How to run Facebook ads for beginners: boost or Ads Manager, and how to set a budget

To run Facebook ads as a beginner, choose one goal, then choose how to buy the ad: Boost post on your Page is the simplest way, and Ads Manager gives you more options. Set a daily or lifetime budget, choose an audience, use one clear photo or video, and check the cost per result after a few days. Meta sells ads through an auction, so the price changes.

Published 19 October 2026 · Written by the Celebrity Assistant team

This guide is for artists, shops and small brands in Thailand who want to try Facebook ads, or who pressed Boost once and are not sure what they got for the money. That is a very common start, and it is completely normal. Everything below comes from Meta’s own help pages, so you can check each point yourself.

How do Facebook ads work?

When you run an ad, you pay Meta to show a post or a video to people who do not see it in their feed today. Meta says: “When you advertise on Meta, you decide how much you want to spend.” You set the budget, and Meta tries to get the best results for that budget.

Meta lists four main places to buy ads: your Facebook Page, your Instagram profile, Ads Manager and Meta Business Suite. Meta calls the Page “the simplest way to buy ads, but with fewer customization options than Ads Manager”. For a beginner, the real choice is usually between Boost post on your Page and Ads Manager.

Boost post or Ads Manager: what is the difference?

	Boost post on your Page	Ads Manager
Where you start	A post you already published on your Page	A new campaign, built step by step
What you choose	Goal, audience, duration, daily budget, placements and payment	The same, plus more options for campaigns, ad sets and budgets
Budget	A daily budget for the days you choose	Daily or lifetime budget, for the whole campaign or for each ad set
Where you see results	Ad Center on your Page, or Ads Manager	Ads Manager
Good for	Your first ads, and showing one good post to more people	Testing several ads, or when you want more control

Both ways use the same auction and the same ad rules. Start with Boost post if you have never run an ad. Move to Ads Manager when you want to compare two ads, or when you want to set a total budget for a longer campaign.

How to run Facebook ads for beginners, step by step

1. Choose one goal

Decide what you want people to do: send you a message, visit your website, watch a video, or follow your Page. When you boost a post, Meta asks you to choose a goal, or you can let Facebook choose one for you. One goal per ad makes the results much easier to read.

2. Choose one clear post or video

Pick a post that already did well with your followers, with a clear photo or a short video and a simple line of text. Meta says the winning ad in the auction depends partly on ad quality. Meta measures this with feedback from people, for example when they hide an ad, and with signs of low quality such as “withholding information, sensationalized language and engagement bait”. Meta also says that clickbait does not improve ad performance. Clear and honest text helps your ad.

3. Set your budget

You can choose a daily budget or a lifetime budget. They work in different ways:

• Daily budget: Meta calls it the average amount you want to spend each day. It is not a hard cap. On some days Meta may spend up to 75% more than your daily budget, and less on other days. Over a calendar week, from Sunday to Saturday, Meta will not spend more than 7 times your daily budget.
• Lifetime budget: the total amount for the whole campaign. Meta says lifetime budgets “are a hard cap, not an average”.
• Spending limits: you can also set a maximum for one campaign, or for your whole ad account.

One practical tip: Meta says that since February 2024, an Apple service fee of 30% may apply when you boost from the Facebook app on an iPhone or iPad. If you use an iPhone, it can be cheaper to boost from a computer.

4. Choose your audience

When you boost a post, you can choose an Advantage+ audience that Meta suggests, or make a new audience based on traits you choose. Start with the people who are most likely to care, for example people in the country or city where you play shows or deliver products. If your ad is about financial products, jobs, housing, social issues, elections or politics, Meta asks you to turn on Special Ad Category.

5. Choose how long the ad runs, then publish

Pick one of the suggested time frames or an end date, check your payment method and click Publish. Meta then reviews the ad. Meta says its review “starts automatically before ads begin running, and is typically completed within 24 hours”. If an ad is rejected, you can usually edit it and send it again, or ask for another review in Account Quality.

