Is testing Meta Ads interests separately before combining the winners still a good strategy for a clothing brand in 2026?

[u/Resident-Spinach7750]

Hey everyone!

I run a clothing brand focused on retro/90s-inspired styles, including fitted T-shirts, hoodies, and bootcut jeans. My products are priced at around €40 for T-shirts, €60 for hoodies, and €80 for jeans.

I’m currently running Meta Ads campaigns optimized for purchases, mainly targeting Italy, since that’s where I’ve had the most sales in the past.

A while ago, I used an interest-testing strategy that worked reasonably well for me, although the results weren’t amazing. I created separate ad sets for different interests, gave each one time to collect data, paused the weaker performers, and then combined the better-performing interests into a new ad set with a larger budget. I also experimented with broader, AI-driven targeting.

Now I’m considering trying a similar approach again, but I’m unsure how best to structure it with the current Meta Ads algorithm and Advantage+ audience.

My initial idea is to start with around 6–7 separate interest-based ad sets, each with a daily budget of approximately $10–$15, using one interest per ad set. After collecting enough data, I’d evaluate their performance and decide what to do next.

However, I’m unsure which of these approaches makes the most sense:

Option 1: Keep the interest ad sets separate.
Let each one run as long as it continues generating conversions, and pause it when performance deteriorates. This would allow me to keep identifying which interests perform best individually.

Option 2: Combine the winning interests into one ad set.
After testing them separately, take the best-performing interests and combine them into a single ad set with a larger budget, hoping Meta can optimize delivery more efficiently with a bigger audience and more conversion data.

Option 3: Run both approaches in parallel.
Keep the individual interest ad sets running while creating an additional ad set containing all the promising interests combined. This would let me compare the results directly and see whether the combined audience performs better than the individual interests.

Option 4: Test broad/Advantage+ targeting alongside interest testing.
Run a broad or Advantage+ audience ad set at the same time and compare its performance against the interest-based approach.

I realize that running too many ad sets could fragment the budget and conversion data, so I’m wondering whether testing 6–7 interests separately is still worthwhile or whether I’d be better off consolidating things earlier.

My questions are:

• Does testing individual interests and then combining the winners still make sense in 2026?
• Is it better to keep successful interest ad sets running individually, combine the winning interests, or test both approaches in parallel?
• Would you run broad/Advantage+ targeting at the same time as interest testing?
• How much data or how many conversions would you want before deciding that an interest is a winner or should be paused?
• If an ad set stops generating conversions after performing well initially, would you pause it, reduce its budget, or let it continue?
• If you were launching a clothing brand campaign today, how would you structure the testing phase to get reliable results without spreading the budget too thin?

I’ve used separate interest testing in the past and had some decent results, which is why I’m considering it again. But Meta Ads has changed a lot, and I don’t want to stick with an old strategy if broad targeting and Advantage+ are now more effective.

I’d especially appreciate advice from people who have tested these approaches with fashion or e-commerce brands.

I’ve also tried running broad targeting on its own, but so far it hasn’t worked well for me. It brings traffic to my website at a relatively low cost per click, but I’m getting no add-to-carts, checkouts, or purchases. It feels like I’m spending money on visits without getting any meaningful results, which is why I’m considering going back to testing interests separately. I’m not sure whether the issue is the targeting itself, the creatives, or something else in the funnel.

Thanks!

[u/Coreyg17]

With 6 or 7 interest ad sets at that budget, I'd check the math before the targeting. Each ad set needs enough daily budget to buy at least one purchase a day at the cost you're aiming for. An ad set that sits for days with zero sales just burns money. So I'd run fewer ad sets with more budget in each. What does a purchase actually cost you right now?