“Hello? Is This Thing On? “
Advertising on Facebook
So, I did a thing.
Another thing actually as so far I’ve done these ‘things’ a few times with the same result.
I made another Facebook ad.
A gorgeous one.
A masterpiece that could hang in the Louvre—or at least on your Nana’s fridge.
It has some of my best photos, less is more text, and the sort of design’ that would have made Don Draper (Mad Men) proud.
I hit “Publish,” leaned back, and waited for the tidal wave of clients to come knocking.
And waited.
And waited…and then I heard it…
The sound of a single cricket slowly dragging a violin bow across its leg in a dusty corner of the internet.
Apparently, the only creatures who saw my advert were those crickets, and clearly they’re not big on booking photo sessions.
Despite having large families.
Do you know how humbling it is to realize that my cat’s meme post from 2012 still gets more likes than my professional advertising campaign in 2025? Somewhere, Mark Zuckerberg is laughing and rolling in a swimming pool filled with my ad budget.
I even tried targeting—mums, dads, families, people with faces (you know, the ones I’d like to photograph) and, of course, pets.
Still… nothing.
It’s not that I don’t believe in my work. I do. I believe my photos can make your child look like a Princess - or Prince or at least like you remembered to brush their hair that morning.
But apparently, Facebook believes you’d rather see an ad for Cat Butt Tissue holders that fart out clouds of tissues.
(True story—I clicked. They’re now in my cart.)
Meanwhile, my ad is proudly burning through my budget like my cat through a box of Temptations.
Facebook kindly informed me that “2 people liked your ad.”
Spoiler: one was me, the other was my best friend.
Cheers for that.
I am starting to wonder—are people even seeing adverts anymore? Or do we all scroll past them like we dodge eye contact with that overly enthusiastic car window washer guy at the red light?
Here’s the truth that is finally dawning on me: Facebook ads are like throwing a flyer into a hurricane. Sure, it’s out there. But has it landed yet? Probably not.
So here I am, a photographer with a brilliant Facebook ad… invisible to the world.
But maybe that’s the lesson: no ad can compete with good old-fashioned word of mouth. And hey, unlike Facebook ads, at least your friends won’t charge you $10 a click to tell the world how great you are.
Until then, I’ll just be here, refreshing my ad stats, listening to crickets, and wondering if I should start photographing insects.
They seem to be the only ones responding.
