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How to Create and Post Meta Ads (Beginner-Friendly A–Z Guide)

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Md Abdul Hakim Miah
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1) What you’re about to do

Meta Ads are the ads you see on Facebook, Instagram, Messenger, and Audience Network. In this guide, we’ll go from zero to published ad, step by step. No jargon. No rush. I’ll tell you exactly where to click, what to type, and why it matters.

What you need:

  • A personal Facebook account you can log in to
  • A Facebook Page (we’ll create one if you don’t have it)
  • (Optional) An Instagram account for your business
  • A payment method (card/PayPal; you’ll add this later)

2) Step 1: Create your Meta Business account

  1. Open your browser and go to business.facebook.com.
  2. Click Create an account (top-right).
  3. A small window appears. Type your Business name (use your brand name), your Name, and Business email → click Submit.
  4. Check your email inbox and verify if Meta asks.
  5. You’ll land in Meta Business Suite (sometimes called Business Manager). That’s your control room.

Why this matters: This separates your business assets (Pages, ad accounts, pixels) from your personal profile.

3) Step 2: Create your Facebook Page (skip if you already have one)

  1. Inside Business Suite, look at the left menu. Click All tools → Pages.
  2. Click Create a new Page.
  3. Page name: your brand or company name.
  4. Category: start typing and pick something close (e.g., Consulting Agency, Aerospace Company, Business Service).
  5. Description: one or two friendly lines about what you do.
  6. Click Create Page.
  7. Add a Profile picture (logo works best) and a Cover photo (clean, branded image).
  8. Click Save.

Quick tip: Keep visuals clean and readable. Your Page is the face of your ads.

4) Step 3: Open Ads Manager (the real ad builder)

  1. In Business Suite left menu, click All tools.
  2. Under Advertise, click Ads Manager.
  3. You’ll see a dashboard with tabs like Campaigns, Ad Sets, and Ads (top left). That’s the 3-layer structure you’ll use.

Connect assets (once):

  • In All tools → Business settings (gear icon).
  • Accounts → Pages: make sure your Page is added.
  • Accounts → Instagram accounts: click Add, log in, and connect (optional but recommended).

5) Step 4: Add your payment method

  1. In Business settings (gear icon) → Payments (or Payment settings).
  2. Click Add payment method.
  3. Choose Credit/Debit card or PayPal (options vary by country).
  4. Billing country and Currency: pick what you actually want to pay in.
    • Note: After you start spending, you typically can’t change currency on that ad account. Choose carefully.
  5. Click Save.

6) Step 5: Understand the campaign structure (30-second analogy)

  • Campaign = your goal (e.g., Traffic, Leads).
  • Ad Set = your audience, placements, budget, schedule.
  • Ad = your creative (image/video), text, headline, button, link.

Think of it like: Big box (Campaign) → Medium box (Ad Set) → Small box (Ad).

7) Step 6: Create your first Campaign (choose your objective)

  1. In Ads Manager, make sure Campaigns tab is selected (left).
  2. Click the Create green button.
  3. Pick an Objective (start simple):
    • Traffic (send people to your website)
    • Engagement (more likes/comments/DMs)
    • Leads (collect info with forms or messages)
  4. Click Continue.
  5. Campaign name: something clear, e.g., Traffic – Website – Sep 2025.
  6. (Optional) A/B Test → you can leave off for now.
  7. (Optional) Advantage Campaign Budget → leave off as a beginner unless you have multiple Ad Sets.
  8. Click Next (bottom-right).

8) Step 7: Build your Ad Set (audience, placements, budget, schedule)

You’re now on the Ad Set screen.

A) Conversion location / Traffic destination

  • If you chose Traffic, select Website.

B) Ad Set name

  • Example: BD – 25-45 – Interests: Aviation, Airlines.

C) Page & Instagram

  • Make sure your Facebook Page is selected.
  • Connect Instagram account (optional) if you want ads to show on IG too.

D) Budget & Schedule

  1. Daily budget: start small. Example: BDT 125–575/day (or ~$1–$5).
  2. Schedule:
    • Start: today or tomorrow morning.
    • End: optional. Beginners often set an end date for control (e.g., 7 days).

E) Audience

  1. Locations: click the box → type your target (e.g., Bangladesh, Dhaka). You can include/exclude areas.
  2. Age: choose realistic age range (e.g., 18–55 for professional services).
  3. Gender: usually All unless you have a reason to narrow.
  4. Detailed targeting (Interests): click Edit → type interests related to your offer (e.g., Aviation, Airline, Aerospace engineering, Maintenance, repair and operations).
  5. Keep the audience size meter in the green (not too broad, not too narrow).

F) Placements

  • Choose Advantage+ placements (Recommended) if you’re new. Meta will auto-place on Facebook, Instagram, and more.
  • If manual, select Feeds, Stories, Reels as your core placements.

