How do I use Meta ads for music (ad types, targeting options, objective matching) to drive saves/streams/followers?
TL;DR - Run a single-objective campaign that sends fans from a short vertical video ad → smart-link landing page → DSP. Optimize for the “View Content” or “Custom Conversion = Save” event; kill any ad set with cost-per-save over $0.25.
Case Study — “Atlas Ember – $350 Meta Ads Sprint 2025”
Day 0: 9:16 Reels ad → ToneDen link → Spotify → CPS $0.16 → 2,318 saves
Day 4: retarget video viewers with carousel ad → CTR 1.9% → 3.4% → +1,147 streams
Day 7: lookalike (75% video viewers) → CPA ↓ 28% → 4,885 new followers
Result: monthly listeners doubled to 31k while holding CPS under $0.18
1 │ Why This Matters
Meta’s algo performs best with one clear outcome; mixing goals inflates CPM.
Saves are the strongest down-funnel signal for Spotify, so every ad dollar should chase them.
2 │ Step-by-Step Framework
Pick one objective
Campaign: Engagement → Website Conversions
Event: custom “Save” fired on landing-page button click
Build the funnel
15-second 9:16 video with hook in the first 2 seconds
Smart-link (Linkfire/ToneDen) firing Meta pixel and redirecting to DSP
Target in three layers
Core: interests + similar artists (5–8M size)
Retarget: 3-second video viewers + landing-page visitors
Lookalike: 75% video viewers
Set budgets
Advantage Campaign Budget on; start $10–15/day
Rule: pause ad sets at CPA > 1.3× account average after 1,000 impressions
Creative rotation
Swap thumbnails/hooks every 20k impressions or 7 days
Test three captions: lyric line, social proof, question
Track and iterate weekly
Pull CPS, CP50%-view, CTR into a sheet
Shift 70% of spend to the best-CPS ad set each week
3 │ Metrics & Traffic-Light Guard-Rails
Cost per Save: green ≤ $0.25 | yellow $0.26–0.40 | red > $0.40
Click-Through Rate: green ≥ 1.5% | yellow 0.8–1.4% | red < 0.8%
75% Video View Cost: green ≤ $0.12 | yellow $0.13–0.20 | red > $0.20
Follower Growth per $10: green ≥ 130 | yellow 80–129 | red < 80
4 │ Ad Types & Tools Snapshot
Reels/Stories video: broad reach, low CPM — watch creative fatigue
Carousel: great for retargeting with multiple hooks — ensure 3+ strong frames
Advantage+ Creative: auto-sizes assets — less manual control
ToneDen/Linkfire: pixel + deep-link — custom domain may require Pro plan
Looker Studio dashboard: live CPS/stream view — needs connectors
5 │ Common Pitfalls & Fast Fixes
Direct DSP links (no pixel) → always route through a smart-link
Multiple objectives in one campaign → split by goal; one KPI per campaign
Ignoring retargeting → allocate 20–30% to warm audiences
Leaving poor creatives live → kill anything under 0.8% CTR after 48h
Key Takeaways
One conversion-focused campaign with pixel-fired “Save” events keeps Meta’s AI locked on what matters.
Retargeting video viewers and landing-page visitors can halve acquisition cost.
Rotate hooks weekly and move budget toward the lowest-CPS ad sets to keep ROI climbing.
How to Use
Create a 15-second vertical video, build a smart-link, and fire the “Save” event.
Launch an Engagement-Conversion campaign with Advantage Budget and three ad sets: Core, Retarget, Lookalike.
Review the traffic-light metrics every Monday; push spend to green, fix yellow, kill red.