ads aren't working, or are you looking at the wrong numbers?

One of the most common questions I get is, "Help, my ads aren't working. What do I do?"

There isn't one simple answer. Meta ads are only one part of your marketing, and before you start changing creatives, increasing your budget or blaming the algorithm, you need to understand what role your ads are playing in your customer's buying journey.

In this episode, I walk you through the exact process we use inside our Meta ads agency and the same framework I teach inside my Meta ads training program. You'll learn how to stop making emotional decisions and start reading the data that tells you exactly where the problem is.

If you've ever wondered why Meta ads aren't working, how to run profitable Meta ads, or how to stop wasting money on ads that don't convert, this episode is for you.

Learn more about working with Lume Marketing

• The next 8-week mentoring program where you'll learn to run Meta ads like a pro is opening soon. Apply now.

• Hire us to run your ads

• Learn how to run your own ads

I explain why understanding your acceptable cost per acquisition, customer lifetime value and marketing efficiency ratio is far more important than obsessing over ROAS alone. We also look at the biggest mistakes I see business owners make when results dip, including blindly increasing budgets, creating endless new content without a strategy, or comparing their results to brands that are years ahead of them.

I also break down the Meta ads metrics that matter, including click through rate, CPM, cost per click, frequency and website conversion rates, so you can identify whether your creative, website or offer is holding you back.

Whether you're running DIY Meta ads, working with a Facebook ads agency, managing an ecommerce brand or simply trying to work out why your ads aren't performing, this episode will help you understand what your numbers are really saying.

Because Meta ads aren't magic, they're an amplifier. When you know how to read the data, you stop guessing, reduce wasted ad spend and make better decisions about what to do next.

I'd love to hear from you. Which Meta ads metric do you find the most confusing, or what's the biggest challenge you're facing with your ads right now? Send me a message and let's continue the conversation on Instagram @meganwinter

Contact details mentioned:

• Connect with Goodkind Media (previously Lume Marketing) on Instagram or via our website

• Megan Winter on Instagram or LinkedIn

Resources

• Should you run your own ads or partner with an agency? Take the quiz here to find out.

• 10 most common Meta ads red flags, and how to avoid them. Download for free here.

Loved the pod?

• Leave a review and you may just find yourself getting a shoutout on the pod.

Have you ever wondered why some businesses seem to grow effortlessly while others struggle to get noticed, even when they're incredibly good at what they do?

In this episode, I sit down with executive coach and people leader Ellen Hooper to talk about what really happens when you combine a great offer with clear marketing.

Ellen shares how she built a successful coaching business before ever touching Meta ads, why learning sales and marketing became one of the biggest growth opportunities in her business, and how getting clear on who she helps transformed the way she attracts clients.

We also talk about why so many talented business owners stay hidden, why niching feels uncomfortable, and how purpose-led growth often starts with being brave enough to speak directly to the people you can help most.

Learn more about working with Lume Marketing

• The next 8-week mentoring program where you'll learn to run Meta ads like a pro is opening soon. Apply now.

• Hire us to run your ads

• Learn how to run your own ads

We also get into one of my favourite topics, Meta ads that don't suck. Ellen shares her experience moving from done-for-you Meta ads management to learning how to run her own campaigns, what surprised her most about Facebook advertising, and why ads are an amplifier rather than a magic wand.

We talk about lead generation, building trust through free challenges, understanding your customer journey, and why profitable Meta ads often start long before someone clicks "buy".

If you've ever wondered why Instagram ads aren't converting, how to stop wasting money on ads, or how to create a clear marketing strategy that helps more of the right people find you, you'll get plenty from this conversation.

Ellen also shares her thoughts on the myth of digital products, why high-ticket offers can sometimes be easier to sell than low-ticket products, and how data can dramatically improve your business decision-making.

We discuss customer insights, testing and measuring, website conversion challenges, and why understanding the story behind the numbers can help you build a stronger business.

Whether you're a coach, consultant, service provider, founder, personal brand or small business owner looking to learn Meta ads, improve your Facebook ads strategy, or create growth without burnout, this episode is packed with practical lessons and honest reflections from two business owners figuring it out in real time. It's a conversation about values-led marketing, human-first marketing, and building a business that works for your life, not the other way around.

Have you ever resisted niching down because you didn't want to turn people away? I'd love to hear your experience. Send me a message and connect with us on Instagram @meganwinter

Contact details mentioned:

• Connect with Ellen Hooper on Instagram, Facebook or via her website

• Connect with Goodkind Media (previously Lume Marketing) on Instagram or via our website

• Megan Winter on Instagram or LinkedIn

Resources

• Should you run your own ads or partner with an agency? Take the quiz here to find out.

• 10 most common Meta ads red flags, and how to avoid them. Download for free here.

Loved the pod?

• Leave a review and you may just find yourself getting a shoutout on the pod.

Are you making decisions about your Meta ads too quickly and wondering why your results never seem to improve?

In this final episode of my six-part series on how to run profitable Meta ads in 2026, I talk about the last step of my PROFIT framework: Test, Measure, Analyse and Improve. Because profitable Meta ads aren't built on gut feel. They're built on data.

I share why so many business owners turn ads off too early, how to spot what's causing poor performance, and why a bad result isn't always telling you the full story. If you've ever wondered why your Facebook ads aren't converting, why your cost per lead is too high, or how to create Meta ads that convert, this episode is for you.

Learn more about working with Lume Marketing

• The next 8-week mentoring program where you'll learn to run Meta ads like a pro is opening soon. Apply now.

• Hire us to run your ads

• Learn how to run your own ads

I walk you through the scientific method we use inside our Meta ads agency and Meta ads training program to improve campaign performance over time. You'll learn how to create a clear testing strategy, why you should only test one variable at a time, how to analyse Facebook ads data properly, and what metrics matter when you're trying to improve Facebook ROAS.

We look at one of the biggest mistakes I see business owners make when running DIY Meta ads: making decisions based on incomplete information. Because until you test, it's just a guess.

Whether you're running your own Facebook and Instagram ads, working with a Meta ads strategist, or partnering with a Facebook ads agency, this episode will help you understand how to use data to make smarter marketing decisions.

We cover ad creative testing, audience testing, landing page optimisation, conversion tracking, campaign analysis and how to create profitable Meta ads that support sustainable business growth.

If you're tired of wasting money on ads that don't work and want a clear Meta ads strategy built on evidence instead of assumptions, you'll walk away with practical steps you can apply immediately.

What is one thing you've tested in your marketing recently that surprised you? I'd love to hear about it. Send me a DM and continue the conversation with me on Instagram.

Contact details mentioned:

• Connect with Goodkind Media (previously Lume Marketing) on Instagram or via our website

• Megan Winter on Instagram or LinkedIn

Resources

• Episode on Marketing Efficiency Ratio: listen to PART 1 here

• Should you run your own ads or partner with an agency? Take the quiz here to find out.

• 10 most common Meta ads red flags, and how to avoid them. Download for free here.

Loved the pod?

• Leave a review and you may just find yourself getting a shoutout on the pod, just like Renee did. Find her at vous.net.au