You need less than you may think. A first ad takes three things from Meta and four from you. Tick these off before you open Ads Manager, and the setup itself becomes a short job.
The checklist#
| You need | Required? | Why |
|---|---|---|
| A Facebook Page for the business | Yes | Meta says every advertiser needs a Page before they can advertise |
| An ad account | Yes | It holds your campaigns and is what Meta bills |
| A payment method | Yes | Meta says at least one valid payment option is essential to run ads |
| A professional Instagram account | Only for Instagram | Meta requires a business or creator account to advertise there |
| Three to five real photos | Yes, in practice | The ad needs something to show |
| Somewhere to send people | Yes | A web page, a form inside Facebook, a message or a call |
| A decision on what counts as a lead | Yes, in practice | Otherwise you cannot judge the result |
| A daily amount you can afford | Yes | It is the budget |
| A website | No | Forms, messages and calls work without one |
| The Meta pixel | Only with a website | It lets Meta see what people do on your site |
1. A Facebook Page#
The Page is the public face of your ad. The ad appears under its name and picture. If you only have a personal profile, create a Page for the business first. Give it a clear name, a profile picture, your area and a way to contact you. People tap through to check who you are.
2. An ad account#
The ad account is where campaigns live and where the bills go. Set it up in your own name, inside a business portfolio, which is Meta's container for a company's Pages and ad accounts. Choose the currency and time zone with care. Meta says changing the time zone later closes the ad account and creates a new one. See Business portfolio vs ad account vs Page.
If someone else will help you, add them to your account. Do not let them run your ads from theirs.
3. A payment method#
Add a card or another method Meta accepts. A failed payment pauses every ad and can disable the account until the balance is paid. See Facebook ads payment failed or on hold?.
4. Photos#
Use your own. Aim for three to five:
- the product or the finished job,
- the product in use, or you at work,
- one that shows the place or the scale.
Phone photos in daylight are fine.
5. Somewhere to send people#
Pick one.
- Your website, on the page about this exact product or service.
- A form inside Facebook or Instagram. Meta says these collect details without people leaving the app.
- A message to your inbox.
- A call to your phone.
Which to choose is covered in Lead form or your website?.
6. What counts as a lead#
Write it down before you start. "A form with a working phone number." "A message asking for a price." "An order." Likes and clicks do not count. Meta records many kinds of action, and if you do not choose, the numbers will flatter you.
7. A daily amount#
Decide what you can spend every day for a month without worrying. Then know three facts about how Meta treats it.
- A daily budget is an average. Meta says it may spend up to 75% over your daily budget on a given day, and no more than seven times the daily budget in a calendar week.
- There is a minimum. Meta says minimum budgets vary by country and objective, and Ads Manager warns you if you are below it.
- You can set a hard stop. An account spending limit is a cap you set on what the ad account can spend in total. When spending reaches it, your ads pause. It is not available if the account pays from prepaid funds.
How to choose the figure is in How much should you spend on Facebook ads?.
Do you need a website?#
No. A form, a message ad or a call ad needs no website. A simple page still helps, because people check who you are before they get in touch.
Do you need a pixel?#
Only if the ad sends people to your website. Meta describes the pixel as a piece of code you put on your site to measure the actions people take there. Without it, Meta cannot count enquiries made on your site. See What is the Meta pixel?.
What happens after you publish?#
Meta reviews the ad. It says most ads are reviewed within 24 hours. Then the ad starts to run, and the first week is uneven while Meta's system learns. Leave it alone for that week. See How long do Facebook ads take to work?.
What Madder needs from you#
Madder is an AI agent that does the setup for you on Facebook and Instagram. It shortens this list, and some items stay yours.
| Item | With Madder |
|---|---|
| Page, ad account, payment method | Still yours. You connect your own ad account through Meta's sign-in, and you pay Meta directly |
| Photos | Yours. You upload them to Madder and approve the ones an ad may use |
| Somewhere to send people | A page link. Madder reads it and sends the ads there |
| What counts as a lead | You confirm it once. Until then Madder shows no lead count |
| A daily amount | You give it, with the most you will pay per lead |
| The campaign and the ads | Madder drafts and builds them. After your approval it creates the campaign paused, and a second approval switches it on |
| The pixel | Madder can create it in your ad account. You add the code to your site |
Madder works with Meta only, and it aims a campaign at a whole country for now. It is in early access with a waitlist. See How Madder works and Describe what you promote.
Questions people ask#
What do I need to run Facebook ads?
A Facebook Page, an ad account and a payment method. You also need photos, somewhere to send people, and a daily budget.
Do I need a website to run Facebook ads?
No. Ads can open a form inside Facebook, start a message or dial your phone. A website is one option among four.
Do I need a Meta pixel before my first ad?
Only if your ad sends people to your website and you want enquiries there to be counted. Forms, messages and calls happen inside Meta's apps and need no code on a website.
Do I need a business account to run Facebook ads?
You need a Facebook Page and an ad account. For Instagram, Meta requires a professional account, which is a business or creator account.