How to Audit Your Own Facebook Ad Campaign for free
If you’ve ever run Facebook ads and found yourself wondering, “Are these even working?”, you’re not alone.
It’s one of the most common frustrations I hear from small business owners.
You put money behind an ad, you wait a week or two, and then… nothing.
No leads. No sales. Just a confusing dashboard full of numbers that don’t make much sense.
I get it. Facebook ads can feel like a beast. A necessary beast, but still one that’s easy to get wrong if you don’t have a clear strategy behind them.
The good news?
Facebook ads do work.
In fact, when you know how to audit your Facebook ads properly, you can figure out what’s holding you back and optimise them for better results.
I’ve seen businesses completely transform with the right Facebook ads strategy:
Australian Radio School sold out their course within weeks of starting, with nothing more than a simple Facebook ads strategy.
Woodleigh Hills is consistently seeing a 4x return on ad spend with just $10 per day, because their campaigns are set up and optimised correctly.
The difference between Facebook ads that work and ads that flop isn’t luck. It’s strategy.
And the first step in building that strategy is knowing how to audit your own Facebook ads account.
Here are three simple steps to run your own Facebook ads audit today.
Check Your Objective
Have you set up your campaign in a way that aligns with your strategy?
Facebook ads don’t fix a broken or non-existent marketing strategy. They’re designed to amplify what’s already working in your business.
So before you spend another dollar, get clear on what your ad is supposed to do:
If you want new eyes on your business → choose Brand Awareness.
If you want to grow your email list or generate leads → choose Lead Generation.
If you want sales → choose Conversions.
Optimise for the specific goal you want the ad to achieve, not your overall business objective.
Ask yourself: What am I trying to achieve with this campaign?
Attract new eyes to my brand?
Grow my email list and generate leads?
Convert people who already know, like, and trust me?
If your objective isn’t clear, your campaign won’t know what to optimise for either. And that’s when you end up wasting money.
Review Your Targeting
One of the most common issues I see when I run a Facebook ads audit is poor targeting.
Your targeting should always match your budget and your objective.
If you’re working with a small budget—say $5–10 per day—focus on warm audiences first. That means people who already know your brand, such as past clients, your email list, or people who regularly engage with your content.
This ensures you’re not spending money showing ads to cold audiences who aren’t ready to buy.
Once you have a larger budget, you can start testing broader targeting or building lookalike audiences to scale. But if you’re just starting out, keep it tight and focused.
Audit Your Creative
Finally, take a good look at your Facebook ad creative. If people aren’t clicking on your ad, it’s usually because your creative isn’t resonating.
That could mean:
Your copy isn’t speaking to the problem your audience actually cares about.
Your visuals aren’t stopping the scroll.
Or your targeting is off, so your creative is landing in front of the wrong people altogether.
Look at your click-through rate. If it’s low, don’t just keep pumping money into the same ad. Start testing new creative and messaging until you find what works.
The Bottom Line
If your Facebook ads are not working, it doesn’t mean Facebook ads don’t work. It means you need to look at your strategy.
When you know your objective, refine your targeting, and ensure your creative is resonating, that’s when your ads start to deliver real results.
If you’d like a fresh set of eyes on your ad account, I offer a free, non-salesy Facebook Ads Audit. I’ll help you figure out what’s working, what needs tweaking, and how to get your ads aligned with your goals.
Because when you stop guessing and start strategising, that’s when Facebook ads actually work.
