Step-by-step guide ·

How to Set Up a Threads Advertising Campaign

A complete walkthrough for launching your first Threads ad in Meta Ads Manager - from connecting your profile to choosing the Threads Feed placement, building the ad, and getting it approved. About 20 minutes, start to finish.

Start posting - it's free Start the setup Launch checklist
New Threads campaign SETUP PROGRESS 1Connect Threads profile 2Choose objective 3Budget & audience 4Placements: Threads Feed 5Build the ad 6Review & publish ACTIVE ⏱ ~20 minutes
Before you start

What you need before setting up Threads ads

Get these four things in place first and the rest of the setup takes minutes.

🧵

A Threads profile

Instagram-linked or, since September 2026, a standalone Threads profile. It must be in good standing - restricted accounts can't run ads.

🏢

A business portfolio

Formerly Business Manager. It holds your ad account, Threads profile, Pages, pixel and team permissions in one place.

💳

An ad account with payment

Set the currency and time zone carefully - you can't change them later - and add a payment method.

🧩

Tracking (for sales & leads)

Install the Meta Pixel and, ideally, the Conversions API on your site so Ads Manager can see purchases and sign-ups.

Step 1

Connect your Threads profile to your business portfolio

  1. Open Meta Business Suite → Settings (your business portfolio).
  2. Go to Accounts → Threads profiles and add your profile. If it's linked to an Instagram account already in the portfolio, it may appear automatically.
  3. Assign people: since September 2026 Threads has its own task-based permissions, so you can give your ads team Threads-only access.
  4. Make sure the ad account you'll use is in the same portfolio.

💡 You no longer need matching Threads and Instagram usernames to run Threads ads. The change is rolling out gradually, so older accounts may still see the old requirement for a while.

@yourbrandThreads profile BUSINESS PORTFOLIO ▢ Ad account▢ Pixel✓ Threads profile Threads ads: full
Step 2

Create the campaign and choose an objective

  1. In Ads Manager, click + Create.
  2. Pick the objective that matches your goal: Awareness, Traffic, Engagement, Leads, App promotion or Sales. Options can vary by account and region.
  3. Declare a special ad category if your ad is about credit, employment, housing, or social issues, elections or politics.
  4. Name the campaign clearly, e.g. THREADS_Traffic_Launch_Oct26, so reports are easy to read later.

💡 Not sure which objective? Choose by the action you'll measure: site visits → Traffic, sign-ups → Leads, purchases → Sales.

CHOOSE A CAMPAIGN OBJECTIVE Awareness Traffic Engagement Leads App promotion Sales Continue
Step 3

Set up the ad set: budget, schedule and audience

  1. Conversion location & performance goal: e.g. Website + "Maximize landing page views" for Traffic, or your pixel's Purchase event for Sales.
  2. Budget: daily (always-on) or lifetime (fixed launch). Aim for about 50 results a week per ad set - see our budget planner.
  3. Schedule: set a start date, and an end date if you used a lifetime budget.
  4. Audience: locations, age and language, then layer Custom Audiences (site visitors, customer lists) or a 1% Lookalike. Broad audiences often deliver cheapest.

💡 There's no Threads-only interest targeting yet - targeting comes from Meta's shared signals across its apps.

DAILY BUDGET $30.00 AUDIENCE 📍 US, UK, AU 18–44 🎯 Lookalike 1% AUDIENCE SIZE · DEFINED
Step 4

Choose the Threads Feed placement

  1. Scroll to Placements in the ad set.
  2. Advantage+ placements (default) already include Threads - Meta spreads budget wherever results are cheapest.
  3. To run on Threads only, pick Manual placements, untick everything, then tick Threads → Threads Feed.
  4. For a fair test, run one Threads-only ad set and one Advantage+ ad set with the same creative, then compare cost per result after 7 days.

💡 If Threads Feed is greyed out, your objective, format or account setup may not support it yet - see troubleshooting.

