How to Create a Campaign in Meta Ads Manager

Meta campaigns have 3 levels. The naming example in this guide uses September 2026 to show how a date can fit into a campaign name.

Meta's campaign creation flow may offer Advantage+ or Manual setup. The fields you see can vary by objective, account and destination.

1. Prepare Your Meta Advertising Account

Before you start, check that you have:

• A Meta advertising account
• A payment method
• Access to the correct Facebook Page
• A connected Instagram account if you plan to advertise on Instagram
• A working landing page, product page, lead form or app store listing
• Approved images or videos
• A conversion event, such as a purchase, registration, form submission or message

You also need the right permissions. Meta Page access can include permission to create, manage and delete ads through Ads Manager.

For a website campaign, check that the event you want to optimize for is available before launching. An ecommerce campaign will usually optimize for Purchase, for example, rather than a link click.

2. Choose the Campaign Objective

Open Ads Manager, select the correct ad account and click Create. Meta will then ask you to choose an objective.

Choose the objective based on the business result you want, not the format of the content you plan to advertise.

Meta uses campaign objectives to align ad delivery with the result you select. Its campaign guidance also lists objectives such as Awareness, Traffic, Sales and App promotion.

Which Objective Should You Choose?

• Choose Sales for online purchases, subscriptions or ecommerce conversions.
• Choose Leads for quote requests, consultations, applications or contact forms.
• Choose Traffic when the goal is landing-page visits or content consumption.
• Choose Engagement for messages, video views or social interactions.
• Choose App promotion for app installs or in-app activity.
• Choose Awareness when reach and brand exposure matter more than immediate action.

Do not use Traffic for a sales campaign just because clicks appear cheaper. Meta optimizes delivery according to the objective and performance goal you select.

3. Select Advantage+ or Manual Setup

After you choose an objective, Meta may offer Advantage+ or Manual setup.

Choose Advantage+ when you want Meta to automate more audience, placement, creative or budget decisions. Choose Manual when you need more control over targeting, placements, campaign structure or testing.

Advantage+ is often the easier starting point for a first campaign. Manual setup makes more sense when you need to:

• Test specific audiences separately
• Control the amount each ad set spends
• Exclude certain placements
• Follow strict geographic or compliance requirements
• Maintain a detailed testing structure

Meta's campaign documentation identifies Advantage+ and Manual campaigns as the two main setup paths in the current workflow.

4. Set Up the Campaign

At the campaign level:

1. Enter a clear campaign name.
2. Confirm the selected objective.
3. Select any applicable special ad category.
4. Choose campaign-level budget settings if Meta presents them.
5. Enable A/B testing only when you have a defined test.

A naming convention makes campaigns easier to find and compare. For example:

Sales | Website | Winter Jackets | US | September 2026

If you advertise housing, employment, credit, politics or another regulated category, select the relevant special ad category. This can limit the targeting options available to you.

5. Configure the Ad Set

The ad set controls the audience, conversion settings, budget, schedule and placements. Meta's advertising documentation also identifies targeting, budget and placements as core ad set settings.

Choose the Conversion Location

Depending on the objective, select where the desired result will happen:

• Website
• Instant form
• Messenger
• Instagram Direct
• WhatsApp
• Phone calls
• App
• Website and app, where available

For a website sales campaign, choose your website and select the event that represents success, such as Purchase. A service business might choose Leads with a website form, instant form, calls or messages.

Define the Audience

Set the audience according to your customer profile. Common settings include:

• Country, state, city or radius
• Age range
• Gender, where relevant
• Language
• Custom audiences
• Lookalike audiences
• Existing-customer exclusions

Avoid narrowing the audience without a clear reason. A small audience can limit delivery and reduce Meta's ability to find people likely to complete the selected action.

For a first campaign, use only the restrictions that matter. Adding too many interests and exclusions can make the results harder to interpret.

Set the Budget and Schedule

Choose one of these options:

• Daily budget, which sets an average amount for ongoing delivery
• Lifetime budget, which allocates a total amount across a defined schedule

Set a start date and, if needed, an end date. The budget should be large enough to generate data for the selected event. A campaign optimized for purchases generally needs more conversion volume than one optimized for impressions or clicks.

