Meta Ads Reporting is the reporting tool inside Meta Ads Manager where you create, customise, export, share and schedule reports on how your Facebook and Instagram ads perform. For a quick look you can open View charts on any campaign, ad set or ad, and for anything you'll check again, you build a report with breakdowns and filters and have it emailed on a schedule.
The thing worth knowing before you trust a number: Meta says the clicks or impressions you see in Ads Manager can differ from the clicks or impressions you're charged for on your receipt, and amount spent is an estimate while ads are running because results can take up to 48 hours to process. So check yesterday's figures tomorrow, not tonight.
Two ways to see your results
| Tool | Best for | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| View charts in Ads Manager | A quick check on one campaign, ad set or ad | Performance, Demographics, Platform and Delivery charts |
| Meta Ads Reporting | Reports you'll reuse or share | Custom reports, breakdowns, filters, sorting, exports and scheduled emails |
How to read the charts in Ads Manager
- Go to Ads Manager.
- Click Campaigns, Ad sets or Ads.
- Hover over a row and click View charts to open the insights side pane.
- Switch between the chart tabs below.
| Chart | What it shows |
|---|---|
| Performance | People who click, people reached and overall cost, day by day. Use Customize metrics to change what's plotted |
| Demographics | Results by age group and gender |
| Platform | Results by placement, such as Facebook or Instagram, and by mobile or desktop |
| Delivery | Predicted against delivered reach, impressions and amount spent. Only for reach and frequency ad sets |
How to build a report you'll reuse
Meta's own example is a weekly report on how your ads perform with certain groups of people, emailed to you and your colleagues. The steps follow the same pattern:
- Open Ads Reporting from Ads Manager.
- Create a new report, or start from scratch with a custom report.
- Pick your metrics, then add breakdowns to split results into groups, and filters to narrow it down.
- Sort the table by the metric you care about most.
- Save it, then export, share or schedule it as a recurring email.
Choose metrics that match the ad
The default columns aren't always the right ones. A few examples from Meta's own metric lists:
- Video ads: go to Columns and choose Video engagement for ThruPlays (a play to the end or for at least 15 seconds) and plays at each quarter of the video.
- Event ads: check event responses, but expect the Going and Interested count on the event to be higher, because organic reach adds people who never saw the ad.
- Any campaign: reach is the number of people who saw the ad at least once, and impressions count every time it was on screen.
If your landing page numbers look off, our explainer on setting up conversion tracking for Meta ads covers the tracking that feeds those columns.
Ad relevance diagnostics
Ad relevance diagnostics replaced the old relevance score. They compare each ad with ads competing for the same audience, over the date range you choose:
| Ranking | Compares your ad's |
|---|---|
| Quality ranking | Perceived quality |
| Engagement rate ranking | Expected engagement rate |
| Conversion rate ranking | Expected conversion rate, against ads with the same optimisation goal |
They're default columns in the Performance preset. In a custom preset, add them yourself: Ads tab, Columns, Customize columns, tick the three rankings and Apply. Two limits from Meta: they don't appear for ads with fewer than 500 impressions, and they aren't inputs into the ad auction, so a low ranking is a clue, not a penalty.
To check results on the move, our Ads Manager app guide explains what the phone app can do.
Why your numbers don't always match
| Mismatch | Meta's explanation |
|---|---|
| Ads Manager clicks vs receipt clicks | The number you're charged for can differ from the number Ads Manager shows |
| Amount spent changing | It's an estimate while ads run; results can take up to 48 hours |
| Event responses vs event page total | Organic reach adds responses that didn't come from the ad |
| Carousel video metrics | Video metrics add the videos in the carousel together |
Reports show results while receipts show charges, and our guide to Facebook ads receipts explains how to download them.
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My verdict
Use View charts for a daily glance and Ads Reporting for anything you'll repeat, and schedule one weekly report with the three or four metrics that match your objective rather than every column Meta offers. Leave a day before judging spend. Once you can read the numbers, compare your ads against what good Facebook ads look like to see which creative to change first.
Frequently asked questions
What is Meta Ads Reporting?
It's the reporting area of Meta Ads Manager. Meta says it lets you create, customise, export, share and schedule reports on ad performance.
Can I schedule Facebook ads reports by email?
Yes. Meta gives the example of a weekly report emailed to yourself and your colleagues, set up as a recurring report in Ads Reporting.
Why don't I see quality ranking for my ad?
Meta says ad relevance diagnostics aren't available for ads with fewer than 500 impressions. In custom column presets you also have to add them manually.
Why is my amount spent different from my bill?
While ads are running, amount spent is an estimate, and Meta says results can take up to 48 hours to process. Receipts show what you were charged.
What does the Delivery chart show?
Predicted against delivered reach, impressions and amount spent. Meta says it's only available for reach and frequency ad sets.
