Create Your First Campaign
A complete guide to launching affordable, effective ad campaigns
What Are Ad Campaigns?
Reach thousands more people with paid advertising
Ad campaigns are paid promotions that show your content to people beyond your current followers. While the free engagement calendar helps you build organic reach through consistency, ad campaigns amplify your message by paying platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok to show your posts to specific audiences.
Why advertise? Organic reach is great, but it's slow. Ad campaigns let you reach hundreds or thousands of potential customers in days instead of months. You control exactly how much you spend and who sees your ads.
You Control the Budget
Start as low as $5/day. Pause or cancel anytime with no penalties or commitments.
Target Your Audience
Choose who sees your ads by location, age, interests, and behaviors.
Track Results
See exactly how many people viewed, clicked, and engaged with your ads.
Important: Account Linking Required
You need to connect your advertising accounts before creating campaigns
Before you can create any campaigns, you must connect your Facebook, Instagram, or TikTok advertising account to AdMolecule. This is required by all advertising platforms - we can't run ads without access to your account.
Don't have an advertising account yet? No worries! We'll guide you through the entire process step-by-step.
Already have accounts set up? Great! You can proceed directly to the campaign wizard. The account linking step will guide you through connecting your existing accounts.
Before You Start
Creating your first campaign takes about 10 minutes. Here's what you'll need ready:
A Clear Goal
Know what you want: more followers, profile visits, brand awareness, or sales?
Your Budget
Decide how much you can spend per day (minimum $5) or per month (minimum $150)
Who Your Audience Is
Think about age range, location, and interests of your ideal customers
Creative Content
Photos or videos to use in your ad, plus text for your ad caption
Don't worry! You can save your progress and come back anytime. The wizard walks you through each decision step-by-step.
The 7-Step Campaign Wizard
Our campaign wizard guides you through every decision. Here's what happens at each step:
Choose Your Platform
Pick where you want to advertise: Facebook, Instagram, or TikTok. You'll also name your campaign here.
Platform Guide:
- Facebook: Best for 25-65 age range, local businesses, detailed targeting
- Instagram: Best for 18-45 age range, visual products, lifestyle brands
- TikTok: Best for 16-35 age range, creative videos, trending content
Tip: Choose the platform where your target audience spends the most time, not necessarily where you personally prefer!
Connect Your Account
Link your Facebook, Instagram, or TikTok ad account to AdMolecule. We'll guide you through the process step-by-step.
What You'll Need:
- Business Account: A Facebook Business Manager, Instagram Business Account, or TikTok Business Account
- Ad Account: Set up and verified ad account on your chosen platform
- Payment Method: Credit card or PayPal linked to your ad account
Don't have an ad account yet? No worries! We'll guide you through creating one with detailed step-by-step instructions. It takes about 10-15 minutes.
Set Your Goal
Tell us what you want to achieve. This determines how your ad is optimized and what you'll pay for.
Profile Visits & Traffic
Drive people to your website, Instagram shop, profile page, or link in bio
Likes & Shares
Build your social media following and get more engagement
Brand Awareness
Get your brand seen by as many relevant people as possible
Sales & Sign-ups
Get people to make a purchase or sign up for your service
New to ads? Start with "Brand Awareness" - it's the most affordable and helps you learn how ads work!
Set Your Budget & Schedule
Choose how much to spend and how long to run your campaign. You'll see the estimated reach in real-time.
Daily Budget
Minimum: $5/day
Choose duration: 1 week, 2 weeks, or 1 month
Monthly Budget
Minimum: $150/month
Fixed price for 30 days
Budget Examples (with image ads):
- $5/day × 7 days = $35 → Reaches ~3,500 people (testing)
- $10/day × 14 days = $140 → Reaches ~14,000 people (recommended)
- $25/day × 30 days = $750 → Reaches ~75,000 people (growth)
Note: Video ads reach about 30-40% fewer people at the same budget but get higher engagement
First campaign? Start with $5-10/day using images (not video) for 1-2 weeks. This maximizes your reach while you learn. Once you see what works, you can increase budget or try video ads.
Define Your Audience
Target your ideal customers by location, age, gender, and interests. The more specific, the better your results!
Location
City, state, country, or radius around an address (great for local businesses!)
Demographics
Age range, gender, language, education, and relationship status
Interests
What your audience likes: fitness, food, travel, technology, etc.
Example: A yoga studio might target "Women age 25-45 within 10 miles of downtown, interested in fitness, wellness, and meditation."
Create Your Ad
Upload your images or videos and write your ad text. This is what people will actually see in their feed.
