Guide 3 of 5 in Level 4: Run it as an ad

How to create a Facebook ad campaign

To create a Facebook ad campaign with Blackbox (blackbox.plus), connect a Meta ad account to your brand, click + in the Inbox and choose New Campaign. It opens on your brand, in four steps. On Preset, pick what it should get you, such as Sell on the website, check that Meta Ads is on with your ad account, and choose the places, ages and interests it reaches. On Creative, add the ads: start a blank one, fill one from a finished Studio post, or use a live post so its likes and comments carry over. On Budget, enter one amount, for the whole run or a day, and the dates; Blackbox splits it across the ad sets. Review runs checks that block a campaign which would fail or waste money, and shows what the draft creates, all paused. Click Draft the campaign and a proposal lands in your brand's thread. Nothing is created until you approve it, and nothing spends until you start it.

You'll need
Time
About 10 minutes 12 steps Updated
You'll end with
A Meta campaign drafted as a proposal in your brand’s thread, ready to approve
Do it in Blackbox Open the Inbox, after you sign in
Example
A campaign planned in four steps, drafted as one proposal

How to create a Facebook ad campaign in Blackbox

  1. Step 1:Open New Campaign

    In the Inbox, click the + button, then New Campaign.

    You'll see: New campaign for your brand, on Preset.

    Open this in Blackbox

  2. Step 2:Pick a goal

    Under What it should get you, pick a goal such as Sell on the website, then click Continue.

    You'll see: Your goal under Gets you in the Summary.

  3. Step 3:Check where it runs

    Under Where it runs, check that Meta Ads is on with your ad account, then click Continue.

    You'll see: The ad account and its currency, with the campaign type under Runs as.

  4. Step 4:Choose who sees it

    Under Who should see it, set the Places and Age, and add any Interests.

    You'll see: Who it reaches under Who in the Summary.

  5. Step 5:Go to Creative

    Click Next: creatives.

    You'll see: Creatives, with a New button.

  6. Step 6:Add a Studio post

    Click New, then From a Studio post, and Use this post on the post you want.

    You'll see: The creative open on Copy, filled from the post.

  7. Step 7:Check the words

    On Copy, check the Main text, Headline and Landing page, then click Save.

    You'll see: The creative in the list, marked Ready and switched In campaign.

  8. Step 8:Set the budget

    Click Next: budget, pick Lifetime or Daily, and enter the amount.

    You'll see: What it spends a day on average and the results expected, under the amount.

  9. Step 9:Set the dates

    Under Duration, click Change and pick the first and last day, or a Length.

    You'll see: The first and last day the campaign runs.

  10. Step 10:Run the checks

    Click Next: review.

    You'll see: Ready to draft, or how many things to fix before drafting.

  11. Step 11:Fix what blocks

    Click the button beside each check marked Block, or go back to the step it names.

    You'll see: Ready to draft, and What the draft creates, marked All paused.

  12. Step 12:Draft it

    Click Draft the campaign.

    You'll see: Your brand’s thread, open on the Campaign proposal.

Good to know

  • Drafting creates nothing on Meta. Approving the proposal creates everything paused, and only Start spends — see Approve a campaign proposal and start it.
  • With more than one brand, Select a brand asks which one first.
  • It saves as you go. Close it, and the next New Campaign for the brand offers Continue it.
  • A new campaign runs 14 days, starting today, until you change the dates.
  • From a Studio post fills the creative from a finished post — copy, button, link and slides — and leaves the post as it is.
  • Use a live post runs the post itself, so its likes and comments carry over; its card is locked, with no words to edit. Blank opens on Setup, and ends with Add creative.
  • Write a creative once per language; it joins every ad set in that language. On Review, tap a cell under Which creative runs in which ad set to leave a creative out of one.
  • Where it goes, on Budget, splits the amount across the ad sets for you. Click Customize to set an ad set’s amount yourself; Unpin hands it back.
  • Budget shows the break-even per result from your order value and margin. Click Edit beside it to set them.
  • Advantage+ audience is off, so the places, ages and interests you set are who Meta shows the ads to.
  • Running a Studio post as a Meta ad? On its review, Run it on more channels opens New Campaign with the post as creative 1.

If something doesn't work

Select a brand says No brands with ads connected

Connect a Meta ad account under the brand on the Data page, then click + and New Campaign again.

I can’t switch on Meta Ads

Read the line under the row: it says why. If Meta Ads needs reconnecting, click its name to reconnect it on the Data page.

An ad account is greyed out

It bills in a different currency. A campaign runs in one currency, set by the first ad account you switch on.

The budget box is red

The amount is below what the ad sets need together. Click Meet every minimum to raise it, or turn an ad set off.

The button says Fix 2 first

Review found checks that would make the campaign fail or waste money. Click the button beside each one, or go back to the step it names and change it; the checks run again.

I’m worried drafting spends money

It doesn’t. Draft makes a proposal. Approving it creates everything paused, and nothing spends until you click Start ads.

Stuck at any step? Send us a message and we'll do it with you on a call. All of Level 4: Run it as an ad