Same Image Repeats in Facebook Ads Boosted Posts

Same Image Repeats in Facebook Ads Boosted Posts

Info
If your Facebook Ads report shows the same image over and over across different ads, and those ads are boosted Facebook Page posts, this article explains why it happens and how to display the correct image for each ad.

Symptom

In your Data Studio report, many different Facebook ads display the same image (often your Page's profile picture or logo), even though each ad has its own creative. The images usually look correct in the PMA Hub, but repeat in the report.

Cause

This happens when your ads are boosted Facebook Page posts. When you boost a Page post, Meta's Marketing API does not provide a separate creative image for each ad. Instead, it returns your Page's profile picture as the Thumbnail URL, and the Ad Creative Image field falls back to that same picture. As a result, every boosted-post ad resolves to the same image.

Ads that were built as new ad creatives (rather than boosted posts) are not affected and will show their correct images. This is a limitation of Meta's Marketing API, not a Power My Analytics issue, and it affects all marketing data connectors.

Notes
Switching to the Thumbnail URL field will not fix this, because for boosted posts that field is your Page's profile picture. Reconnecting the data source will not change it either.

How to Fix It: Blend In Your Facebook Insights Post Images

The correct image for each boosted post is available in the Facebook Insights connector, in the Posts table's Full Picture field. You can blend that image into your Facebook Ads report so each ad shows its real post image.

Prerequisites

  • A Facebook Insights data source connected in your Hub, with the relevant Page selected as an active account.
  • A Facebook Ads report in Data Studio.
If you do not have Facebook Insights connected yet, add it from Sources > + Add new source > Meta and select the Page whose posts you are advertising.

Steps

  1. Open your report in Data Studio and enter Edit mode.
  2. Select your Facebook Ads table, then in the Data panel choose Blend data.
  3. Add another data source and select your Facebook Insights source, using the Posts table.
  4. Configure the join as a left outer join with your Facebook Ads data on the left.
  5. Set the join key: Effective Object Story ID (Facebook Ads) = Post ID (Facebook Insights). Both use the same {pageID}_{postID} format, so they match exactly.
  6. From the Facebook Insights (Posts) source, add the Full Picture field to the blend.
  7. In your table, replace the Ad Creative Image (or Thumbnail URL) image field with Full Picture.

To Confirm It Worked

Each boosted-post ad in your table should now display its own post image instead of the repeated profile picture. If a row shows no image, that post may fall outside your report's date range or outside the most recent 100 posts that Facebook Insights returns; widen the date range or confirm the post is within the available window.

Still Seeing the Same Image?

  • Confirm the ads are boosted Page posts. If standard (non-boosted) image ads also repeat the same image, that is a different issue; please submit a ticket and our support team will be happy to help.
  • If every carousel ad shows the same generic placeholder image, your ads may be Advantage+ Catalog (Dynamic Product) Ads, which is a separate limitation. See the Advantage+ Catalog Ads section of Facebook Ads Data Connector Limitations.

    • Related Articles

    • Facebook Ads Data Connector Limitations

      This article covers the limitations, considerations, and workarounds for working with Facebook Ads data in Power My Analytics. For instructions on connecting your Facebook Ads account and creating reports, see the Facebook Ads Data Connector User ...

    • Facebook Ads Data Connector User Guide

      Facebook Ads is a powerful advertising platform that allows businesses to reach their target audience on Facebook, Instagram, and across the web. This guide will walk you through how to connect your Facebook Ads account to Power My Analytics, create ...

    • Troubleshooting Facebook Ads

      Meta's Facebook Ads API is complex and often difficult to work with due to continuous changes and little documentation or support. Here you will find the most up-to-date information we have to troubleshoot issues that arise while making Facebook Ads ...

    • Why Can't I Create Breakdowns by Objective in Facebook Ads?

      This article will help you learn to make breakdowns by Objective in Facebook Ads. Problem Breakdowns by Objective are available in Facebook Ad Manager, but they are not available in the API. Attempts to create a breakdown by objective will result in ...

    • Missing Sums on Facebook Ads Campaign Reports

      Facebook's attribution reporting has undergone some changes that may affect your reports. This article will help you understand how to compensate for new challenges with their API. This article will help you to resolve the following problem: You may ...