To launch Facebook ads through a Business Manager, you log in to the BM, create an ad account, add a payment method, connect a fan page, and then build the campaign, ad set and ad in Ads Manager. Below is each step in order, plus the mistakes that most often break a first launch.
When you get a fresh Business Manager, start with access. You'll receive login credentials and, if the BM comes with 2FA, the security key — it's worth checking what the BM listing tells you about the package before you log in. Log in through business.facebook.com from the same browser and IP you'll keep working from. If you run several accounts, give each one its own proxy so the platform can't easily link them.
Check what's already attached. A new BM might come empty or with a fan page and ad account ready. Open Business Settings and look under "Accounts" to see what you're working with. If there's nothing there, you'll need to create or link them before you can run ads.
Creating Your First Ad Account
Create the ad account in Business Settings: Accounts > Ad Accounts > Add, then choose "Create a New Ad Account." Name it clearly so you know what it's for later — the offer or geo works fine.
The system will ask for timezone and currency. Pick your timezone based on where you're running traffic, not where you physically are. Currency matters for billing, so choose what you'll be paying in.
If the new ad account gets a Policy or Risk restriction after you create it, that's not grounds for replacing the BM — the restriction comes from how the ad account is used. Follow the platform's rules from your very first ad.
Adding Payment and Understanding Limits
Add a card in the ad account's billing settings under Payment Methods — ads won't run without an active payment method.
Link a working card here and enter its details carefully. Facebook may ask you to confirm the card with an SMS code or a small test charge; wait until the payment method shows as active.
Your new ad account also starts with a spending limit set by Facebook. Ads stop when you hit it, and you can't raise it yourself — it grows with account age and history. Check it before launch.
One thing catches newcomers: the limit and your daily budget are different. Your daily budget is what you set per campaign. Your account limit is the ceiling for everything combined. If the limit is lower than your daily budget, ads pause once the account hits the limit.
Linking or Creating a Fan Page
You need a fan page because Facebook ads run on behalf of a page. If your BM came with one included, it's already linked — check under Accounts > Pages.
If there's no page, create one or link an existing page — or start with a BM with a fan page included. To create: Pages > Create New Page, then pick a category that fits your offer. Don't overthink the name at this stage — you can change it later.
To link an existing page: Pages > Add Page. You need admin access to that page; without it you can't run ads from it. Once linked, the page shows up in your BM, and you'll select it when you build the ad.
Building Your First Campaign
Open Ads Manager, click "Create" and pick the objective: Traffic if you're sending people to a landing page, or a conversion-focused objective such as Sales or Leads only if a pixel is tracking conversions on your site.
Name your campaign clearly. Include the offer name, geo or date so you can find it later in reports — something like "OFFER_NAME_GEO_DATE" works.
Choose your budget type: daily or lifetime. Daily is simpler for new accounts — Facebook spends up to your daily budget each day. Lifetime sets a total budget across a date range.
Start with a modest budget while you're learning, but not a token one — a tiny budget brings a handful of clicks and no usable data. Keep it below the account's spending limit.
Creating Your Ad Set
The ad set is the targeting layer: here you choose who sees the ad, where it shows and how the budget is spent. Name it clearly too — include audience details if you're testing several versions.
Pick your audience: a country (your geo), an age range and, if your offer is niche, interests. Avoid tiny audiences on a fresh account — Facebook needs volume to learn and optimize.
Set your placements. Choose "Automatic Placements" if you want Facebook to show your ads everywhere (Feed, Stories, Reels, Messenger). If you want to test a specific format first, pick "Manual Placements" and select just Feed or just Stories.
Keep the default lowest-cost bid strategy — Facebook optimizes to spend your budget as cheaply as possible. Don't touch bid caps or cost controls yet; let the system learn. If you didn't set the budget at the campaign level, set it here for each ad set.
Creating Your First Ad
The ad is the creative itself: pick your fan page, choose a format (single image, carousel, video), upload the creative, then add copy, a link and a button.
For your first ad, keep it simple: a single image or short video, clear copy and a direct call to action. Don't use creatives with watermarks or other brands' logos — such ads get rejected.
Add your landing page URL in the "Website URL" field and make sure it opens from the geo you're targeting. Keep the copy short and clear about what the user gets. Add a call-to-action button — "Learn More," "Shop Now" or "Sign Up," depending on your offer.
Review everything before you submit: audience, budget, creative, landing page, button. Typos and broken links kill performance.
Submitting and Monitoring
Click "Publish" and your ad goes to review, which usually takes from a few minutes to a few hours. Edits to the creative, copy or targeting send the ad back to the review queue, so leave it alone until it's approved.
If the ad is rejected, read the reason, fix the creative, copy or landing page and resubmit — there's no need to change the BM or ad account. If rejections keep coming, rethink the creative approach: the offer itself may not fit Facebook's policies.
Once approved, your ad goes live. If it isn't getting impressions, check the budget and the account limit, check whether the targeting is too narrow, and check that the landing page loads.
Watch impressions, clicks and cost per click. High impressions but zero clicks means your creative or copy isn't resonating. A high cost per click means your targeting or landing page needs work.
Common Mistakes on First Launch
Most failed first launches come down to the wrong objective, an audience that's too narrow, a token budget, a broken landing page, a missing payment method or an unchecked spending limit.
Wrong objective. Pick "Traffic" if you just want clicks to your page. Pick a conversion objective only if you've set up a pixel and conversion tracking works. Starting with the wrong one wastes your first budget.
Targeting too small. Very narrow audiences usually perform poorly on new accounts because Facebook doesn't have enough data to optimize.
Budget too low. A token daily budget gets you a few clicks and nothing else. Give the system enough room to test and learn.
Broken landing page. Always test your link before you launch. Click it yourself, check it loads, check forms work if you have them.
Forgetting the payment method. Without an active payment method, ads won't run. Add and confirm the card before you launch.
Not checking account limits. If your daily budget is higher than the account's spending limit, ads stop partway through the day.
Next Steps After Launch
Let the ad gather data before you change anything, then scale gradually. Facebook needs time to optimize, so don't overhaul targeting or landing pages early on; small budget tweaks are fine.
Once you have results, review them. If your cost per result is too high, test a new audience or creative. If it's working, raise the budget in small steps rather than doubling it overnight.
If a campaign won't start because of the BM or the card, contact our support — we'll check both. If the BM turns out to be invalid, it's replaced within 3 hours of your request. When you need another BM for future campaigns, you'll find them in the Business Managers section of the catalog.
Keep your BM and ad account details safe — you'll need them for every campaign going forward. Store your login and 2FA key somewhere secure.
FAQ
Do I need a fan page to run ads through Business Manager?
Yes. Facebook ads run on behalf of a page, so you need one linked to your BM with admin access. If the BM didn't come with a page, create one or add an existing page.
Why did my Facebook ads stop before spending the daily budget?
Most likely the ad account hit its spending limit. New accounts start with a limit set by Facebook that you can't raise yourself, so keep your daily budget below it.
Will the BM be replaced if the ad account gets a Policy or Risk restriction?
No. A Policy or Risk restriction after you create the ad account isn't grounds for replacement. The BM is replaced within 3 hours only if the BM itself turns out to be invalid.