Hi there,
Thanks for reaching out!
I understand you're having an issue with your new ads not spending, and I'd like to offer some initial thoughts and guidance. It’s a really common problem, especially when you’re just starting out, so don't worry. It’s almost always down to a few simple settings or just the ad platform's own internal processes. We'll walk through the most likely culprits, from the simple account checks to the bigger picture strategy stuff that actually determines if ads work in the long run.
Let's get this sorted for you.
TLDR;
- Your ads not spending after 30 hours is very common. It's often due to the platform's review process, a low bid, or a tiny audience. Patience for the first 48-72 hours is often the best first step.
- The most common technical issues are billing problems (unverified payment methods), account spending limits being hit, or accidentally setting your daily budget or bids way too low for the auction.
- A tiny, hyper-specific target audience is a classic mistake. The algorithm needs a decent-sized pool of people (ideally 1m+) to find users likely to convert. Start broader than you think.
- Your campaign objective matters. If you're a new account with no data, optimising for 'Sales' can be tough. The algorithm doesn't know who to look for. Sometimes starting with 'Traffic' can help "warm up" your pixel.
- This letter includes a few handy interactive tools, like a Customer Lifetime Value (LTV) calculator and a ROAS calculator, to help you understand the numbers that really matter for profitable advertising.
First off, let's talk about the waiting game...
I know it's frustrating. You've done all the work to set up the campaign, you're ready to see the results, and... nothing happens. It feels like you've done something wrong. The truth is, 30 hours is actually not that long in the world of paid ads, especially for a brand new account.
Think of it like this: when you submit a new campaign, it goes into a queue. First, an automated system (and sometimes a human) needs to review your ads to make sure they comply with all the policies. This can take a few hours or sometimes up to a day. Even if it says 'Active', it might still be in a sort of initial processing phase.
Then, there's what's called the 'learning phase'. The platform's algorithm has to figure out who the best people are to show your ad to. It starts by showing it to a small sample of your target audience to see how they react. It’s testing the waters. If your audience is very specific, or your bid is on the low side, this process can take even longer because the algorithm has fewer opportunities to gather data. It’s looking for the cheapest, most effective way to get you the result you asked for, and that takes a bit of time to figure out. So, my first piece of advice is always to just give it a bit more time. If you're still at 0€ spend after 72 hours, then it's time to start digging deeper. But for now, it's not time to panic.
We'll need to look at the usual suspects in your account setup...
Okay, assuming you've been patient and things still aren't moving, it's time to do a proper check of the fundamentals. It’s almost always one of these things. I've seen them trip up even experienced advertisers, so it’s easy to miss something.
Your Billing and Account Limits
This is the number one cause, easily. The platform won't spend a penny if it doesn't think it can charge you. Go into your billing settings and check these things:
- Is your payment method verified? Sometimes there's an extra verification step, or your bank might have blocked the initial authorisation charge. Make sure it's fully confirmed and active.
- Have you hit an account spending limit? New ad accounts are often given a very low initial spending limit by the platform as a security measure. You might have a lifetime or daily limit on the entire account that you're not aware of. Check the account-level settings for this.
- Is there a campaign or ad set budget limit? You've probably set a daily or lifetime budget for your campaign, but sometimes there are other limits you can set that override these. Just double-check that you haven't set a lifetime spend cap on the campaign that's already been reached (unlikely for a new campaign, but worth a look).
Your Bidding Strategy and Budget
This is the next most common issue. You're entering a massive, real-time auction against potentially thousands of other advertisers who want to reach the same people you do. If your bid is too low, you'll simply never win a spot. It's like going to a fine art auction and bidding a tenner for a Picasso – you just won't be in the running.
Think about what you've told the platform to do. If you've set a manual bid cap (e.g., "don't spend more than €0.20 per click"), but the average cost to reach your audience is €1.00, your ads will never be shown. The algorithm won't even try. For a new campaign, it's almost always better to start with an automated bidding strategy like 'Lowest Cost' (on Meta) or 'Maximise Conversions' (on Google). Let the platform figure out the right bid first. You can always rein it in later once you have some performance data.
