When you have a successful ad with high engagement, the last thing you want is to lose all your hard-earned likes, comments, and shares.
However, simple edits, like adding tracking parameters to the URL, can sometimes reset this social proof.
This guide will walk you through a manual process to update your ads safely.
We strongly advise against using our automated URL-updating tool until you have manually secured your most important ads.
Identifying At-Risk Ads
This issue most commonly affects ads that were created directly in Ads Manager and are not tied to a published page post.
In the Ad setup settings, you will see that the Use Existing Post option is available but has not been selected.
These are the ads that require the most care.
First and Foremost: Always Test on a Duplicate
Before you apply any changes to a live, high-performing ad, you must test the process.
The risk of losing your ad's engagement is real, and the responsibility for your ad account is yours.
Duplicate Your Ad: In Ads Manager, create an exact copy of the ad you wish to update.
Confirm Social Proof: Make sure the duplicated ad has carried over the likes and comments.
Perform the Update: Follow the steps below on the duplicated ad only.
If the social proof on the duplicate ad remains intact after the update, you can proceed with more confidence on your live ad.
If the social proof disappears at any point, discard the changes and follow the instructions in the next paragraph.
The Manual Update Process
Follow these steps to safely add your URL parameters while preserving engagement.
The required Funnelytics URL tracking parameters are:
fl_adsrc={{site_source_name}}&fl_adid={{ad.id}}
If you are already using parameters in your ads please remember to add an & at the end of your parameter string before adding the Funnelytics parameters you see above.
Example
Old setup
utm_source=meta&utm_medium=paid
New setup
utm_source=meta&utm_medium=paid&fl_adsrc={{site_source_name}}&fl_adid={{ad.id}}
Begin by editing the ad you want to update. Confirm that the social proof is visible in the ad preview.
In the ad preview panel, click the Share icon and select "View Facebook post with comments." This will open the specific ad post in a new tab. This proves the post exists, even if it's not on your main page timeline.
Return to the ad editor. At the top of the ad creative section, switch from creating an ad to "Use Existing Post."
The preview should reload, and you must verify that the social proof is still visible. By switching to an "Existing Post," you are locking in the engagement to that specific post ID.
Now, add your tracking code to the URL Parameters field.
Check the preview one last time. If the likes, comments, and shares are still showing, you are ready to publish.
Click Publish to save your changes.
If at any point during this process the social proof disappears in the preview window, DO NOT PUBLISH. Discard the draft and review the steps again.
What If I Lost My Social Proof by Accident?
If an ad was updated and its social proof was accidentally erased, you may be able to revert the change using the "Edit History" feature in Ads Manager.
In some cases, contacting Facebook Ads support with the specific Ad ID may be necessary to see if restoration is possible.