When you first invest in Facebook ads, selecting your starting budget can feel uncertain. You must choose a number that you feel comfortable spending while still caring enough to give it your best effort. You do not want a huge amount that strains your finances, nor a tiny amount that feels meaningless. This guide shows you how to find that sweet spot and explains daily vs. lifetime budgets. It also introduces a helpful calculator tool (if you have past data) to plan your spending toward revenue goals.
Finding Your Starting Budget
- Personal Comfort and Engagement:
Start with a budget that you can afford to lose without causing stress. This does not mean you expect to lose it, but it means that if the ads fail, you will not damage your business or personal finances severely. At the same time, choose an amount large enough that you care about it. If it is too small, you might ignore the campaign or check it too infrequently. You must feel invested—both financially and emotionally—so that you put effort into testing angles, improving copy, and refining creatives. - Avoid Over-Committing Too Early:
Do not jump in with a huge budget before you know what works. Early campaigns often include testing. You try different offers, creative styles, and messaging. Some ads fail. If your initial budget is too large, and you spend it quickly on unproven ads, you might run out of funds and have to pause the entire process, breaking your momentum. With a moderate, comfortable budget, you can sustain testing periods without drastic stops and starts. - Why Emotional Attachment Matters:
If you pick too low a budget, you may not care enough to optimize properly. Set an amount that makes you pay attention to results. Check ads regularly. Tweak targeting. Adjust copy. This involvement increases your chances of success.
Choosing Daily vs. Lifetime Budgets
- Daily Budget Explained:
A daily budget instructs Facebook to spend approximately that amount each day. For example, if you set £20 per day, Facebook might spend slightly more or less daily, but it averages out over a week. This steady, ongoing spend allows you to observe trends, make incremental changes, and scale up once you find winning combinations. It keeps the campaign running continuously and smoothly. - Lifetime Budget Explained:
A lifetime budget sets a total amount (e.g., £700) for the entire campaign’s run. Facebook distributes the spend over the chosen timeframe. While it might sound convenient, lifetime budgets limit flexibility. Once the allocated money runs out, the ads stop. If by then you have identified a winning ad, you must start a new campaign from scratch. This restarts the learning phase, potentially hurting performance. Continuous optimization is harder with lifetime budgets since you keep resetting campaigns. - Recommendation: Use Daily Budgets:
Daily budgets give you consistent spend, allow ongoing optimizations, and prevent frequent restarts. If you must cap total spend, simply watch the campaign closely. For example, if you plan to spend £250 total and start at £20 per day, by day 10 you can assess performance. If it is not meeting goals, pause or adjust. This manual approach is better than forcing a lifetime cap upfront.
Practical Tips
Start Small, Grow with Data:
If you are new, guess a comfortable daily budget (maybe £10-£20) just to learn. See how ads perform over 7-10 days. If results look promising, gradually increase the daily amount.
Be Patient:
Running a daily budget campaign gives the algorithm time to learn. Sudden large increases in spend can reset learning phases. Scale slowly as you find winners.
Review Performance Often:
Even at a small budget, check ad metrics regularly. Adjust your angles, test new creatives, or add new targeting options. With continuous effort, you turn initial tests into steady performance.
Aim for a Sustainable Process:
By not overspending upfront, you keep the testing cycle alive. You can always tweak, refine, and push forward. Over time, this consistent approach yields better long-term results.
Conclusion
Determining your starting budget involves balancing risk, engagement, and affordability. Begin with a manageable daily budget that you care about enough to optimize frequently. Avoid lifetime budgets because they limit flexibility and force restarts. If you have past data, use a calculator to plan spend toward revenue goals and spot performance gaps. Over time, as you find winning formulas, increase your daily spend gradually. This steady, thoughtful approach ensures that you keep learning, optimizing, and moving closer to your advertising objectives