6. Read the results after a few days

Open the results in Ads Manager, or in Ad Center on your Page if you boosted from there. Look at four numbers: how many people saw the ad, how many clicked or sent a message, how much you spent, and the cost per result. Compare the cost per result between ads, then put more of your budget on the ad that works best.

How much do Facebook ads cost per day?

There is no fixed price, and we do not want to give you a number that may not be true for your ad. Meta shows ads through an auction. Each time there is a chance to show an ad to someone, the ad with the highest “total value” wins. Meta says that total value combines three things: your bid, the estimated chance that the person takes the action you want, and ad quality. An ad that is more useful to people can win against ads with higher bids. Meta also says these adjustments will not make it charge you more than your bid.

Before you publish, Meta shows an estimate of how many people your ad may reach for your budget. You can try different budgets and see the estimate change. Some types of advanced ads have a minimum spend, and Meta tells you about this when you create the ad. A simple way to start is a small budget for a few days, and then a decision based on the cost per result.

Ways to reach more people on Facebook compared

Way	Cost	Speed	What you do	What you get	Good for
Post and reply yourself	0 THB	Slow	Post every week and answer comments	Followers who know your work	Every Page
Boost post	You choose a daily budget	Fast while the ad runs	Choose a post, goal, audience and budget	New people see one post	Your first ads
Ads Manager	You choose a daily or lifetime budget	Fast while the ads run	Build a campaign and compare ads	More control and more ways to test	A launch, a show, or regular ads
An order from a growth service	Price shown before you pay	Spread over days	Send the link to your Page, no password	A Page that looks established to new visitors	A Page that looks smaller than your real fan base. Meta’s rules do not allow paid likes or follows.

We want to be clear about the last row. Ads are allowed on Facebook, and Meta reviews every ad against its Advertising Standards. Meta’s rules do not allow “selling, buying, or exchanging for engagement, such as likes, shares, views, follows”. An order from a growth service changes the numbers that new visitors see. The people who come back, comment and buy come from your posts and your ads.

If you do not want to wait, you can see our work on your own account first, with a free trial. Start the free trial

Common mistakes with Facebook ads, and what usually helps

• Boosting from an iPhone without knowing about the fee. The Apple service fee may add 30%. What usually helps instead: boost from a computer.
• Choosing a goal that does not match what you want. An ad for likes does not ask people to send a message. What usually helps instead: choose the goal that matches the action you want.
• Expecting the daily budget to be exact. Meta may spend up to 75% more on some days. What usually helps instead: use a lifetime budget or a spending limit if you need a firm limit.
• Using loud or unclear text. Meta counts sensational language and hidden information as low quality. What usually helps instead: say clearly what the post is and what people should do.
• Nobody answers the messages. An ad for messages only helps if someone replies. What usually helps instead: plan who answers before the ad starts.

Your next step on Facebook

You can run your first ad today with the steps above, and Meta’s help pages explain every setting. Please note that we do not run ads for you. Our work is growth for your Page and your posts. If you want more ideas without ads, our guide on how to get more Facebook Page followers explains the free steps.

If your Page looks smaller than the fan base you already have, our page about Facebook growth in Thailand shows what we add and the prices. You can try it first with our free trial, a small order on your own Page, with no card and no password. Meta’s published rules do not allow paid likes or follows, and we want you to know this before you decide. You are always welcome to ask us anything on LINE.

The shortcut: see it work on your own account first

Everything in this guide works, and it costs nothing. It also takes time, and that is completely normal.

If you want your account to look established sooner, we can help on TikTok, Instagram, Facebook and YouTube. The published rules of these platforms do not allow paid followers, likes or views, so we want you to know this before you decide. Nobody logs in to your account, and your order is private and confidential.

Try it first: our free trial is a small order on your own account, with no card and no password.

Start the free trial Free profile check

You are always welcome to ask us anything on LINE.