Client update when Meta Ads results drop
A short, honest message that explains the drop, what you checked, and the plan, so the client hears it from you first. Copy it or download it. Nothing is sent or saved.
Subject: [Client name]: results update for [dates] Hi [Client first name], A quick, honest update before you spot it in the numbers. WHAT HAPPENED [Metric] moved from [before] to [after] between [dates]. That is [percent] [higher / lower] than our usual range. WHAT WE CHECKED - Tracking and conversions: [working / issue found: describe] - Delivery and budget: [normal / issue found: describe] - Ads and creative: [fresh / signs of fatigue: describe] - Outside factors: [offer ended, stock out, site change, seasonality, competitor activity, or nothing found] WHAT WE THINK IS GOING ON [Most likely cause in one or two sentences, and how sure we are: confirmed / likely / still checking] WHAT WE ARE DOING - Today: [action] - This week: [action] - We will update you again on [date] WHAT WE NEED FROM YOU - [Item, or "Nothing right now"] We will not make big changes before we understand the cause, because that tends to make things worse. Happy to talk it through on a call: [link]. [Your name]
Plain text, so it pastes into any document, email or project tool. Nothing you copy is sent or stored.
How to use it
- Send it early. A client who hears bad news from you stays calmer than one who finds it themselves.
- Separate what is known from what is a guess, and say which is which.
- Give a date for the next update and keep it.
Check tracking first, before blaming the ads. A broken pixel looks exactly like a performance drop. Only say 'confirmed' when you have evidence.
Common questions
Should I message before I know the cause?
Yes, if the drop is meaningful. Say what you have checked and when you will update again.
What if the cause is on our side?
Say so plainly and say what you changed to prevent it. Clients forgive mistakes more readily than hidden ones.
Should I offer a discount?
Not by default. Decide that separately and only if the fault was yours.
Related
Stop losing 12 days a month to manual work
Where the 12 days go, for an agency running 4 Meta ad accounts
Scenario: 15 minutes of checking and 30 minutes of diagnosing per account per day over 22 working days, plus 2 reports per account at 3.5 hours each. Your numbers may differ.
Cofoundr is the operating system for performance marketing agencies. Connect your Meta ad accounts and get health scores, wasted spend detection, automation, white-label reports and AI in one workspace. 14-day free trial, no card required.