Meta Ads Manager and Ads Reporting provide access to countless standard metrics. But there are times when the metric you need isn’t available, and a custom metricAdvertisers can create custom metrics that combine existing metrics with a mathematical formula. That formula can be based on Meta's current ads metrics, standard events, custom events, and custom conversions. More can be created using a formula that combines existing metrics.
In this post, let’s get you started with creating your own custom metrics…
Access Custom Metrics
Custom metrics can be used in either Ads Manager or Ads Reporting.
Within Ads Manager, click Customize Columns from the Columns dropdown menu.
If you’ve ever created custom metrics before, they will appear at the top. Otherwise, click the link next to the search bar to create a custom metric.
You’ll then see the following…
We’ll get to this in a moment. You can also access this from Ads Reporting.
From the pivot table on the right, select the Metrics tab. Scroll down to Custom Metrics, and you can click the button to create one.
The process of creating a custom metric will look the same, regardless of whether you’re in Ads Manager or Ads Reporting. The metrics that you create can be used from either location.
Create a Custom Metric
Now let’s create that custom metric.
This process uses formulas. All you need is some basic math knowledge to create a custom metric.
It could be as simple as Metric 1 + Metric 2 or a much more complicated mathematical formula like ((Metric 1 + Metric 2)/5)*Metric 3. Custom metric possibilities are limited by your own math skills and the metrics available.
To build your formula, you can simply type it out directly in the text field. When you start typing the name of a metric, the autocomplete will come up for you to select it.
You can also use the Select Metric drop-down menu to find what you want to use.
There are popular metrics at the top, followed by metrics grouped by category. As an example, here’s what you see for Performance.
In addition to Meta’s standard metrics, you can use standard events, custom events, and custom conversions.
After you create your formula, you’ll need to name the metric…
Select a format (don’t forget this!)…
Include an optional description…
And then determine who can use it. Options are only you or everyone who has access to the business.
Try Popular Formulas
On the right hand side, Meta includes several very basic formulas that you can use.
When you click any of these, the formula is automatically added to the text field. Here are examples…
ImpressionsImpressions are the number of times your ads were displayed to your target audience. Impressions aren't counted if it is detected they came from bots. More to 3-second video playsA 3-second video play is recorded when someone views a video for 3 seconds or views 97% of a video that is less than 3 seconds long. More rate
What percentage of impressions results in at least a 3-second video play?
Impressions to post engagements rate
What percentage of impressions results in some sort of engagement?
Link clicksThe link click metric measures all clicks on links that drive users to properties on and off of Facebook. More to landing page viewsLanding Page View is a Facebook ads metric that represents when people land on your destination URL after clicking a link in your ad. More rate
What percentage of link clicks results in a loaded landing page?
Video plays to link clicks rate
What percentage of video views results in people clicking links?
Link clicks to purchases rate
What percentage of link clicks turns into purchases? This is one way to measure Conversion Rate.
Other Examples
I have a collection of custom metrics that I use that range from the very basic to super complicated.
50% Scroll vs. Landing Page View
What percentage of landing page views results in a 50% scroll of the page? This requires a custom event.
Cost Per Video Plays at 95%
Amazingly, this metric doesn’t otherwise exist.
Website Engagement Score
This one is a bit over the top, but it attempts to weight the value of certain actions on my website (mostly custom eventsConversion events tracked by the pixel, app SDK, or API that are outside of standard events. These tend to be created to fit the publisher's needs when a pre-defined standard event will not. More).
There are several more, but most are only valuable for me because of the custom events that I use.
The need for custom metrics can come from the fact that a basic metric just doesn’t exist (like the Cost Per Video Plays at 95% metric). Or it could be something that’s much more customized to your own needs.
Formula Errors
The biggest issue I’ve had with custom metrics is that custom events can break the formulas. But, I believe I understand why — it’s due to the way that I name custom events.
Notice that all of my custom events that are multiple words and numbers include spaces in them.
This isn’t unique to custom events since you’ll see the same thing with standard events and other basic metrics.
If I try to create a formula based on a custom event that includes spaces in the name, I’ve seen one of two things happen. Either it breaks into multiple metrics or it looks like this…
In either case, the metric doesn’t calculate.
But, if I use a custom event without a space, it works as it should…
As I said, this bug is unique to custom events. If I use standard events (on the left) or even custom conversionsCustom conversions let you create rules for events or URLs so that you can better track and optimize for specific actions with Facebook ads. More (on the right) that have spaces, they work fine.
So, this bug is indeed unique to custom events. It’s also entirely possible that this isn’t a bug that impacts everyone, but it’s always been an issue for me.
There are two potential solutions:
- Create a custom conversion mapped to the custom event
- Stop adding spaces in your custom event names
Of course, the second option is fine going forward, but the first fixes events that you already have.
Meta also lists out several other potential formula errors that, frankly, I’ve never run into before. Some are basic math errors (dividing by zero), but I either don’t fully understand some of these errors or I just haven’t run into them. But, maybe you have…
- You need at least two metrics and one symbol in a formula.
- You need to ensure that all formulas follow a mathematical order from left to right, starting with brackets, order of powers or roots, division,
- multiplication, addition and subtraction.
- You cannot place two opening parentheses (( and two closing parentheses )) next to each other.
- You cannot use the parenthesis symbol after a number or another parenthesis.
- You cannot use the parenthesis symbol after another symbol.
- You cannot use another metric or closing parenthesis ) before a metric.
- You cannot place two symbols right next to each other.
- You cannot divide by zero.
Should You Use Custom Metrics?
I feel like the custom metrics feature is one that mostly goes unused, but that’s primarily because the typical advertiser doesn’t know that they exist. They may not be the secret to amazing ad performance, but they can simplify the interpretation of results.
You can get away with never using a custom metric. But, there’s also something kind of cool about creating metrics that you may be the only one who uses. You can create metrics that are unique to the things that you care about and measure performance.
Okay, look. I may just judge you if you never create a custom metric. Typically, it means that you care just a little bit more about measuring what’s important.
Your Turn
Do you use custom metrics? What are examples of some that you’ve created?
Let me know in the comments below!
