Guide 5 of 17 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, open Plan, click + on a day and choose Meta ads. Under Or skip the plans, pick a goal such as Sell on the website. On Preset, check that Meta Ads is on and choose the places, ages and interests. On Ad sets, keep the one ad set or add more to test. 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 on Plan's calendar. 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 on Plan’s calendar, ready to approve
Do it in Blackbox Open Plan, 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 Plan, click + on the day it starts, then Meta ads under Campaign.

    You'll see: What is this campaign for?, with goals to start from under it.

    Open this in Blackbox

  2. Step 2:Skip to a goal

    Under Or skip the plans, click a goal such as Sell on the website. To have it planned for you instead, describe it in the box.

    You'll see: Preset, with 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: ad sets, keep the one ad set (or add more), then 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: The Campaign proposal card beside the calendar.

Good to know

  • Two routes: describe the campaign in the box and get three plans to pick from, with the audiences, budget and stop rules worked out — see How to plan a Facebook ad campaign. Or skip the plans and set it up yourself, as here.
  • Drafting creates nothing on Meta. Approving the proposal creates everything paused, and only Start spends — see Approve a campaign proposal and start it.
  • Select a brand asks which one first. A client that was only a tag shows a Make this a brand notice on Data.
  • It saves as you go. Close it, and the next New Campaign for the brand offers Continue it. Delete draft, at the bottom, removes a draft you don’t want.
  • 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.
  • Ad sets, after Preset, starts with one ad set made from Who should see it. Add more to test audiences, cities, languages or retargeting against each other, each with its share of the budget, or click Suggest ad sets and the AI proposes them, each with its reason — see How to set up Facebook ad sets in one campaign.
  • Where it goes, on Budget, splits each ad set’s share across the channels for you. Click Customize to set an 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 an ad? Launch as ad, on the post, opens this same New Campaign with the post as creative 1 — see Turn an Instagram post into a Meta ad.
  • Competitors running now, on Preset, shows the ads your competitors run; From a competitor ad, on Creative, turns one into your own angle. To choose whose ads they are, see How to do competitor analysis.
  • Want sign-ups instead? Get leads with Native form puts Meta’s own form in the ad — see How to run Facebook lead ads and download the leads.

Official docs

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