Click Next.

9) Step 8: Create your Ad (creative, text, link, CTA)

You’re now on the Ad screen.

A) Ad setup

  1. Ad name: e.g., Image v1 – Clean Headline.
  2. Ad type: select Single image or video (simple start).

B) Identity

  • Confirm the correct Facebook Page (and Instagram account if using IG).

C) Ad creative

  1. Click Add media → Add image (or Add video).
  2. Recommended sizes (beginner-friendly):
    • Square 1080 × 1080 for Feeds
    • Vertical 1080 × 1350 or 1080 × 1920 for Stories/Reels
  3. After upload, use the built-in Crop tool so it looks good in all placements.
  4. (Optional) Use the Video option if you have a short, clear clip (5–15 sec).

D) Primary text, Headline, Description

  • Primary text (above the image): 1–2 short sentences.
    • Example: “Need reliable aerospace parts and support? Get expert guidance from B M Aerospace — quick response, professional service.”
  • Headline (bold line below creative): keep it punchy.
    • Example: “Talk to an Aviation Consultant Today”
  • Description (optional, shows in some placements): short benefit.

E) Destination

  1. Website URL: paste your landing page (e.g., https://www.bm-aerospace.xyz).
  2. Call-to-Action button: pick one, e.g., Learn more, Contact us, or Sign up.
  3. (Optional) URL parameters: if you use analytics, click Build a URL parameter to add utm_source=facebook etc.

F) Preview

  • On the right, scroll through placements (Facebook Feed, Instagram Feed, Stories, Reels) to ensure everything looks clean (no cut-off text).

Click Publish (you can also Review first).

10) Step 9: Publish & review process

  • After Publish, your ad goes to In review.
  • Typical review: minutes to a few hours (sometimes up to 24 hours).
  • If approved, status changes to Active and it starts spending according to your schedule.

If rejected: Ads Manager will show a reason. Click the ad → See details → fix the issue (policy, text, image) → Resubmit.

11) Step 10: Track your results (what to watch)

Go to Ads Manager → select Campaigns / Ad Sets / Ads tab → look at the table.

Beginner metrics to watch:

  • Reach = how many people saw your ad
  • Clicks / Link clicks = how many clicked your link
  • CPC (cost per click) = total spend ÷ clicks
  • CTR (click-through rate) = clicks ÷ impressions (higher = better)
  • Results = depends on your objective (e.g., link clicks, leads)

To pause anything: toggle the switch off at Campaign/Ad Set/Ad level.

12) Pro tips for beginners

  • Start small with budget; learn first, scale later.
  • Use clear, bright visuals with a single message.
  • Keep Primary text short and benefit-driven.
  • One audience = one message. Don’t mix wildly different people in one Ad Set.
  • Try 2–3 ad variations (images/text) to see what works best.
  • Check mobile previews (most traffic is mobile).
  • Link test: click your own ad preview and confirm the page opens fast and correctly.

12.1 Common mistakes beginners make

  • Clicking Boost Post instead of using Ads Manager (less control, fewer options).
  • Targeting too broad (everyone in the country) or too narrow (only one tiny interest).
  • Forgetting to crop for Stories/Reels → text gets cut.
  • No clear CTA (people don’t know what to do).
  • Broken links or slow landing pages (people leave).
  • Setting a budget with no end date and forgetting to pause.
  • Choosing the wrong objective (e.g., Engagement when you actually want Website Traffic).
  • Pixel/conversions not set up when you want sales tracking (okay to skip at the very start, but add later).

12.2 FAQ (quick answers)

Q1: Do I need a credit card?
You need a valid payment method supported by Meta in your country (often credit/debit card; sometimes PayPal). Add it in Payment settings.

Q2: How much should I spend to start?
Try a small test like BDT 300–500/day (or $5–$10). Run for 5–7 days, then adjust.

Q3: Can I run ads without a Facebook Page?
No. You need a Page. For Instagram-only ads, connecting an Instagram account is recommended.

Q4: My ad was rejected — what now?
Open the ad → See details → read the policy reason → edit the creative/text/targeting → Resubmit.

Q5: Can I change currency later?
After you start spending, generally no. If you need a different currency, create a new ad account before spending.

Q6: How do I stop the ad?
In Ads Manager, toggle the switch off at Campaign/Ad Set/Ad level. You can restart anytime.

Q7: Where do I download invoices?
Go to Billing (in Ads Manager) → pick the date range → download invoices/receipts.

13) Conclusion — you did it ✅

You just built your first Meta Ad from scratch. Keep experimenting: try a new image, a shorter headline, or a different audience. Small tweaks add up.

Abdul (Md Abdul Hakim Miah) — President/Owner, B M Aerospace
Helping suppliers and airlines connect with clarity and professionalism.

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