Many businesses want ads to run only when they can answer calls or messages. Meta allows ad scheduling, with some conditions.
When scheduling makes sense
- Click-to-call or messaging ads where you must reply quickly.
- Restaurants promoting lunch or dinner.
- Businesses with no weekend staff.
How to set it up
Scheduling (dayparting) requires a lifetime budget rather than a daily budget. In the ad set’s budget and schedule settings, choose “Run ads on a schedule” and select hours and days. Times follow the viewer’s time zone or the account’s, depending on your choice.
When not to schedule
- Lead form campaigns, where people can submit any time and you call next morning.
- Online stores that sell 24 hours.
- Small budgets, where limiting hours can reduce delivery.
Check performance by hour first
Look at results by time of day in Ads Manager breakdowns before deciding. Our best time to post tool gives a general guide to activity patterns.
Alternatives
Instead of scheduling, use an away message or an auto-reply with expected response time, and call leads first thing in the morning.
Plan lifetime budgets with our daily budget calculator.
Want the full picture? This article is part of Meta ads: the complete guide, our in-depth guide with everything in one place.
