5 Things I Wish I Knew Before Running My First Facebook Ad

Let me save you some pain.

I wasted money learning Facebook ads the hard way. Made mistakes. Got frustrated. Almost gave up.

But I figured it out eventually. And now I want to share the lessons that would have saved me thousands of dollars and countless headaches.

If you're about to run your first Facebook ad, read this first.

1. Your First Ad Will Probably Suck (And That's Fine)

I spent three weeks planning my first ad. Made it perfect. Tested the link seventeen times. Chose the absolute best image.

Then I launched it.

It flopped. Barely anyone clicked. The few who did didn't buy anything.

I was crushed. Thought Facebook ads were a scam.

Here's what I didn't know: everyone's first ad performs badly. Even experts. Even people who write courses about Facebook ads.

Your first ad is a learning experience, not a profit machine.

What I wish I'd done differently:

Spent one day creating the ad, not three weeks. Launched it. Gathered data for a week. Then created a better version 2.

Perfection doesn't exist in Facebook ads. Progress does.

Your takeaway: Don't overthink your first ad. Make it good enough, launch it, and learn. Your tenth ad will be way better than your first. But you have to create the first one to get there.

2. Facebook Needs Time to Figure Things Out

I checked my ad performance every hour on day one.

"Why isn't this working yet??"

I made changes after six hours. Different image. New copy. Changed the audience.

Terrible idea.

Facebook has a "learning phase." When you first launch an ad, the algorithm is testing it with different people. Figuring out who responds best.

This takes time. Usually 3-5 days minimum.

Every time you change something, the learning phase restarts.

I kept restarting the learning phase without realizing it. My ad never had a chance to succeed.

What I wish I'd done differently:

Set it and forget it for at least 5 days. No changes. No panic adjustments. Just let it run.

Your takeaway: Give your ad at least one week before judging it. Don't make changes in the first few days unless something is seriously broken (like your link doesn't work).

Be patient. I know it's hard. But patience pays off.

3. Targeting Everyone Means Reaching No One

My first ad targeted "everyone in the United States, ages 18-65+."

I thought: more people seeing my ad means more customers, right?

Wrong.

When you target everyone, your ad tries to be relevant to everyone. Which means it's not really relevant to anyone.

Plus, Facebook charges you more when your targeting is too broad. Your ad competes in a massive auction.

My second ad targeted "women ages 28-45, interested in home organization, living within 25 miles of my store."

That ad performed 10x better. Same product. Same offer. Just better targeting.

What I wish I'd done differently:

Started narrow. Really thought about who my ideal customer is. What they care about. Where they live. What they're interested in.

Targeted 50,000-200,000 people max for my first campaign.

Your takeaway: Narrow targeting feels scary. You think you're leaving money on the table. But specific targeting is how you find people who actually care about what you're selling.

Start narrow. You can always expand later if needed.

4. You Need More Than One Ad Running

I created one ad. Put all my budget into it. Waited for magic.

No magic happened.

Here's what successful advertisers do: they test multiple ads at the same time.

Different images. Different headlines. Different offers. All running simultaneously.

Facebook figures out which one works best and shows that one more often.

I was putting all my eggs in one basket. If that basket had a bad image or weak copy, I was stuck.

What I wish I'd done differently:

Created 3-4 different ad variations from the start. Same audience, but different creative.

Ad 1: Image of product, "Get 20% off" headline
Ad 2: Image of happy customer, "Join 500+ happy customers" headline
Ad 3: Video showing product in use, "See how it works" headline
Ad 4: Different product angle, "Solve [problem] in 5 minutes" headline

Let them compete. See which wins.

Your takeaway: Always test at least 2-3 variations of your ad. Change the image or the headline, but test multiple options.

You never know what will resonate. Let the data tell you.

5. Facebook Ads Are Just the First Step

This was my biggest mistake.

I thought: great ad = instant sales.

My ad got clicks. People came to my website. Then they left without buying.

I blamed the ad. Made it better. Still no sales.

The problem wasn't the ad. The problem was my website.

It loaded slowly. The "buy" button was hidden. The product description was confusing. No reviews or testimonials. It just wasn't ready for traffic.

What I wish I'd done differently:

Fixed my website before spending on ads. Made sure:

• It loaded fast on mobile

• The product benefits were crystal clear

• The checkout process was simple

• There was social proof (reviews, testimonials)

• The call-to-action was obvious

Your ad is step one. But steps two through five matter just as much:

Step 1: Ad gets attention
Step 2: Landing page builds interest
Step 3: Offer creates desire
Step 4: Checkout makes action easy
Step 5: Follow-up converts hesitant buyers

Your takeaway: Before you spend money on ads, make sure everything after the click is ready. Test your website on your phone. Try to buy your own product. Find the friction points and fix them.

The best ad in the world can't overcome a bad website.

Bonus Thing I Wish I Knew: You Don't Need Thousands of Dollars

I almost didn't start because I thought I needed a huge budget.

Saw people talking about spending $10,000 per month on Facebook ads. Thought that was the entry fee.

It's not.

I've seen successful campaigns run on $300 per month. Small budget, but smart targeting and good creative.

You can start small. Learn what works. Scale up when you see results.

Don't let budget fears stop you from trying.

The Real Secret

The secret to Facebook ads isn't some hack or trick.

It's being willing to test, fail, learn, and try again.

Every successful Facebook advertiser has a graveyard of failed ads behind them. The difference is they kept going.

Your first ad will probably underperform. That's not failure. That's data.

Use that data to create a better ad. Then another. Then another.

Eventually, you'll create an ad that works. Then you scale it up.

Start Smarter Than I Did

You now know five things that took me months and hundreds of dollars to learn.

Use this knowledge. Avoid my mistakes.

Start with realistic expectations. Give your ads time to work. Target specific people. Test multiple variations. Make sure your website is ready.

Do these things and you'll skip past the frustrations I dealt with.

Get Your Ads Right Faster

Want to skip the part where you stare at a blank screen wondering what to write?

Stirling helps you create multiple Facebook ad variations instantly using AI. Instead of overthinking your first ad for weeks like I did, generate several options in minutes and start testing right away.

Learn faster. Test more. Get to your winning ad without wasting time on creative block.

The sooner you start testing, the sooner you find what works.