Ad budget planner
Translate a target number of acquisitions and an assumed CPA into a weekly ad-spend scenario.
Last updated
Written by Madly editorial
01 / Your inputs
Run the numbers
Example figures are filled in so you can see a result straight away. Replace them with your own. Results update as you type; no data is sent or saved.
Number of acquisitions you want to generate each week.
Your assumed advertising cost per acquisition; this is a planning input, not a guarantee.
02 / Calculation
Planned weekly spend
Calculated result
£1,000.00
Unit: £/week
- Meta 50-event scenario (£/week)
- £1,250.00 / week
The optional 50-event illustration is secondary, not a spending requirement. Choose the selected optimization event and an affordable loss cap.
Formula
Planned weekly spend (£) = target weekly acquisitions × assumed CPA (£/acquisition). Meta scenario spend (£) = 50 × assumed CPA.
How to read this
Check affordability against margin and actual results. Do not increase spend solely to meet a platform learning guideline.
Assumptions
The CPA is your input, not a guaranteed rate. Meta describes roughly 50 optimisation events within seven days as a learning-phase guideline for an ad set; it is not a universal requirement, profitability target or guarantee of delivery.
How to use this tool
- Decide how many purchases you want in the period.
- Enter your expected cost per purchase, ideally from recent data.
- Read the budget needed in total and per day.
- Compare it with what you can afford to lose while you learn.
Worked example
Illustrative example: 20 weekly orders at an assumed £25 CPA implies £500/week. At that same CPA, 50 events would imply £1,250/week, if achievable.
What this measures
Plan spend from a conversion goal and your own assumed acquisition cost. An optional Meta learning-phase scenario shows spend at roughly 50 optimisation events in a week.
Formula and units
Planned weekly spend (£) = target weekly acquisitions × assumed CPA (£/acquisition). Meta scenario spend (£) = 50 × assumed CPA.
Assumptions and review notes
The CPA is your input, not a guaranteed rate. Meta describes roughly 50 optimisation events within seven days as a learning-phase guideline for an ad set; it is not a universal requirement, profitability target or guarantee of delivery.
Check affordability against margin and actual results. Do not increase spend solely to meet a platform learning guideline.
A good budget is one you can sustain through the learning period without risking cash you need. It should be large enough to give the platform enough conversions to optimise, and small enough that a bad test is survivable. Platform minimums vary and change, so check the current guidance for the one you use.
- Expected CPA and its uncertainty.
- Platform conversion thresholds for learning.
- Cash you can afford to lose.
- Seasonality.
- Planning from a CPA you hope for rather than one you have seen.
- Spreading a small budget across many ad sets.
- Changing budget daily and resetting learning.
- Ignoring that the first week often costs more.
A closer look
Common questions.
- How much should I spend on ads per day?
- Enough to get meaningful conversions at your expected CPA while staying inside what you can afford to lose.
- Daily or lifetime budget?
- Daily is simpler to control, lifetime lets the platform pace spend. See the linked guide for trade-offs.
- What if I do not know my CPA?
- Use a cautious estimate and treat the first period as a test to measure it.
- How many conversions does optimisation need?
- Platforms publish thresholds that change over time, so check the current documentation.
- Should I scale a budget quickly?
- Gradual changes are generally safer than large jumps because delivery can change.