Most advice about Facebook ads is written for people who spend hundreds of dollars a day. This is the small version. My first ad ran at $5 a day, and my first sale came two days after it went live.
Below is exactly what I did, what scared me and what I’d change if I started again tonight.
Why I tried ads, even though they scared me
When I ran my first ad, I was still home with my kids and had no income of my own. The thought of losing money on ads worried me a lot. I didn’t have followers to sell to, though, and an ad was the only way I could see to put my product in front of people who didn’t know me yet.
What helped me get past the fear was deciding on a maximum before I started. I told myself I’d see how far $100 goes, and then turn the ad off. Meta also lets you set an account spending limit, so your ads stop once you reach it. I set mine there too, so I knew I couldn’t go over it even by accident.
My first ad, exactly
- Format: a Reel that ran on both Instagram and Facebook
- Hook: “I didn’t know you could buy someone else’s product, rebrand it and start selling it as your own.”
- Goal: engagement and traffic
- Budget: $5 a day
- Countries: English-speaking countries, at least the US, the UK, Australia and New Zealand
- Targeting: I don’t remember every detail, but I think I left it broad
- Result: my first sale, $27, two days after the ad went live
I think the hook worked because it said something many people didn’t know was possible. It wasn’t selling the product yet. It made people curious enough to want to know more.
How to set up a small ad in Ads Manager
Use Meta Ads Manager instead of the “Boost” button. Boosting is quicker, but Ads Manager lets you choose your goal, your countries and your budget properly.
- Pick your best Reel. Use one that already does well without ads, because people are watching it to the end.
- Choose your goal. I used engagement and traffic. Traffic sends people to your link. If you have the Meta pixel on your sales page, a Sales goal is worth testing later, but you don’t need it for your first ad.
- Set a daily budget. $5 a day is enough to start. Set an account spending limit too, so you know your maximum.
- Choose your countries. I picked English-speaking countries.
- Keep the audience broad. At this budget, Meta’s system usually finds people better than a long list of interests.
- Use your existing Reel as the ad. Add the link to your sales page and a simple button, like “Learn more.”
- Publish it and leave it alone. More on that below.
The part that confused me
The first time, everything in Ads Manager confused me. I had no idea where to click or what each setting did, and I was afraid I’d do something wrong and waste the money.
If that’s you right now, it’s normal. You only need a handful of settings for your first ad: the goal, the budget, the countries and the ad itself. You can ignore almost everything else until you’ve run a few ads.
What I learned after my first ad
Don’t touch it for the first few days. When an ad starts, Meta’s system is still learning who to show it to. If you keep changing things, it has to start learning again. Give it a few days before you judge it.
The ad doesn’t work alone. My first sale wasn’t only the ad’s doing. The ad brought people in, and the sales page did the rest. If your page doesn’t clearly explain what the product is and who it’s for, no ad can fix that.
It’s a long game. Not every ad works, and that’s normal. Change one thing at a time, like the hook or the video, so you know what made the difference.
How much should you spend on Facebook ads at first?
Start with an amount you can lose without it keeping you up at night, and decide your maximum before you publish anything. For me, that was $5 a day with a $100 limit in total. A small budget won’t tell you everything, but it’s enough to learn how ads work and whether your hook and sales page connect.
This is what worked for me, not a promise of the same result. The good news is that you don’t need a big budget to find out.
FAQ
Can you run Facebook ads with $5 a day?
Yes. My first ad ran at $5 a day, and it brought my first sale two days later. A small budget is slower to learn from, but it’s a safe way to start.
Should I boost a post or use Ads Manager?
Use Ads Manager. Boosting is quick, but Ads Manager lets you choose your goal, countries and budget, and set a spending limit.
How long do ads take to work?
Give a new ad a few days before you judge it, because the system needs time to learn who to show it to. My first sale came after two days, but every ad is different.
Do I need followers to run ads?
No. I had fewer than 250 followers on Instagram when I made my first sale. Ads show your Reel to people who don’t follow you yet, which is exactly what you need when your account is small.
Where to start: the Daily Income Blueprint walks you through setting up your first ad with screenshots of every click, and it includes the $5/Day Ad Cheatsheet as a bonus. If you’re starting with a small account, read how to sell digital products with no followers, or start with my free guide No Face, No Following.
