The way to make a Facebook ad mockup is with Meta Creative Hub, Meta's own tool for building ad mockups and previewing them before you spend anything. You add your Page name, media, text, link and call to action, and Creative Hub shows how the ad looks in each placement on mobile and desktop. You don't need design skills, and anyone with a personal Facebook account can create mockups.
The detail to watch: Meta says preview links aren't password protected. Anyone with the link, even people outside your business, can see your ad whether it's published or not. So set the number of days a link stays active, and disable links you no longer need.
What Creative Hub is for
Meta describes Creative Hub as a place for businesses to collaborate on ad mockups and decide how ads look before buying. It names creative agencies, in-house brand teams, media agencies, small business owners who make their own ads, and freelancers such as designers and copywriters as typical users. A mockup, in Meta's glossary, is a creative rendering of a Facebook, Instagram, Messenger or Audience Network ad.
How to create a Facebook ad mockup
- Open Creative Hub and select Create mockup in the top right.
- Give it a clear Ad name so you can find it later.
- Add the Facebook Page name, or the Instagram account, you're designing for.
- Choose Single image or video or Carousel.
- Add your media, text, website URL and call-to-action button. Use Edit image or Edit video to crop or change an asset.
- Check the placement previews on the right, and select any to open the expanded preview and edit it.
Your mockup saves automatically with every edit. Meta warns that some call-to-action buttons don't work with some objectives, so pick one that fits the campaign objective you plan to use. You can create up to 1,000 mockups per ad account.
Editing placements in groups
One of Meta's best practices is to edit similar placements together. Select Edit to change, for example, all the Stories placements at once instead of one by one. You can adjust font colours, change or crop images, erase image backgrounds, and change headlines or links, which makes it easy to try different copy for Stories than for Feed.
How to share a mockup preview
- Open Creative Hub and select More options on your mockup.
- Select Share link.
- Turn on link sharing and set the number of Days active.
- Tick Allow importing to Ads Manager only if you want people to be able to create an ad from it. Meta says this lets anyone on your ad account see it in the Mockups section at the ad level.
- Copy the link, then select Close.
People who already belong to your business portfolio can see your mockups inside Creative Hub without a link.
How to turn a mockup into a real ad
- In Creative Hub, switch on Show in Ads Manager at the top right of the mockup.
- In Ads Manager, build your campaign and ad set as usual until Ad setup at the ad level.
- Select Create ad, then Use Creative Hub mockup.
- Pick your mockup and select Confirm.
You need an ad account role that lets you advertise, such as Advertiser or Admin. Meta lists two objectives that don't support mockups: Engagement with a Facebook Page conversion location, and App promotion using Advantage+ app campaigns. Dynamic creative ads aren't supported either.
Who can do what
| Action | Ad account permission needed |
|---|---|
| Create, view, edit, duplicate, delete and share mockups | Admin, Advertiser or Manage Creative Hub mockups |
| Add or remove mockup collaborators | Admin or Advertiser |
| Create ads from mockups | Admin or Advertiser |
Advanced features, like managing permissions, need a business portfolio, and only people with full control of the portfolio can manage them.
Mockups are only as good as the idea inside them. For inspiration, look at my carousel ad swipe file and my breakdown of what good Facebook ads look like.
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Meta's best practices for Creative Hub
- Use distinctive ad names so you can pick the right mockup from the home page without scrolling through similar ones.
- Invite collaborators to a mockup. Meta says this speeds up approval, because colleagues and clients see exactly how the idea looks on desktop and mobile.
- Join a business portfolio to get the advanced features, such as managing creative permissions.
- Send finished mockups to Ads Manager so nobody has to rebuild the ad or email creative to an agency, which Meta says reduces the chance of mistakes.
My verdict
If you're showing an ad to a client, a boss or a co-founder before it runs, Creative Hub beats a screenshot in a slide every time, because they see the real placements. Name every mockup clearly, keep preview links short-lived, and switch on Show in Ads Manager when it's approved so nobody has to rebuild the ad by hand.
Ad agencies and resellers who also place articles for clients can look into white label guest blogging for resellers.
Frequently asked questions
How do I make a Facebook ad mockup?
Use Meta Creative Hub. Select Create mockup, add your Page name, media, text, URL and call to action, then check the placement previews.
Do I need a business account to use Creative Hub?
No. Meta says anyone with a personal Facebook account can create and edit mockups in Creative Hub, and you don't need design skills. Some advanced features need a business portfolio.
How many mockups can I create?
Meta says you can create up to 1,000 mockups per ad account.
Are Creative Hub preview links private?
No. Meta says preview links aren't password protected, so anyone with the link can see your ad, published or not. Set Days active and disable old links.
Can I turn a mockup into a Facebook ad?
Yes. Switch on Show in Ads Manager on the mockup, then in Ads Manager select Create ad and Use Creative Hub mockup at the ad setup step.
