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Q1 is where most brands quietly sabotage the rest of their year.
They slow down or turn off ads. Lower budgets “until the new strategy is ready.” Start brainstorming fresh ideas.
What they don’t do?
Align Meta Ads goals with business goals.
And that’s the real problem.
Q1 isn’t about launching new ideas.
It’s about multiplying what already works.
Let’s get into it.
What Most Businesses Do with Ads in Q1
Every January, I see the same pattern:
“Let’s slow down after Q4.”
“Let’s test totally new products.”
“Let’s come up with brand-new ad concepts.”
“Last year’s ads are probably fatigued.”
The result inside Ads Manager?
Learning resets
Signal loss
Slow ramp-up
Weeks wasted “testing ideas”
Q1 isn’t the time to reinvent.
It’s the time to compound on what already worked.
The One Simple Meta Ads Q1 Strategy
Here is the strategy:
Don’t come up with new ad ideas!
Instead, turn your winning ads into more winners.
If something worked in Q4, your job in Q1 isn’t creativity theater.
It’s systematic iteration.
One winning ad already proved:
the product resonates
the offer makes sense
the audience exists
Now squeeze more out of it.
Your Core Move: Turn 1 Ad Into 10 New Ones
Take your best-performing product from last year and turn one winning ad into multiple variations.
Not by changing headlines for fun.
Not by copying Q4 discount logic.
But by changing the angle.
Headline tweaks alone rarely double performance.
Angle + format variations do.
Same product.
Same offer.
Same landing page.
Different psychological entry points.
Meta doesn’t need novelty.
It needs volume of high-quality signals.
Important Side Note
This is a starting strategy, not your entire Q1 plan.
Q1 still has the classic promo moments:
Valentine’s Day
Women’s Day
Spring Break
Easter
These don’t necesarily require new products.
They require new angles on proven products (e.g. seasonal products, past winners).
Example: One Product, Multiple Ad Angles
Let me bring you an example from my agency.
Product: Metal Garden Shed for Tools
Our mentality:
We’re not selling a “metal shed.”
We’re selling reasons to care about garden storage.
Here’s how one product becomes multiple ads:
Problem/Solution focused
“Your bikes, garden tools all lying around in the backyard?”
“Why your tools keep rusting every winter (and how to stop it)”
Curiosity-driven
“This metal shelter survives storms most sheds can’t”
Social proof
“120+ homeowners upgraded their garden storage this year”
Urgency
“Spring prep deal ends in 72 hours”
FOMO (Fear Of Missing Out)
“Only 40 units available before next re-stock”
Before/After
“From cluttered backyard to clean storage in one afternoon”
Fear-based
“Leaving tools exposed costs you more than this shelter”
Trend-based
“The storage upgrade DIY homeowners are installing in 2026”
“Tik Tok made me buy this metal shed for my garden”
Value-focused
“One-time purchase that replaces years of tool replacements”
Authority
“Dad-approved storage built for long-term outdoor use”
Same product.
Different stories to buy it.
You can adjust your copy and creatives or both to these concepts.
Let me show you some example ad creatives we made for this product:
Before/After:
Problem/Solution:
Why This Works in in Q1
You start the year with proven demand
You feed Meta more creative signals
You avoid resetting performance
You scale faster with less guesswork
This pairs perfectly with evergreen ad formats DAS #45: 10 Evergreen Ad Creatives (with examples).
Angles + evergreen formats = predictable testing.
Conclusion
Most brands treat Q1 like a reset. It’s not.
(We all know about those New Years resolutions that never make it past January)
The best brands treat it like a multiplier.
Smart advertisers call it Q5 because it can be just as profitable as Q4, if played right.
Turn one winning ad into ten.
Test angles, not random ideas.
Let data decide.
That’s how strong years are built.
Right from the get go.
Why AI Isn’t Replacing Affiliate Marketing After All
“AI will make affiliate marketing irrelevant.”
Our research shows the opposite.
Shoppers use AI to explore options, but they trust creators, communities, and reviews before buying. With less than 10 percent clicking AI links, affiliate content now shapes both conversions and AI recommendations.
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♥️ Tools we love to use at my agency:
My ultimate list of FREE Ad Libraries for spying and inspiration
Get my FREE Facebook Ads Hook Library and make it yours.
My favorite FREE newsletters on Ads & Media Buying.
Email Marketing tools for e-commerce Klaviyo or Mailerlite. We choose the one that fits our client’s needs between these two.
Best Pop-up Tool for e-commerce to grow your email list: Optimonk
Our go to No-Code Drag & Drop website and landing page builder with 170+ prebuilt templates: Sitejet
#1 Newsletter Builder platform for founders, creators, writers is Beehiiv.
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