How to set up your first Instagram ad campaign

Quick Answer

To set up your first Instagram ad campaign, open Meta Ads Manager, click Create, choose an objective such as Sales or Leads, set your budget and audience, then design your creative and publish. The whole process takes around 20 minutes for a basic campaign.

Step-by-Step Guide

1. Connect your Instagram account to Meta Business Suite

Go to business.facebook.com and log in with the personal Facebook profile that has admin rights to your Page. From the left menu, select Settings > Accounts > Instagram accounts and click Add. Sign in with your Instagram username and password and link it to the relevant Facebook Page.

2. Open Meta Ads Manager

Visit adsmanager.facebook.com and choose the correct ad account in the top-left selector. If you have not created an ad account yet, click Create new ad account and fill in your business name, time zone, and currency. UK users should set GBP and Europe/London.

3. Click Create

In the Campaigns tab, hit the green Create button. Meta will ask you to pick a campaign objective. For a first campaign, the safest options are:

Sales if you sell physical or digital products
Leads if you are collecting email addresses or demo requests
Engagement if you simply want more profile visits and follows

4. Configure your campaign settings

Name your campaign clearly, for example "IG-Test-01-Sales-UK". Toggle Advantage campaign budget off for your first run so that you can control spend at the ad set level. Skip A/B test for now.

5. Build your ad set

At the ad set level, choose:

Conversion location: Website (or App, Messenger, etc.)
Pixel: Select your Meta pixel and the conversion event (e.g. Purchase)
Budget: Start at GBP 10–20 per day
Schedule: Run continuously
Audience: Use Advantage+ audience or set a manual location, age, and one or two broad interests
Placements: Select Manual placements and tick only Instagram Feed, Reels, Stories, and Explore

6. Design your ad

At the ad level, choose your Facebook Page and the linked Instagram account. Pick Single image or video for your first ad. Upload a 9:16 vertical video or a 1:1 square image. Write a primary text under 125 characters, a headline under 40 characters, and pick a CTA button such as Shop Now or Sign Up. Paste your destination URL.

7. Review and publish

Click Publish. Meta will review your ad in 15 minutes to 24 hours. Once approved, monitor performance daily for the first 72 hours and avoid making changes during the learning phase.

FAQs

How much should I spend on my first campaign? Start at GBP 10–20 per day. This gives Meta enough data to learn without burning through your budget.

Do I need a Facebook Page to advertise on Instagram? Yes. Every Instagram ad must be linked to a Facebook Page through Meta Business Suite.

How long until my ad is approved? Usually 15 minutes, occasionally up to 24 hours. Avoid prohibited content and personal claims to speed it up.

Can I edit a campaign after it goes live? Yes, but avoid changes during the first 50 conversions or you will reset the learning phase.

Why is my ad not delivering? Usually a tight audience, low budget, or rejected creative. Check the Delivery column for warnings.

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