Also, check your daily budget. If it's incredibly low, like €1 a day, the algorithm might struggle to even enter the learning phase. It doesn't have enough budget to run the minimum number of experiments it needs to learn. I usually recomend a starting budget that allows for at least 50 of your target conversion events per week, but if you're just starting, make sure it's at least €10-€20 a day to give it a fighting chance.
Are you a new advertiser?
No performance data yet.
Use Automated Bidding
e.g., 'Lowest Cost' or 'Highest Volume'. Let the platform learn.
Do you have a strict CPA target?
You know exactly what a conversion is worth.
Use a Cost Cap
Tell the algorithm the maximum you're willing to pay per result.
I'd say you need to reconsider your audience targeting...
This is where most beginners get it wrong, and it's a massive reason for ads not delivering. There's a myth that you need to create a super-specific, laser-focused audience. You think, "My ideal customer is a 34-year-old female CEO in the tech industry in Berlin who likes yoga and owns a Tesla." So you layer all these interests and demographics, and you end up with an audience of about 5,000 people.
The problem is, the algorithm needs room to breathe. Out of those 5,000 people, how many are online right now? How many are actively being targeted by other, bigger advertisers with higher bids? How many are actually likely to convert based on their past behaviour? Probably very few. The platform looks at your tiny audience, realises it can't find enough cheap opportunities, and decides not to spend your money at all. It's protecting you from wasting it on super-expensive impressions.
Tbh, for a new campaign, you want to start much broader. Think about the core pain point you solve, not the demographic. Your ICP isn't a demographic; it's a problem state. Who has the problem your product or service solves? What are their frustrations? Target interests related to that pain. For instance, instead of targeting "CEOs", target people interested in "SaaS growth" or followers of industry publications like "Stratechery". These are much larger audiences, which gives the algorithm the freedom it needs to find pockets of users who are actually likely to buy. You're better off with an audience of 1-5 million people and letting the algorithm do the work, than with a tiny, perfect-on-paper audience of 10,000.
We usually prioritise audiences in a specific order. For a new account with no data, you have to start at the top of the funnel with what we call 'cold' audiences.
| Audience Type | Description | When to Use |
|---|---|---|
| Detailed Targeting | Targeting based on interests, behaviours, and demographics. (e.g., people interested in 'Shopify' or 'Lead Generation'). | This is where you should start. It's the best way to find new customers when you have no data. |
| Lookalike Audiences | The platform finds people who are similar to an existing audience (e.g., similar to your past customers or website visitors). | Use this once you have at least 100-1000 people in a source audience (e.g., 100 purchases). The more data, the better the lookalike. |
| Retargeting (Custom Audiences) | Targeting people who have already interacted with your business (e.g., visited your website, engaged with your Instagram page). | Use this once you have consistent website traffic. It's for bringing back people who are already aware of you. |
For your situation, you are firmly in the 'Detailed Targeting' box. Focus on building a few broad, interest-based audiences first. Don't layer too many interests together in one ad set. Test them separately to see what works.
You'll need a much better offer...
This is a slightly different point, but it's arguably the most important one. Let's assume we fix the delivery issue and your ads start spending. What happens next? If your offer is weak, you'll just be burning money. The number one reason campaigns fail isn't the targeting or the ad copy; it's the offer.
What are you actually asking people to do when they click your ad? Is it "Request a Demo"? "Contact Us"? These are terrible offers. They are high-friction and low-value for the prospect. You're asking a busy person to give up their time to be sold to. It's arrogant, and it positions you as just another commodity.
Your offer's only job is to provide a moment of undeniable value. It should solve a small, real problem for them for free, to earn you the right to solve the bigger problem for money. For a SaaS company, the best offer is almost always a free trial with no credit card required. Let them use the product. Let them experience the "aha!" moment for themselves. The product becomes the salesperson.
