Hello, everyone!
I recently ran a small Meta campaign (Facebook and Instagram) and I must say, I was impressed by the outcome!
I only spent ₹74.78, and the ad reached over 48000 people!
If you’re asking yourself how to extend the reach of your Meta ads for almost nothing, or whether you can get better results from Meta advertising without spending thousands of dollars, this post is for you. I will break down exactly how I achieved this.
- Realizing the Potential of Meta Ads Meta (including Facebook and Instagram ads) is one of the most lucrative platforms for advertising. Even with minimal spending, if you use smart targeting coupled with relevant content, you can reach hundreds if not thousands.
I had just one goal in mind clearly — to test how far ₹74.78 will reach. I ensured that I was sending the right message to the right market, and the rest was left for Meta's algorithm.
- Reaching the Right People The first reason for why I had such a huge reach was due to precise audience targeting.
I implemented the following:
Demographics: 18-40 years
Country: India
Interests: Digital marketing, business, internet marketing, entrepreneurship
To target a relevant audience while maintaining a broader scope, I let Meta AI determine the target audience based on likely engagement.
Note: To stretch a budget, begin with a broader audience rather than one that is tightly defined. Focus on the interests.
Creating an Engaging Ad Creative
The first impression people have is with the image or video. This is the first thing they notice – make it engaging.
I implemented the following:
A bright, high-quality image that stimulated attention.
A concise, jargon-free statement with a clear CALL TO ACTION (CTA).
Bite-sized content that performed well across the Facebook and Instagram feeds.
Prostake: Pick 2 or 3 colors that contrast, and limit the message to 15 words.
Better creative = better engaging = better reach = lower spends.
Selecting the Right Objective
For this campaign, I chose "Post Engagement" and not traffic or conversions.
Reason: Engagement campaigns provide better reach at lower costs. This is beneficial especially during the testing phase or when trying to build awareness.
That is one big reason why my ad priced at ₹74.78 was able to reach such a wide audience — Meta’s algorithm tailored it for engagement: likes, shares, and comments.
5. Letting Meta Optimize Placements
I let Meta choose where my ad was to be placed and did not pick any placements personally.
This resulted in my ad being shown on:
Facebook Feed
Instagram Feed
Stories
Reels
I paid for my ad impressions and Meta did the rest. I minimized ad spend and kept my CPM friendly.
6. Engagement Boost = More Organic Reach
And the best part is, when people started to engage with it, it began to gain organic reach as well.
This means Meta was also serving it to more users at no additional cost to me.
Combining paid reach with organic reach can multiply your results as well, even with a ₹74.78 boost,
which is very positively significant.
7. Track Your Performance
I was able to analyze results such as reach and impressions and cost per result on the Meta Ads Manager.
It was great to watch the CPM and Cost per 1,000 people reached steadily decrease. Measuring results helped me identify the best performing creative and audience segments for the next campaign.
Final Thoughts: You Don’t Need a Big Budget to Get Big Reach!
This campaign proved something powerful:
For as little as ₹74.78, it is possible to achieve a reach of over 48,000 if there is smart targeting along with engaging creatives and proper ad objective focus.
Seldom is it a question of the monetary investment, but how the investment at hand is utilized.
My advice to you is: if you have been avoiding Meta ads because of perceived high costs, begin with a small investment. Test, learn and optimize. You will not be disappointed with what you uncover.