When you use multiple ad sets, campaign-level budget settings may let Meta shift spend between them. Use ad set budgets when you need tighter control over the amount each audience receives.

Select Placements

Meta may offer Advantage+ placements, which can show ads across eligible Facebook, Instagram, Messenger and Audience Network placements. Meta recommends Advantage+ placements in its Reels advertising guidance because the delivery system can distribute budget across available placements.

Use Advantage+ placements when:

• Your creative works across several formats
• You want Meta to find lower-cost opportunities
• You do not have enough data to assess individual placements

Use Manual placements when:

• Your creative works only in a specific format
• You need to exclude a placement
• The campaign has strict brand or inventory requirements
• You have placement-level performance data

For Instagram Reels, prepare vertical 9:16 video. Keep important text and branding inside the safe area. Meta recommends selecting Reels through Advantage+ placements or manually choosing Facebook and Instagram Reels.

6. Create the Ad

Move to the Ad level and complete the creative setup.

Choose the Ad Identity

Select:

• The Facebook Page
• The Instagram account
• Any other identity options shown for the selected placement

Choose the Ad Format

The available formats depend on the objective and campaign setup. Common options include:

• Single image
• Single video
• Carousel
• Collection
• Existing post or Reel

Choose Use existing post when you want to promote content that already has engagement. Choose Create ad when you need a new advertising variation.

Upload the Creative

Match the creative to the placements you selected:

• Square or landscape assets for feed placements
• Vertical 9:16 video for Stories and Reels
• A clear presentation of the product or service
• Text that is readable on a mobile screen
• Branding that appears early in the video

Meta's Reels guidance recommends vertical video with audio and keeping important creative elements inside the Reels safe zone.

Write the Ad Copy

Complete the fields that appear for your setup:

• Primary text
• Headline
• Description, where available
• Call-to-action button
• Website URL or selected destination

Keep the ad and landing page consistent. If the ad promises a discount, free consultation or specific product, make that offer visible after the click.

Add Tracking Parameters

Add UTM parameters if you use Google Analytics or another analytics platform. A basic structure is:

• utm_source=meta
• utm_medium=paid_social
• utm_campaign=campaign-name
• utm_content=ad-name

Use the same naming approach across Meta Ads Manager and your analytics platform so you can compare results.

7. Review the Campaign Before Publishing

Before selecting Publish, check:

• The correct ad account is selected
• The objective matches the desired result
• The conversion location is correct
• The correct conversion event is selected
• The audience location is accurate
• The budget and dates are correct
• The landing page works on mobile
• The Facebook Page and Instagram account are correct
• The call-to-action matches the offer
• The ad preview looks correct across placements
• The website URL contains the correct tracking parameters

Select Publish when the campaign is ready. Meta will process the campaign and show its delivery status in Ads Manager.

Recommended Starter Setups

Ecommerce Campaign

• Objective: Sales
• Conversion location: Website
• Performance goal: Purchase
• Audience: Broad or customer-informed audience
• Placements: Advantage+ placements
• Creative: Two or more image or video variations
• CTA: Shop Now or Learn More

Local Service Campaign

• Objective: Leads
• Conversion location: Instant form, website, calls or messages
• Audience: Service area by city or radius
• Creative: Explain the service, location and next step
• CTA: Get Quote, Contact Us or Book Now

App Acquisition Campaign

• Objective: App promotion
• Conversion location: App
• Performance goal: App install or an in-app event
• Creative: Demonstrate the app quickly
• CTA: Install Now or Download

Common Mistakes to Avoid

1. Choosing Traffic when you need purchases or leads

Meta will optimize for visits rather than the deeper business result.

1. Creating too many ad sets at launch

Splitting a small budget across several audiences can prevent each ad set from collecting useful data.

1. Using one creative for every placement

A landscape image may work in the feed but perform poorly in Stories or Reels.

1. Sending clicks to a slow or irrelevant page

The landing page should match the ad promise and work well on mobile.

1. Changing several settings at once

If you change the audience, creative, budget and objective together, you will not know what caused the performance change.

1. Ignoring the ad preview

Check how the headline, image, video, link and call-to-action appear before publishing.