Do you need a Facebook Page to run ads?

What are Facebook Pages?

Unlike Facebook profiles, which are accounts used by regular individuals to connect with friends, family and businesses, Facebook Pages are accounts specifically created by organizations, companies, famous people, locations, etc. Facebook Pages can use a lot more features than profiles, for instance, they can target their content, view analytics about the behavior of users on the page, etc. You need to have a profile on Facebook before you can create a Facebook Page.

Can I run Facebook ads without a business page?

In order to set up and run ads on Facebook, you need to use a tool called the Business Manager. In the past, you used to be able to create an account in the Business Manager and begin running ads without ever creating a business Page on Facebook. However, this is no longer allowed – today, you need to link an existing Facebook Page or create a new Page in order to use any features offered in the Business Manager.

Loopholes you can try

As with any huge organization or system, there are some loopholes that may allow you to run Facebook ads without creating a Facebook page first.

Use an agency to run ads

One loophole is to contract an agency to run Facebook ads directing users straight to your website. In this situation, the agency’s own Facebook page will be linked to the business manager account used to run ads, so there will be no need to create and connect your own page.

Create a Facebook page but don’t publish it

When you first create a Facebook page, it will remain unpublished by default. This is meant to give you an opportunity to fill out your page completely before people can see it but it seems like Facebook also allows you to leave the page unpublished and run ads anyways.

The downside of this method is that Facebook will run ads from your personal account, so you won’t have access to ad objectives such as page likes and other page-related features.

Create a Facebook page and forget about it

One very common trick for people who don’t want to spend time on their Facebook presence but still want to run ads on the platform is to create a Facebook page for a business, publish it and simply forget about it. Your page does not have to be active in order for you to run ads from it but at the same time, you shouldn’t use any page-related objectives in your ads since your page will be empty and, therefore, unable to attract users.

Frequently asked questions

Do you need a Facebook account to run ads on Instagram?

Yes, since Instagram is a part of Facebook, you need to have a Facebook account in order to run ads on Instagram. In fact, the entire process of setting up Instagram ads happens on Facebook as well.

Do I need a page on Facebook?

Ultimately, you can try different loopholes in order to create Facebook ads without having a page on the platform, however, it’s a much better idea to actually have a page on Facebook where you’ve built a community of people who love and support what you do.

How much do Facebook ads cost?

The cost of Facebook ads varies greatly depending on the audience you target and its demographics. You can expect to pay anywhere from $0.50 to $1.00 per click, $1.07 per like and about $7 per 1000 impressions.