📰 Microsoft Advertising, Meta Ads, TikTok Ads and other platforms news

Optimization experiments now cover Search, Shopping, Audience and Performance Max campaigns, with a unified side-by-side results page to compare against the original setup and apply winning changes. LinkedIn company lists were also expanded from 1,000 to 10,000 names.

Meta now lets brands amplify a creator's live Instagram broadcast as a paid advertisement, extending a feature that already exists on Facebook to Instagram for the first time.

Reddit announced general availability of its Max campaigns, which automate targeting, creative selection and rotation, placements, and budget allocation, after testing them with a limited group of advertisers since January 2026.

For the first time, advertisers can see the overall health status of their campaigns directly in TikTok Ads Manager, labeled Good, Fair, or Poor, with clear guidance to improve and qualify for available coupons and incentives.

TikTok evolved its Agency Badging Program with a new two-tier model to highlight best-in-class agency performance.

Starting January 12, 2027, Microsoft Advertising will remove access to the MaxCpc field in the API for new campaigns and existing campaigns that do not currently use it. Advertisers relying on scripts, bulk uploads, or bid management tools using MaxCpc should review their setups ahead of the deadlin

TikTok updated its advertising policy for alcohol-related establishments to require approval and certification from local regulating authorities, and explicitly prohibited certain surgeries, including weight loss and aesthetic genital surgeries, in ads.

Microsoft has removed the limited release restriction for Excluded content terms within its Microsoft Advertising platform. Advertisers can now block ads from appearing alongside unwanted page titles by specifying up to 1,000 terms at account or campaign level. Campaign-level terms apply across all

Microsoft Advertising has updated its bid strategies to allow setting a maximum CPC for portfolio strategies. The prior restriction to campaign-level only configurations has been lifted, and the eligible strategies list has been removed. Previously, maximum CPC was limited to campaigns using Enhance

Meta and YouTube confirmed they will accept advertising for director Alex Gibney's upcoming Elon Musk documentary, following earlier reports that several social platforms had rejected the ads.

TikTok introduced a new Agentic Hub that automates reporting, audience management, and budget optimization via AI, alongside a Pulse Mentions feature, though rollout timing to all markets remains unclear.

Microsoft Advertising's recent API update introduces several enhancements, particularly for tool builders and script users. Among the changes, a new Search Term Landing Page Report has been added, providing deeper insights into ad performance. Additionally, the update allows for campaign-level devic

Meta introduced its official Ads CLI, a tool that enables system user token setup and campaign management commands, compatible with AI assistants like Claude Code or Codex.

Meta no longer requires matching Instagram and Threads usernames to run Threads ads, letting brands with no Instagram profile advertise directly on the platform.

Meta launched a new Creative Diversity rating inside Ads Manager that scores the creative variety of advertisers' campaigns.

Microsoft Advertising is testing Copilot Audience Generation, a new feature available in closed beta for Audience campaigns in the US, Canada, UK, and Australia. Advertisers can use natural language to describe their ideal customer, and Copilot will generate a custom AI-driven audience along with it.

TikTok unveiled expanded measurement and ad integrity solutions along with new advertiser controls, aiming to build a more transparent, measurable, and trusted advertising ecosystem.

Starting September 29, Meta made live video ads generally available on Instagram, allowing brands to sponsor creator livestreams as partnership ads.

Microsoft Advertising has launched a HubSpot integration designed to connect advertising activity with CRM data and enable closed-loop marketing. Advertisers can track, measure, optimize, and report on Microsoft Advertising activity directly within HubSpot, opening up several new possibilities for shared users.

Snapchat announced it will focus on AI-driven performance improvements and expanding native ad formats like Reminder Ads and Sponsored Snaps, amid stalled user growth in the US and EU.

The Microsoft Advertising API's GetEditorialReasonsByIds service now supports ImageAsset and TextAsset types alongside the existing Ad and Keyword entities. This lets advertisers programmatically retrieve disapproval reasons for these assets, improving workflows for managing Responsive Search Ads and other asset-based formats.

Snapchat, Pinterest and Reddit are leveraging AI tools to make ad buying easier for small and medium businesses, aiming to diversify revenue beyond major brand budgets.

Reddit introduced a Split Testing feature in Ads Manager offering five test types, including Max-vs-standard campaign comparisons, to optimize ad performance.

Meta released its own first-party MCP (Model Context Protocol) server for ads, enabling AI agents to connect directly to ad account management.

Microsoft Advertising has expanded its Customer Match partner list to include several new customer data platforms (CDPs), effectively doubling the number of available partners to 20 and giving advertisers more options for syncing customer data. New additions include Adobe Real-Time CDP, among others.

Starting October 1, 2026, new non-portfolio campaigns using Maximize Conversions, Maximize Conversion Value, or Maximize Clicks will lose the Max CPC cap option, while campaigns created before that date keep the setting.

Meta introduced Meta One on September 15, a four-tier paid subscription that gates previously free features like Competitive Insights and Custom Audience Insights, available across Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp and Meta AI.