PLACEMENTS Advantage+ Manual Facebook Feed Instagram Feed Instagram Reels Threads Feed Threads only ✓ Est. reach updates as placements change
Step 5

Build the ad: identity, format and creative

  1. Identity: choose your Threads profile (and Facebook Page / Instagram account if you're running other placements too).
  2. Format: single image or video, carousel (up to 10 cards), or Advantage+ catalog for e-commerce.
  3. Media: 4:5 vertical (1080×1350) fills the most screen; 1:1 also works. Burn captions into video.
  4. Text: 80–160 characters of conversational copy, a short headline (~40 characters), and a clear call to action.
  5. Destination & tracking: add your URL with UTMs, e.g. ?utm_source=threads&utm_medium=paid, and confirm your pixel under Tracking.

💡 Check the Threads preview before publishing - copy that looks fine on Instagram can feel like a billboard in a text-first feed.

AD PREVIEW · THREADS FEED yourbrand Sponsored Learn more
Step 6

Review, publish and monitor

  1. Click Publish. Your ad goes into Meta's review, which usually finishes within 24 hours (sometimes longer).
  2. Once it's Active, leave it alone for 3–7 days while it exits the learning phase - big edits restart learning.
  3. Check results with Breakdown → By delivery → Placement to see Threads separately.
  4. Reply to comments on your ad from your Threads profile - on Threads, conversation is free extra reach.

💡 Set up an automated rule (e.g. pause an ad if cost per result rises 50% above target) so a bad day doesn't burn your budget.

CAMPAIGN STATUS ⏳In review≤ 24h ◔Learning3–7 days ✓Activeoptimizing PLACEMENT · THREADS FEED 1,284 clicks · $0.68 CPC
Launch checklist

Threads ad launch checklist

Tick each item as you go. Everything here is checked only in your browser - nothing is saved or sent anywhere.

0 of 12 done
Account setup
Campaign & ad set
Ad
Troubleshooting

Threads ad setup problems and fixes

Threads Feed placement is greyed out
Your objective, conversion location or ad format may not support Threads yet, or your account hasn't received the latest rollout. Try Traffic or Sales with a single image, check that your Threads profile is connected to the same business portfolio, and make sure you're on Manual placements.
My Threads profile doesn't appear as an ad identity
Confirm the profile is added under Accounts → Threads profiles in your business portfolio and that you have permission to advertise with it. If it's Instagram-linked, the Instagram account must also be in the portfolio. Refresh Ads Manager after making changes.
My ad was rejected
Read the rejection reason in Account Quality. Common causes are restricted products, personal-attribute wording ("Are you struggling with…"), misleading claims, or a broken landing page. Fix the issue and request another review, or edit and republish.
My ad is approved but not spending
The audience may be too small, the budget too low for the bid strategy, or a cost cap set below what the auction requires. Broaden targeting, raise the budget, or switch to the "highest volume" bid strategy.
It says "Learning limited"
The ad set isn't getting enough results (about 50 a week) to optimize. Consolidate ad sets, raise the budget, broaden the audience, or optimize for a more frequent event such as landing page views instead of purchases.
FAQ

Threads ad setup FAQ

Can I create Threads ads in the Threads app?
No. Threads ads are created and managed in Meta Ads Manager (or Meta Business Suite), alongside Facebook and Instagram campaigns. The Threads profile is used as the ad's identity.
How long does it take to set up a Threads ad?
If your business portfolio, ad account and pixel are already set up, about 15–20 minutes. Meta's ad review then usually takes up to 24 hours before the ad goes live.
Do I need an Instagram account to set up Threads ads?
No. Since September 2026, businesses can advertise from a standalone Threads profile, and matching Instagram usernames are no longer required. The change is rolling out gradually.
How do I run ads only on Threads?
In the ad set, choose Manual placements, untick all other placements, and tick Threads Feed. Threads is also included automatically when you use Advantage+ placements.
What budget should I start with?
A common first test is $20–50 a day for two weeks. Ideally, budget enough for about 50 results a week per ad set - use our budget planner to work it out from your target cost per result.