News & Insights

Paid Social Updates 2026: What Advertisers Need To Know

9th Mar 2026 / By Alexandra Hardy

This year we introduced a brand new service at Circus… we are now a PPC and paid social agency! This doesn’t just mean that we’re providing even more insight and strategy to brands wanting to align their paid efforts, it means that we’re here with more 2026 updates for both Paid Social and Search!

With the addition of our Senior Paid Social Manager, Caitlin, and Paid Social Analyst, Esther, we’ve expanding our offering to help brands drive growth through strategic social ad campaigns.

Following on from our PPC insight series, the Paid Social team will be sharing the latest updates from Meta and beyond to make sure you are kept up to date.

AI & Paid Social Updates In 2026

Meta has recently announced that AI is driving significant performance across its platforms. Revenue from AI video generation tools grew three times faster quarter-over-quarter than overall ad revenue. Incrementality is a question most advertisers are asking right now – how can we know our Meta investment is driving revenue that’s truly new? Meta reports that the new incremental attribution feature has driven a 24% increase in incremental conversions compared to the standard attribution model.

What Brands Should Take From This Update

For brands working with a B2C or a B2B paid social agency, these updates show the importance of AI-driven creative assets and measurement when running campaigns on Meta.

AI generated creative assets perform
Incrementality is now an easier KPI to track and optimise towards
These Meta tools are here to stay – it’s time to start working with them

Meta’s New Ad-Free Subscription Model Explained

One of the most talked-about Meta updates recently is the introduction of an ad-free subscription option for Instagram and Facebook. Naturally, many advertisers are wondering what this means for campaign performance.

The reality is… there’s little cause for concern. Meta has been trialling the subscription across the EU since late 2023, and the majority of users have continued with the ad-supported experience. Although CPMs did rise, but only in line with other markets, meaning this hasn’t been caused by the new subscription model.

What Brands Should Take From This Update

The ad audience is still huge, the new subscription shouldn’t affect your performance
Most people who you are targeting will still be seeing your ads
The bigger shift is actually the use of AI, not the new subscription model

Meta Expands Advertising on Threads

Meta has been testing ads on Threads for some time now, but the platform has now expanded Threads ads to all of its users globally. This is a major step in the platform’s monetisation strategy, giving businesses access to advertise on a new platform within the Meta ecosystem and allowing brands to reach audiences in a more conversational environment.

What Brands Should Take From This Update

CPMs will be initially lower
The platform will be a less crowded space to advertise
Opportunity to use the platform for learning rather than a revenue driver

It’s been a busy period for Meta, with a range of new updates and insights added to the platform. While features like Threads ads and subscription models are important developments, the biggest change for brands is in Meta’s focus on AI.

2026 Updates To Paid Social Click Attribution

Meta has tightened how click-through attribution is counted in Ads Manager. So what does this mean?

In simple terms, Meta is refining how it attributes conversions to ad clicks, making sure that reported results are accurately reflecting genuine user actions. This change has been put in place to reduce the chance of conversions being credited to ads when they may not have played a relevant role in the customer journey.