Running Facebook ads can be frustrating especially when you see that your campaign is active but not delivering. I’ve been there, and after working with 4,000+ clients on digital marketing campaigns across Ghana, the USA, UK, and beyond, I’ve learned exactly why this happens and how to fix it.
Here are the main reasons your ads might not be delivering and the practical steps you can take to resolve them.
- Temporary Hold on Your Payment Method
Facebook sometimes places a temporary hold on your card to verify if there are enough funds.
If the hold fails, your ad will appear active but won’t deliver.
To fix this:
Go to Billing → Payment Settings in Ads Manager.
Check if Facebook attempted a charge that failed.
Add more funds to your account and click Try Again.
Once approved, your ads should start delivering within 30–60 minutes.
- Audience Size Is Too Small
If your audience size is below 100,000, your ads may not deliver.
Expand your targeting by:
Adding more locations (city → region → country).
Increasing the number of interests and demographics you target (e.g., instead of just 3 interests, use 15–20 relevant ones).
Turning on Detailed Targeting Expansion so Facebook can reach more relevant people.
- Budget Is Too Low
A $2–$5 daily budget may not be enough depending on your campaign type.
Use daily budgets (instead of lifetime budgets) so you can adjust anytime.
If you’re not seeing results, increase your budget gradually to $5–$10 per day.
- Wrong Ad Placements
Placements matter. If you remove Facebook Feed or Instagram Feed, your ads may not deliver properly.
Always include Feeds (they generate over 70% of impressions).
Other useful placements: Stories, Reels, and In-Stream Videos.
Messenger and Audience Network are less effective for most businesses.
- Ad Creative Issues
Sometimes the problem is with your image, video, or copy.
Go to the Ad Level in Ads Manager and preview your creative.
Make sure it complies with Facebook’s ad policies and looks good across placements.
If you carefully check these five areas Payment, Audience, Budget, Placement and Creative your ads should start delivering effectively.
Want to Learn More About Achieving Financial Freedom?
Digital marketing is one of the fastest ways to grow a business and build wealth. But financial freedom goes beyond just running ads. It’s about mastering your mindset, time, and strategy.
If you want to learn how I transformed my life from poverty to financial independence, download my free eBook:
Achieving Your Greatest Dreams
If your Facebook ads are active but not delivering, it’s usually because of issues with payment, targeting, budget, placements, or ad creative. Start by checking your Billing section for failed charges, ensure your audience is at least 100,000, increase your budget to $5–$10 daily, and confirm your ad placements include Facebook and Instagram Feeds.
To fix Facebook ads not spending, verify your payment method in Ads Manager, expand your audience size, increase your daily budget, and ensure your ad complies with Meta’s advertising policies. Once corrected, ads typically start delivering within 30–60 minutes.
Yes. If your audience is too narrow (under 100,000 people), Facebook struggles to optimize delivery. Expand your targeting by adding more locations, demographics, and interests, and enable Detailed Targeting Expansion to help Facebook find more relevant users.
Absolutely. A low daily budget can stop ads from reaching enough people. Use at least $5–$10 per day, and choose a daily budget (not lifetime) so you can adjust as needed. Increasing your budget gradually helps improve delivery and performance.
Facebook may pause or reject your ad creative if it violates Meta’s advertising policies or appears misleading. Check your ad’s image, video, and copy for compliance and preview them across placements. Once you fix any issues, your ad should resume delivery.
David Asaana is a Digital Marketer, Author and Entrepreneur with over five years of experience. He has worked with 4,000+ clients across Ghana, the USA, the UK, and beyond. And his YouTube channel where he shares step-by-step tutorials on digital marketing and business growth has reached more than 1.8 million views.
