How to Advertise on Facebook – Updated

** Article Updated June 2025**

Thinking about running Facebook or Instagram ads in 2025? You’re in the right place. This updated guide breaks down everything you need to know to advertise on Facebook using Meta Ads Manager, from setting up your business account and choosing the right objective, to defining your target audience, setting a budget, and tracking performance. We’ll walk you through the process step-by-step, with practical tips to help you launch effective ad campaigns that reach the right people on Facebook, Instagram, Messenger and beyond. Whether you’re brand new to Meta ads or just need a refresher, this article has you covered.

You’ve built a presence on Facebook (now under the Meta umbrella) and you’re ready to run ads, but where do you start? Meta Ads (formerly Facebook Ads) remain one of the most powerful online ad tools available, but with more choices, placements, and features than ever before, the learning curve can feel steep.

Don’t worry, we’re here to walk you through it. This updated guide breaks it down step-by-step so you can launch your campaign with confidence.

Why Advertise on Facebook & Instagram?

Facebook and Instagram are part of Meta’s advertising network, giving you access to billions of users across multiple platforms. In 2025, Meta reports over 3 billion monthly active users across Facebook, Instagram, Messenger, and the Audience Network. When you run ads through Meta, your content can be shown in feeds, Stories, Reels, Messenger inboxes, and even off-platform apps.

By linking your Instagram business account to your Meta Ads Manager, your ads can seamlessly appear on both Facebook and Instagram—doubling your reach.

 

Do You Have a Facebook Business Page?

Before you can advertise, you’ll need to make sure you’ve set up a Facebook Business Page. Ads can’t be run from personal accounts. Once that’s in place, we recommend using Meta’s Business Suite and Ads Manager to create and manage your ads. The Business Suite makes it easier to collaborate with a team, assign roles, and manage billing and performance from one place.

Once you’ve created your ad account, Ads Manager will guide you through the setup process step-by-step.

Start with a Clear Objective

Every campaign begins with a goal. Meta helps you define this by offering a list of marketing objectives when you first set up your ad. Whether you want to build brand awareness, drive traffic to your website, generate leads, or increase sales, selecting the right objective helps Meta optimise your ad for the best possible results.

Not sure which to choose? Each option includes a short description to help you decide. And don’t forget, you can also use “A/B testing” (or split testing) to run two versions of an ad with slight variations, like different images or headlines—to see which performs better. It’s one of the simplest ways to improve your results without spending more.

Define Your Audience

Once your objective is selected, the next step is to define who you want to see your ad. This is where Meta’s targeting really shines. You can narrow down your audience based on age, location, gender, interests, behaviours, and more. You can also upload contact lists to create custom audiences or retarget people who have already visited your website or interacted with your business online.

As you build your audience, you’ll see a helpful gauge to the right showing your potential reach. This helps you find the sweet spot between being too broad and too specific.

You’ll also be asked to choose your ad placements. While you can select placements manually (such as only on Instagram Reels or Facebook Stories), we recommend using Meta’s “Advantage+ Placements” when you’re just starting out. This automatically places your ad in the locations where it’s likely to perform best, based on your campaign goal.

Know Your Budget

Next, you’ll set your budget. Meta allows you to choose between a daily budget (how much you want to spend per day) or a lifetime budget (how much you want to spend for the entire duration of your campaign).

The minimum daily budget is still around $1 to $5, depending on your settings, which makes it easy to start small. If you’re unsure what to spend, starting with a low daily budget is a great way to test the waters and get a feel for what works. You can always scale up later.

Meta will never charge you more than the budget you set, and it works to spend your money efficiently across the campaign’s timeline. For example, some days may cost more than others, but overall it will average out to stay within your budget.

Schedule Your Campaign

You’ll also choose when your ad should run. You can start it right away and let it run continuously, or set a specific start and end date. We usually recommend setting an end date, especially for first-time campaigns. This gives you control over your budget and a clear window to measure performance.

Keep in mind that ads tend to lose effectiveness after about three weeks. That doesn’t mean your campaign has failed—it just means it’s time to refresh your visuals or messaging and try again with new creative.

Pick the Right Ad Format

Now comes the creative part—building your ad. Meta offers several formats, depending on your goal:

• Image: A single photo with text and a link.

• Video: Great for storytelling or demonstrating a product.

• Carousel: Lets you display up to 10 images or videos in a swipeable format.

• Collection: A featured image or video with a catalogue of products underneath.

• Stories and Reels: Full-screen vertical ads that appear in the Stories and Reels sections of Instagram and Facebook.

You don’t need a graphic designer to get starte, just make sure your images are high quality, sized correctly, and have minimal text. Ads with less text in the image tend to perform better and cost less to deliver.

Here are a few general design guidelines:

• Image size: 1200 x 628 pixels (landscape), or 1080 x 1080 pixels (square)

• Minimal image text for best results

• Keep ad copy short and clear, with a strong call to action

Meta also includes access to a free Shutterstock image library if you don’t have your own visuals yet.

There are three text fields in most ads: the main text, headline, and link description. You don’t have to use them all, but they can help explain your offer and prompt action. You can also add a CTA button like “Learn More,” “Sign Up,” or “Shop Now” to encourage clicks.

Add a Meta Pixel (Optional but Powerful)

If you have a website, installing the Meta Pixel is a smart move. It’s a small piece of code that helps you track what people do after clicking your ad—like signing up, purchasing a product, or visiting specific pages. This lets you measure your ROI more accurately, retarget visitors with future ads, and optimise campaigns for conversions.

Setting up the Pixel is easy on most platforms like Shopify or WordPress, and Meta provides step-by-step guidance.

Preview and Launch Your Ad

Before you hit publish, Ads Manager shows you a real-time preview of what your ad will look like across platforms. Take a moment to scroll through the previews and make sure everything looks good on desktop, mobile, Stories, and Instagram.

Once you’re happy, submit your ad for review. Meta typically reviews ads within a few hours, and once approved, your campaign will start running based on the schedule you selected.

Track Your Results

After your ad goes live, you’ll want to track how it’s doing. Meta’s Ads Manager offers detailed analytics on reach, engagement, conversions, and more. You can break down performance by age, gender, device, or placement to learn which parts of your campaign worked best.

This data isn’t just for show—it’s your key to building better ads. Use what you learn to tweak your next campaign, try new creative, or test a different audience.

Need help getting started? Whether you’re brand new to Meta advertising or looking to refine your campaigns, we’re here to support you. Get in touch—we’ll help you build campaigns that deliver results without breaking the bank.