If you're a service business, you need to bottle your expertise into something valuable. A free, automated audit. A short, interactive video course. A calculator that helps them understand a key business metric. For us, it's a free 20-minute strategy session where we audit failing ad campaigns. We provide real value upfront, which builds trust and demonstrates our expertise. If your ads are pointing to a landing page that just says "Book a call", you're fighting a losing battle before you've even started.
Interactive Customer Lifetime Value (LTV) Calculator
You probably should calculate how much you can actually afford to spend...
This leads to the final, critical point. The reason we care about LTV is because it tells us our upper limit for customer acquisition cost (CAC). Without knowing this, you're flying blind. You have no idea if a €50 cost per lead is a disaster or a bargain. The math is simple, but it's the math that separates businesses that scale from those that burn out.
Once you've calculated your LTV using the tool above, you can work backwards. A healthy, sustainable business model often aims for an LTV to CAC ratio of at least 3:1. This means your LTV should be at least three times what you spend to acquire that customer.
So, if your LTV is €10,000, you can afford to spend up to €3,333 to acquire a single customer. Let that sink in. Now, let's say your sales process converts 1 in every 10 qualified leads into a paying customer. That means you can afford to pay up to €333 for a single qualified lead (€3,333 / 10). Suddenly, worrying about a €2 CPC seems trivial, doesn't it? This is the kind of thinking that unlocks aggressive, intelligent growth. You stop chasing cheap, low-quality leads and start focusing on acquiring high-value customers, even if it costs more upfront. This understanding is what allows you to set bids and budgets confidently, knowing that you're making a profitable investment, not just spending money.
Interactive Return on Ad Spend (ROAS) Calculator
I've detailed my main recommendations for you below:
Right, that was a lot of information. To make it simple, here is a step-by-step checklist you can follow right now to troubleshoot your campaign and get it spending. Work through these in order.
| Step | Action Item | Why It Matters & What to Do |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Check the Basics | Go to your Billing section. Confirm your payment method is verified and active. Then, check your Account Settings for any overall spending limits. This is the most common showstopper. |
| 2 | Check Ad & Campaign Status | Make sure your Campaign, Ad Set, and Ad are all toggled 'On'. It sounds silly, but it's an easy mistake. Also, check the ad level for any policy warnings or disapprovals. An ad might say 'Active' but be in a limited delivery state. |
| 3 | Review Bids & Budget | In your ad set settings, change your bidding strategy to an automated one like 'Lowest Cost' or 'Highest Volume'. Remove any manual bid caps for now. Ensure your daily budget is at least €10-€20 to give the algorythm enough data to work with. |
| 4 | Broaden Your Audience | Go back to your audience settings. Remove any restrictive layers of targeting. Aim for a potential reach of at least 1 million people. Focus on a few core interests related to the problem you solve, not a perfect demographic profile. |
| 5 | Wait 48 Hours | After making these changes, do not touch anything for at least 48 hours. Every change you make can reset the learning phase. You need to give the platform time to process the new settings and start delivering your ads. Be patient. |
And finally, why you might want to consider expert help...
Getting your ads to spend money is just the first, tiny step. The real challenge, and where the real money is made or lost, is in what comes next: optimising, scaling, and building a profitable system. That involves constant testing of audiences and creatives, improving your landing page conversion rates, and knowing when to increase spend and when to pull back. It's a full-time job that requires deep expertise.
We've worked with dozens of businesses, from B2B software companies to eCommerce stores, and helped them navigate this exact journey. I remember one software client where we achieved a $7 cost per trial by restructuring their campaigns and testing new audiences they'd never considered. For another, we generated over $115k in course sales in just six weeks. These results don't come from just fixing delivery issues; they come from a deep, strategic understanding of how these platforms work.
If you work through the steps above and still find yourself stuck, or if you get the ads running but they aren't profitable, it might be worth getting a second opinion from someone who does this day in, day out. We offer a completely free, no-obligation initial consultation where we can take a look at your account together and give you some specific, actionable advice on what to do next.
Hope this helps you get things moving!
Regards,
Team @ Lukas Holschuh
