Anu Agency
PlaybookWork with Anu
06.06 Configure the ad set: form location, audience, schedule and placements

06.06

Configure the ad set: form location, audience, schedule and placements

Set the ad set to Instant forms and Maximize number of leads, add only the locations you serve, schedule exactly 14 days, and leave placements broad.

25 minNeeds verificationChecked 2026-10-20

Video walkthrough

Coming soonThe ad set, field by field
It will cover
  1. Conversion location and performance goal
  2. Adding cities and seeing the Housing radius
  3. Why you add no interests on a first test
  4. A 14-day schedule with a hard end date
  5. Placements and the Higher intent mobile-feed rule
This chapter is complete without it. Every step is written out on this page.

What you're building

A draft ad set inside your campaign: conversion location Instant forms, performance goal Maximize number of leads, your Facebook Page, the locations from chapter 2, a 14-day schedule with an end date, no detailed targeting, and broad placements.

Why it matters

The ad set decides who can see the ads, when, and what Meta optimizes for. A hard end date caps total spend even if you forget to check. No interests on a first test keeps the comparison honest: you are testing your offer and creative, not a guess about interests, and under Housing many interests are unavailable anyway.

What you need

  • The draft campaign from chapter 5
  • Your location list and daily budget from chapter 2
  • A decided start date, at least two days after you finish chapter 10

Time and cost

Time
20 to 30 minutes
Cost
$0

Still a draft. No spend.

Step by step

  1. Name the ad set and set the conversion location

    1. Name it GOAL_Market_FormType_Audience, for example SELLER_CoastalCounty_HI_Cities.
    2. In the Conversion section, set Conversion location to Instant forms.
    3. Choose your Facebook Page if Meta asks which Page will run the ads.
    4. Set Performance goal to Maximize number of leads.
    5. If Meta shows a Dataset field, you may select your website dataset from chapter 3. If it does not appear, skip it; Meta's help says it depends on the conversion location.

    Check: The ad set shows Instant forms and Maximize number of leads.

  2. Set the budget and a 14-day schedule

    If your budget lives at the ad set level, enter the daily amount from chapter 2. Set a start date you will decide on later and an end date exactly 14 days after it. The end date is a cap: the ad set stops on that date even if you are on vacation.

    Check: Start date is in the future and the end date is 14 days after it.

  3. Add locations you serve

    1. In Locations, remove the default country if you serve only part of it.
    2. Type each city or county from your market definition and select it. ZIP codes will not be offered under Housing.
    3. Look at the map: each city shows the expanded radius (15 miles minimum in the US). That is the area that can see your ad.

    Leave age and gender alone: Housing locks them to 18 to 65+ and all genders.

    Check: The audience panel lists only your cities or counties, and age reads 18 to 65+.

  4. Leave detailed targeting empty

    Do not add interests or behaviors for the first pilot. If you later test interests, use only options Meta offers under Housing, and never pick an interest because it stands in for a protected group (for example, a religious or national-origin interest).

    Check: Detailed targeting is empty, or contains only interests you can justify as being about housing intent.

  5. Keep placements broad

    Leave Advantage+ placements selected. Meta's help center states that a Higher intent instant form is only delivered to Facebook Feed and Instagram feed on mobile devices, so the form type you choose in chapter 8 narrows delivery for you. Manual placement editing is unnecessary for a first test.

    Check: Placements read Advantage+ placements (or the default broad option shown in your account).

  6. Close without publishing

    Close the editor. Confirm the ad set appears under the campaign with status draft or off, and Amount spent $0.00.

    Check: The Ad sets tab shows the ad set name, the 14-day schedule and $0.00 spent.

What success looks like

  • Instant forms, Maximize number of leads, your Page
  • Only your cities or counties; age and gender locked
  • No detailed targeting
  • 14-day schedule with an end date
  • Still a draft

Copyable templates

textAd set settings record
Ad set name: ____________________________
Conversion location: Instant forms
Performance goal: Maximize number of leads
Page: ____________________
Dataset (if shown): ____________________
Daily budget (if ad set level): $____
Start date: ________  End date (start + 14): ________
Locations: ____________________________________
Age / gender: 18-65+ / All (locked by Housing)
Detailed targeting: none
Placements: Advantage+ placements
Status: draft

How to test it

Open the ad set and read the audience summary aloud: it should name only your locations. Then check that the end date minus the start date equals 14 days, and multiply your daily budget by 14 to confirm the maximum spend matches your brief.

Troubleshooting

The estimated audience size looks huge.

That is the 15-mile minimum radius and the broad age range at work. It is expected under Housing. The form and creative do the qualifying.

Instant forms is not offered as a conversion location.

Confirm the campaign objective is Leads and that a Facebook Page is connected to the ad account through your business portfolio.

I cannot find the end date field.

Look under Budget and schedule in the ad set, or under the campaign if the budget lives there. Field placement varies by account.

Advanced technical details

Optional. You can follow every step above without these.

Technical detailsWhat could not be verified

API equivalent: an ad set with optimization_goal: LEAD_GENERATION, destination_type: ON_AD, promoted_object: { page_id }, targeting.geo_locations.cities with a radius of at least 15 miles, start_time and end_time, and status: PAUSED.

Sources

Written from the best available information. One or more steps could not be confirmed; see the notes in the chapter. Last checked 2026-10-20.