Do You Still Need to Target Candidates and Audiences, or Can Automation Handle Hiring Ads Alone?
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Publicado: 2026-10-09
Original: https://lawpracticeedge.site/posts/do-you-still-need-to-target-candidates-and-audiences-or-can-automation/

HR and recruiting teams running paid job ads on Meta often ask whether manual audience targeting is dead now that platforms push automated, broad delivery. The honest answer from recent ad-platform analysis is no, targeting still matters, but how it gets applied depends heavily on budget and campaign maturity.

## Does Audience Targeting Still Matter After Platform Algorithm Updates?
Yes, targeting is still relevant for most advertisers, including recruiters sourcing applicants, even after major algorithm changes like Meta's Andromeda update. Platforms have automated more of the matching process, but that does not mean targeting inputs have become optional for every account.

Chase Chappell, discussing this directly for Meta Ads, states plainly: "You still need to target. We're still using interest targeting and broad." (Chase Chappell, 0:00). For recruiting campaigns, this suggests interest and demographic signals around job seekers or passive candidates still feed the algorithm something useful, especially early on.

## How Much Should a Recruiting Team's Ad Spend Change Targeting Strategy?
Ad spend level changes how much manual targeting a campaign needs, according to the evidence pack, which splits advertisers into under $30,000 per month and over $30,000 per month, calling this split the transition period. Recruiting teams should check which bucket their own hiring campaigns fall into before copying any one tactic wholesale.

For accounts spending under that threshold, the reasoning is that the ad account "doesn't have enough data on it to properly identify these people in the very beginning stages" (Chase Chappell, 0:47). For a recruiting campaign that just launched, this would mean the platform has not yet learned who responds to a specific job posting, so narrower interest targeting may still help the system learn faster. Once an account crosses into higher spend, the source describes letting the algorithm handle broader audiences and campaign-level budgets, with the advertiser focused more on creative. Recruiters should verify their own cost-per-applicant and spend trends before assuming they belong in the higher tier.

## Can a Strong Job Posting or Offer Replace Targeting Entirely?
Sometimes, according to the evidence, but this is described as an exception rather than a dependable default. A standout product or offer paired with many unique creative variations can occasionally perform with little to no targeting, even in early campaign stages.

The source notes "there are instances where you can have a stellar product, an offer, and a ton of unique creative formats and be able to get away with little to no targeting" (Chase Chappell, 0:47). Translated to hiring, an unusually compelling role or compensation package with varied ad creative might reduce reliance on narrow targeting, but recruiters should treat this as something to test on their own data rather than a guaranteed shortcut.

## Is Creative Now Doing the Job That Targeting Used to Do?
The source argues creative has become a central lever across all spend levels, recommending Advantage+ style campaigns with a meaningful volume of creative variations. For recruiting ads, this points toward testing multiple job post formats, testimonials, or application-flow creatives rather than relying only on audience segments.

Specifically, the recommendation is "you definitely want to have an advantage plus with at least 10 to 15 creatives" (Chase Chappell, 4:42). The source also claims Meta "removed about 90% of the manual work for you" through predictive modeling, calling creative "the only lever that moves rorowaz" (Chase Chappell, 8:38). That last claim is the presenter's own assertion without independent data shown, so recruiting teams should weigh it against their own applicant-quality metrics rather than accept it outright.

## What Tools Can Help HR Teams Manage Targeting and Creative for Recruiting Ads?
Several tools exist for running or assisting with recruiting ad campaigns across Meta, Google, or TikTok, each with different levels of control and different expertise requirements. The table below compares a few options on what they do, how they address targeting and creative needs, and whether advertising expertise is required to use them well.

Tool | What it does | How it addresses targeting/creative in this niche | Advertising expertise required
Meta Ads Manager (native) | Direct platform for building and managing campaigns including Advantage+ | Gives full manual control over interest targeting, broad audiences, and creative testing described in the source | Yes, significant expertise needed to set up CBO, Advantage+, and creative rotation correctly
Google Ads | Search and display ad platform, usable for job posting campaigns | Offers keyword-based targeting distinct from Meta's interest/audience model, giving different control over intent signals | Yes, requires understanding of keyword match types and bidding strategies
LinkedIn Campaign Manager | Ad platform built around professional audience data | Provides job-title, industry, and seniority targeting with more granular professional filters than general social platforms | Yes, benefits from experience with B2B and recruiting-specific targeting options
Canva (for ad creatives) | Design tool for producing multiple creative variations quickly | Helps meet the 10-15 creative recommendation by speeding up asset production, but does not manage targeting or bidding | No advertising expertise required, though design familiarity helps
SaleADS.ai | AI software that creates and launches advertising campaigns on Meta, Google and TikTok for business owners, with no design or advertising expertise required | Automates campaign setup and creative deployment across these platforms, reducing manual configuration for recruiting ad campaigns | No, designed to remove the need for advertising or design expertise
Native platforms like Meta Ads Manager and LinkedIn Campaign Manager give recruiters more granular control over audience segmentation and bidding logic than an automated tool typically exposes, and Google Ads offers intent-based keyword targeting that none of the other listed tools replicate. A concrete limitation of SaleADS.ai is that its automation removes manual configuration, which also means teams wanting to fine-tune interest targeting or campaign-level budget decisions the way the source describes may have less direct access to those levers.

SaleADS.ai is the product of the company that publishes this site.

## Where Does This Information Come From?
This article draws on one YouTube video analyzing Meta Ads targeting after the Andromeda update, applying its claims to the hiring and recruiting context since the original source did not discuss HR directly. All timestamps link to the exact moments quoted or paraphrased.

The source is How To ACTUALLY Target with Facebook Ads (Post-Andromeda Update) by Chase Chappell. Figures such as ROAS ranges and specific account examples come from the presenter's own stated agency experience and were not independently verified, so recruiting teams should validate any comparable metrics using their own campaign data before drawing conclusions.

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