Table of Contents:
- The account spend limit has been reached
- Too narrow an audience
- The budget is too small
- Low manual marginal rate
- A lot of text in the image
- User complaints
- Little time to train the algorithm
Sometimes, after launching an ad on Facebook Ads, you may find that there are very few or no impressions at all. Let’s take a look at the main reasons why Facebook ads are not running.
Reason 1: the account spend limit has been reached
There is the maximum amount that an account can be spent on all campaigns. It should be installed to control advertising costs, but when it is reached its limit, the system stops showing.
If this happens, the system most often changes the status of the advertising campaign from “Active” to “Account error”. But sometimes, there is no such mark, and the campaign does not work for no apparent reason.
To check the cost limit and change it, go to the advertising account in the “Billing” section and select “Payment settings”. Then, next to the cost limit, click the menu and select “Change”. When you change your spending limit, your ad campaign will automatically resume impressions.
Another reason why ads won’t launch may be related to payment. For example, there was a technical glitch, or Facebook could not charge money for a previous advertising campaign from your card or PayPal.
Reason 2: too narrow an audience
This is one of the most common reasons why Facebook isn’t showing ads.
When setting up ads for ad groups, make sure your target audience isn’t too small. Look at the tips on the right on the coloured scale and the forecast of the results. To broaden your audience, try adding additional interests or removing overlap with other criteria.
Reason 3: the budget is too small
Advertising on Facebook, like in other social networks, is built on the principle of an auction: your ad competes with others for the attention of your target audience.
In some highly competitive topics, this attention is costly. And if, for example, you set a budget of 500 rubles per week for a group of three ads, and competitors spend tens of thousands of rubles a day, then your ad will not be able to compete.
Follow the prompts from the system when choosing budget options. If your campaign is already running and your Facebook ads aren’t working, try adjusting your budget and watching the dynamics.
Reason 4: low manual marginal rate
In addition to the previous point, there may be no impressions due to incorrect settings for the manual rate limit.
If you have been working with advertising in your field for several days, you probably know the market value of campaigns and the cost limit for the target action (referral/lead), then you can set a realistic bid.
If there is no such data yet or you are launching an advertisement for the first time, then we do not recommend enabling this parameter right away. It is better to install it later when statistics are collected.
Reason 5: a lot of text in the image
According to the Facebook Ads advertising network rules, the text in the ad should occupy no more than 20% of the image.
It is possible to upload an image exceeding this limit, but automatic algorithms will recognize this violation and lower the priority of such advertisements in the auction. If you upload such an image when setting up an ad, the system will warn you that there is a lot of text and offer to replace the image. The same will happen with low-quality images.
Reason 6: user complaints
If your ad evokes negative emotions and is often complained about, then this can lead to reduced impressions, a complete stop, and even blocking of both the ad and the entire campaign or ad account.
Reason 7: little time to train the algorithm
After you’ve launched campaigns and your ads have been moderated, Facebook’s algorithms begin to learn. This process can take up to 7 days.
During this period, you may notice fewer impressions than the system has calculated for your budget. Simply put, Facebook is not spending the allotted budget in the right amount.
Do not worry or change the settings until the algorithms are trained and the campaign status varies from “Training” to “Active”. Give the algorithm time to accelerate and optimize the campaign.
Now you know the seven main reasons why no ads are running on Facebook, and you can quickly fix the situation yourself without waiting for help from technical support.