Starting With $0? Here’s How To Advertise on Facebook for Free

Every year, brands spend more on social media advertising to reach relevant audiences. With more than 63 million US Facebook users making a purchase through the platform in 2024, the opportunity is clear.

But what if you don't want to spend money on Facebook advertising—is it possible to increase awareness and make sales for free?

With some creativity and patience, the answer is a resounding yes. Here are 12 suggestions on how to advertise on Facebook with little or no budget.

How can I advertise on Facebook for free?

1. Create a Facebook Business page
2. Create a Facebook shop
3. Use free Meta advertising credits
4. Share free, helpful content
5. Sell via Facebook Marketplace
6. Run a Facebook livestream
7. Invite friends and family to share the page
8. Host a Facebook giveaway
9. Join local community groups
10. Encourage previous customers to leave a Facebook review
11. Work with micro-influencers
12. Engage with followers through Facebook Messenger

1. Create a Facebook Business page

A Business page is similar to a personal profile, but users interact by liking or following the page instead of sending a connection request. All page content is public—anyone who visits your business’s page can see the content you’ve shared.

Optimize your Facebook Business page by uploading:

• A cover photo
• A profile image (usually your business’s logo)
• A description of your online store
• Contact information
• A call-to-action button

2. Create a Facebook shop

A Facebook shop showcases your product catalog to social media users without them needing to visit your website. They can browse a product’s photos, description, and price without leaving the Facebook app.

Use Shopify’s Facebook integration to automatically add and update product information in your Facebook shop. Tag products from your Facebook shop in content posted to the page to guide followers toward making a purchase.

3. Use free Meta advertising credits

Meta periodically gives small businesses free Facebook advertising credits. While you can't request ad credits from Facebook, you can look for them through Meta partnerships and in-product promotions.

Credits can be redeemed to run ads through Meta Ads Manager. Open an ad account, install the Meta pixel, and experiment with the following:

• Facebook ad campaign objectives (catalog sales, video views, link clicks)
• Ad campaigns with varying lifetime and daily budgets
• Ad formats (video ads, single image, carousel ads)
• Incentives, such as free shipping and featured reviews
• Audience targeting, such as lookalike or custom audiences

If you begin to see results, reinvest profits into your best-performing Facebook campaign. It’s a smart way to start Facebook advertising with little upfront ad spend.

4. Share free, helpful content

Once a Facebook page is up and running, share free and helpful content with followers. This could be anything from guidance on how to use your products to an image of a previous customer using them.

When posting on Facebook, timing is key. There isn’t much use sharing content when your target audience isn’t using the Facebook app. Time it so your content isn’t buried under more recent content by the time they sign in.

Studies show the best time to post on Facebook is Friday morning, though consider the daily routine of your audience when planning. If you’re targeting office workers, for example, schedule posts outside of peak working or commuting hours.

Facebook begins to collect data about your followers after you post consistently. Use Facebook page Insights to find the most popular time period your followers are apt to log in.

5. Sell via Facebook Marketplace

Facebook offers commerce features for brands to sell to local shoppers through its online Marketplace. It works similarly to Facebook shops, though buyers can browse items for sale near their own location. They can purchase goods and have them shipped to their home directly on Facebook.

Appear in Facebook Marketplace results by optimizing your product listings.

That means:

• Writing keyword-rich product descriptions
• Pricing products competitively
• Using high-quality vertical images (most Facebook users browse on mobile)
• Resharing Marketplace listings to your business’ page

You’ll need Checkout on Facebook enabled to take payment via Marketplace, which is only available to US users.

6. Run a Facebook livestream

While Meta shut down Facebook's live shopping feature, you can still broadcast live on the platform to showcase your latest products, give interactive how-to guides, or add an extra layer of excitement to brand announcements.

Followers will get a notification when you go live on Facebook. Others browsing your business’s page will also see a live icon to watch the livestream.

Popular livestream formats include:

• Step-by-step tutorials
• Question and answer sessions
• Collaborations with micro-influencers or complementary vendors

Take it from Melissa Gersin, the inventor of Tranquilo Mat, who hosted Facebook live videos that educated parents on how to calm their baby, what to expect when changing their first diaper, and baby swaddling tips.

Melissa says, “We send those out in an email blast so that we’re also educating customers. That usually keeps them engaged with us and our platform and obviously keeps our product in their mind so that they’re very likely to add it to their registry and thus convert.”

7. Invite friends and family to share the page

Chances are, your friends and family will support your small business. Take advantage of your network and invite people to share your business’s page. Your branded content will appear in the news feed of their own audience, increasing brand awareness and showcasing your online store to more people.

You could do the same and actively share content to your personal profile. That way, your entire network sees the content you’re sharing to your business’s Facebook page.

8. Host a Facebook giveaway

A giveaway isn’t technically free to run, but you can give away some of your products for free (essentially using the cost price as your Facebook advertising budget).

Create a Facebook post with entry details. Require people to like the page, share your post, and tag a friend to enter.

Betty Jade Gifting Company, for example, ran a £50 gift voucher giveaway in which followers had to meet specific entry requirements.

For extra leverage, partner with complementary vendors to host giveaways to increase eyeballs.

9. Join local community groups

Communities often use Facebook groups to chat with locals. Use these as a place to advertise on Facebook for free.

Write a short advert that promotes your online store. Consider giving people an incentive to take action off the back of your Facebook ad campaign, such as a discount on their first purchase or free local shipping.

“I advertise on Facebook for free by joining several groups related to my work.” —Corrie Duffy, founder of Corrie Cooks

Before posting, always read the rules of the Facebook group first. Some only permit advertising on certain days of the week; others require adverts to be approved by an admin. Failing to follow these rules could result in you being ejected from the group.

Corrie Duffy of Corrie Cooks has used this tactic to some success: “I advertise on Facebook for free by joining several groups related to my work and posting about it in those groups. I also tag several influencers and reach out to people in the comment section if they have queries related to my topic.”

10. Encourage previous customers to leave a Facebook review

The vast majority of shoppers seek out reviews before purchasing. Cater to this when people are browsing your business’s Facebook page with positive reviews from previous customers.

The easiest way to encourage people to write a Facebook review is to create an automated post-purchase email campaign. Thank people for their purchase and ask for feedback. Divert them to your business’s Facebook page and offer an incentive, such as a discount on their next order, in exchange for an honest review.

11. Work with micro-influencers

Social media platforms like TikTok have made it possible for anyone to make money online.

Partner with micro-influencers and ask them to shout your business out on Facebook in return for a free product. Creators with fewer than 10,000 followers often try to make money through Facebook, and are therefore more willing to accept free products in exchange for producing sponsored content.

Granted, it’s not a completely free tactic, but the only fee involved with this Facebook advertising technique is the cost of your product.

12. Engage with followers through Facebook Messenger

Start conversations with people who interact with your page, such as following, liking, or commenting on your social media posts. These people are considered warm leads. They’ve already shown an interest in your online store; a simple conversation could be enough to divert them toward your ecommerce website.

Initiate a conversation with Facebook followers by asking:

• If there’s anything you can help with
• Whether they have questions about your products
• If they’re interested in a first-time customer discount

As you scale, use a Facebook-approved chatbot, such as ManyChat, to automate as much as you can.

It’s possible to run Facebook ad campaigns on a budget

Your business should be on Facebook, regardless of your advertising budget. If you don't have the money to spend on glitzy ad campaigns, boost your presence in other ways, such as by creating original content, reaching out directly to followers, and running giveaways or livestreams.

Get creative, involve your audience, and start advertising on Facebook for free.