Microsoft emailed advertisers notifying them that Microsoft Advertising will update UTM auto-tagging beginning on September 2, 2026, to improve how campaign performance is measured in third-party analytics platforms like GA4. Format-specific UTM tags will be applied automatically, with no action required from advertisers.

Snapchat introduced Total Snap Takeovers, a format placing brands in the first ad slot across all app tabs, and opened its ads platform to third-party AI agents via its own MCP server.

Microsoft Advertising has published a dedicated help page outlining transparency rules for AI-generated and synthetic content. Advertisers are now required to disclose AI use in their ads, preserve metadata, and avoid deepfakes in order to maintain consumer trust. Read the official announcement, spotted by Hana Ko.

TikTok continues strengthening requirements for brands and agencies to operate from a verified, official presence on the platform, expanding formal agency recognition based on managed spend.

Microsoft introduced Curate, a tool that helps publishers and data owners turn proprietary assets into scalable revenue through programmatic curation, announced on September 10, 2026.

Meta's Marketing API v24.0 sunsets on October 6, 2026, and on October 27 the v26.0 field removals extend to all remaining API versions, affecting developers and integration tools.

Microsoft sent emails confirming that Max CPC will no longer be available when creating new non-portfolio campaigns using Maximize Conversions, Maximize Conversion Value, or Maximize Clicks after October 1, 2026; existing and portfolio-strategy campaigns keep the setting.

X is rolling out a new ad platform that consolidates campaign objectives and standardizes structure, including ad-group-level budgets and simplified optimization options.

Starting Oct. 1, Microsoft Advertising will stop allowing advertisers to set Max CPC limits on new campaigns using several standalone automated bidding strategies. Existing campaigns with Max CPC won't immediately lose it, but removing it after that date will be irreversible.

Starting October 1, Microsoft will remove the Max CPC setting from new campaigns using Maximize Conversions, Maximize Conversion Value, or Maximize Clicks, pushing advertisers toward budget and CPA/ROAS-based controls instead. Existing campaigns created before that date will keep the setting.

Microsoft Advertising has published its 2026 Holiday Playbook, outlining six key global trends advertisers need to keep on their radar heading into the holiday season. The guide puts a strong focus on AI's growing influence on shopping behavior, with 76% of U.S. shoppers saying they plan to use AI to help with their holiday purchases.

Microsoft Advertising has rolled out new average target metrics to help advertisers track performance more accurately as their targets shift over time. These metrics are now available in the Campaign overview, Campaign grid, and portfolio bid strategies, giving advertisers a cleaner way to analyze trends and measure results against fluctuating goals.

TikTok struck a first-of-its-kind IP licensing deal with Disney that turns fan content into a formal distribution channel, amid a month of major regulatory and platform shifts.

Reddit introduced a new 15-second Engaged Video Views optimization goal that lifted view-through rates by 51% and completion rates by 71% in alpha testing, suited for trailers and testimonials.

Microsoft Advertising is rolling out a Dual-ID requirement to strengthen account security when linking accounts. Advertisers managing multiple accounts will now need to provide two identifiers instead of one. For Manager account (CID) linking, both identifiers must be included to complete the process — reducing the risk of unauthorized account access.

Microsoft has updated its advertising guidelines for the Xbox Dash placement within the Microsoft Audience Network. The revised rules significantly expand the list of prohibited ad categories — including credit cards and other sensitive verticals — and introduce new requirements specifically for non-endemic campaigns running on the placement.

Pacvue, a commerce operating system for retail media, integrated Reddit Ads in 2026 so brands can buy and track campaigns alongside more than one hundred retail media networks like Amazon and Walmart.

Meta announced new AI-powered tools to boost purchases from livestreams working with platforms like CommentSold and Firework, and rolled out 'Post-view ads,' a new ad format for Instagram Reels.

Microsoft Advertising unveiled the finalists for its annual Partner Awards across multiple global regions, recognizing innovation and client impact within its partner ecosystem.

Microsoft Advertising unveiled the finalists for its 2026 Partner Awards, recognizing achievements, innovation and client impact across its North American partner ecosystem.

TikTok Ads introduced Mini Series, an in-app episodic storytelling feature for brands and marketers, paired with Growth Max to amplify automated ad performance.

TikTok published its ad policy change log updated through September 2026, with accumulated modifications across categories like financial services, alcohol, prediction markets, and adult content.

Reddit launched Max campaigns on a limited basis in January 2026 and, after encouraging initial results, opened them to all advertisers in September 2026; the tool automates nearly the entire ad creation process.

TikTok introduced Growth Max: Mini Games, a new way to promote games directly within the app, letting users engage without ever leaving TikTok.

Meta now allows advertisers to build custom audiences specifically for excluding groups such as existing customers or opted-out users, helping avoid wasted budget on unwanted audiences.

TikTok announced an update to its Financial Services ad policy allowing Contracts for Difference (CFD) ads in Canada and the United States, subject to strict compliance and prior approval from a TikTok sales representative.

TikTok announced that SMB advertisers can now choose full, partial, or manual automation control over audience, budget, placements, and catalog within Smart+, with new visual labels in the interface.