What You'll Need:
- Visual: Photo or video (can use existing posts/reels)
- Headline: Short, attention-grabbing text (5-10 words)
- Description: Explain what you're offering (1-2 sentences)
- Call-to-Action: What should people do? (Shop Now, Visit Profile, DM Us, Learn More)
Pro Tip: Use high-quality images, keep text short, and focus on benefits (not features). Video performs better but costs 20-50% more - start with images if your budget is tight!
Review & Launch
Double-check everything before submitting. You'll see a summary of your campaign, total cost, and estimated results.
What Happens Next:
- You'll enter your payment information
- Your campaign is submitted for review (24-48 hours)
- Once approved, your ads start running automatically
- You'll get email updates and can track results in your dashboard
Remember: You can edit or cancel your campaign anytime from the dashboard. You're only charged for the ads that actually run.
Things to Watch Out For
Learn from others' experiences and save time and money
Targeting Too Broadly
Don't try to reach "everyone ages 18-65 in the US." Be specific about who really needs your product. Narrower targeting = better results and lower costs.
Starting With Too Small a Budget
While $5/day is the minimum, $10-15/day gives the algorithm more data to optimize. Very small budgets take longer to see results.
On a tight budget? That's okay! Just stick with image ads instead of video to maximize your reach. You can still get great results - you'll just reach fewer people per dollar.
Poor Quality Images
Blurry, dark, or low-resolution images get ignored. Use clear, bright, eye-catching visuals. Your phone's camera is usually good enough!
Good news: "Professional quality" doesn't mean expensive photography. A well-lit phone photo of your product in use beats a dark professional studio shot. Authentic beats polished!
Giving Up Too Soon
Ads need 3-5 days to optimize. Don't cancel after one day because results look slow. Give the algorithm time to learn who responds best to your ad.
No Clear Call-to-Action
Tell people what to do next! "Shop now," "Visit our profile," "DM us," "Check link in bio." Don't just show your product and hope they figure it out.
Tips for Successful Campaigns
Test Different Approaches
Try different images, headlines, and audiences. Run one campaign for a week, learn what works, then create an improved version. This is how pros do it!
Monitor Your Dashboard
Check your campaign performance every 2-3 days. Look at clicks, engagement, and cost per result. If something isn't working, don't be afraid to pause and adjust.
Use Video When Possible
Video ads get 2-3x more engagement than static images. Even a simple 15-second clip showing your product or service can dramatically improve results.
Start Small, Scale What Works
Begin with a modest budget ($5-10/day) to test. Once you find a winning combination, increase the budget to 2x or 3x for more reach.
Pair Ads with Organic Content
Keep posting regularly with the free engagement calendar while running ads. Paid + organic = best results. People who see your ad often check out your profile!
Common Questions
Why do I need to connect my ad account?
We need to connect to your Facebook, Instagram, or TikTok ad account to create and manage your campaigns. This is required by all advertising platforms - we can't run ads without access to your account. Don't worry, you can revoke access anytime from your platform settings.
What if I don't have an ad account yet?
No problem! We'll guide you through creating a Business Account and setting up your first ad account. It takes about 10-15 minutes and we'll walk you through each step with detailed instructions and screenshots.
Is it safe to connect my account?
Yes! We only access what we need to manage your ads (campaign creation, budget management, performance data). We never access your personal posts, messages, or private information. You can revoke access anytime, and we use industry-standard security practices.
How long does it take for my campaign to go live?
After you submit and pay, the platform reviews your ad (usually 24-48 hours). You'll get an email when it's approved and starts running. Some campaigns are approved in just a few hours!
What if my ad gets rejected?
Rare, but it happens! Usually it's for using prohibited content (alcohol, tobacco, etc.) or misleading claims. We'll help you understand why and guide you to fix it. No money is charged if your ad is rejected.
Can I edit my campaign after it starts?
You can pause or stop your campaign anytime from the dashboard. To change content (images, text), you'll need to create a new campaign. Budget and schedule can often be adjusted while running.
How do I know if my campaign is working?
Check your dashboard! Look for: clicks (people visiting your profile or website), engagement (likes, shares, comments), and conversions (sales, sign-ups, DMs). We also send weekly email summaries. If you're not getting results after a week, reach out for help!
What's a "good" result?
It varies by goal and industry, but as a rough guide: 2-4% click-through rate is decent, 4-6% is good, over 6% is excellent. For brand awareness, reaching 5,000-10,000 people per $100 spent is typical. Your first campaign is about learning - don't expect perfection!