Are ads forever? What happens if you stop running them?

Last week, I got a great question in response to my newsletter…

"I would love to see you discuss- are ads forever? Once you start running ads, will you be able to decrease your CPL? Is there harm in running ads for a few months and then stopping, does that make any difference?"

Which brings us to today’s topic.

Welcome to another exciting round of... It Depends with your ads coach, Amanda Joyce Weber. I kid. I kid. (But also... not really?)

Because when it comes to how long you should run ads for, there is no one-size-fits-all answer and it depends largely on your business goals and why you’ve decided to run ads in the first place. 

But I do have some thoughts that will make it a whole lot clearer so let’s break it down. ⬇️

If you want to run ads long-term...

If you’ve been around here for a hot minute, you know I’m a big believer in ads as a lead gen strategy. 

Because while ads can directly sell to cold traffic (especially with low-ticket offers), more often than not, their true power is in getting the right people onto your email list so you can nurture and eventually sell.

But that doesn’t mean that you need to run ads forever either. Seriously. It's a toggle on/off switch inside Ads Manager. When it's on, your ads run. When it's off, they don't. It’s that simple.

So let’s say you have a freebie or lead magnet. You can run those ads 24/7 and keep a steady flow of new leads coming into your world while you sleep (seriously, one of my fave feelings—my done-with-you ads coaching is called Peacefully Passive Leads for a reason). ✨

And as for cost per lead (CPL) going down the longer you run ads? I actually find the opposite to be true.

Meta feeds your ads to the low-hanging fruit first. Meaning, the people most likely to opt in quickly. Over time, it gets harder to find more of those people, and your CPL often goes up.

That’s why updating your creative regularly and knowing what to look for in your metrics is key.

If you're running ads just for a launch or promo...

Let’s say you’ve got a webinar coming up. You might run ads for only 2–3 weeks beforehand to get an influx of registrants and then shut them off. Totally valid strategy. 

Now, usually, the cost per lead (CPL) is higher in this scenario compared to something like a freebie. Think about it, you're asking more of your audience (show up live, carve out time, engage with your content in real time), so fewer people say yes. But the ones who do are generally more engaged and primed for your pitch.

This is cold traffic entering a funnel that’s designed to warm them up fast through your conversion event. And if it’s a pitch with urgency (like a cart close or fast-action bonus), that can convert really well.

Plus, a short-term strategy like this is a great way to test messaging and optimize for conversions.

It’s a great fit if you want a burst of visibility and you’re launching something with a clear deadline or cart close.

If you're thinking, “What happens when I stop running ads? Will it hurt my organic content?”...

Okay, so here’s the nuance-y part: Ads don’t just bring in email addresses. They also bring in eyeballs. 

Some people might not opt in, but they still click over to your profile, maybe engage with your content, maybe even follow you. 

From the outside, it can look like organic engagement, but they’re actually finding you by way of your ads.

So when you stop running ads? Yeah, it might feel like your organic content is tanking. But really, you're just seeing what your reach looks like without paid traffic amplifying it.

That said, I don't believe Meta is penalizing anyone for stopping ads. What they care about is content that keeps people on the platform. So the best way to win in either the organic or paid traffic game is to keep making content that does that. 

Now, one more piece of this puzzle that doesn't get talked about nearly enough is that when you turn your ads off and then back on again, they re-enter what's called the "learning phase."

Sounds fancy, but it's really just Meta using your money to figure out who to show your ads to. During this time, performance can fluctuate, and the algorithm is essentially relearning what works.

So the general rule of thumb is that if your ads are working well → don’t touch 'em (except to slowly increase your budget).

But also, it’s not as scary as it sounds. Most of my clients start running ads for about $20/day, so if you did need to turn them off for any reason, and then restart later, you'd likely just be out a few days of ad spend while Meta gets its bearings again. Not ideal, but also... not the end of the world. Promise.

TL;DR: Use ads how they work best for you…

Simply put, you don’t have to be funneling money into Meta until the end of time. (Phew.)

You can run ads forever or for a few weeks. You can pause them, restart them, or scale them slowly. The key is knowing what you want your ads to do for you.

Though I will warn you, you might become a little obsessed with how fun it can be. 

I had a client's team member tell me how excited she was to check on the traffic tests we were running on a Saturday morning (and I totally get it 🤓). 

Once you start learning ads, running them, and seeing what they can do for your business, there's a chance you don't want to stop. But the choice is always yours.

So if you’re thinking about dipping your toe into the world of Meta ads so you can get the leads you want, when you want them, I invite you to book a free ads strategy call. 

We’ll chat about whether my done-with-you ads coaching Peacefully Passive Leads is the right next step for you and your business goals.

So… how long should you run ads for? You guessed it. It depends. 😉

But at least now you know what it depends on and that you don’t have to figure it out alone. 💖