How to Start Advertising a Startup with Paid Ads

Advertising a startup with paid ads can feel overwhelming—too many platforms, too little budget, and too much noise. But when done right, it’s one of the fastest ways to generate early traction, test your messaging, and drive real growth.

In this guide, you’ll learn how to match the right ad strategy to your startup’s goals, stage, and audience. We’ll walk you through the essentials of budget, creative, targeting, and channel selection.

Advertising a startup with paid ads: what it actually means

Advertising a startup with paid ads means using paid digital media platforms (like Meta, Google, TikTok, and LinkedIn) to drive specific actions—signups, demo bookings, purchases, or app installs.

It’s not about “going viral.” It’s about buying attention strategically and profitably.

You don’t need:

• A massive budget
• A full-time team
• A perfect funnel

You do need:

• A clear goal
• One strong offer
• Basic tracking setup (GA4, Meta Pixel, etc.)

Step 1: Match your goal to your ad strategy

Different goals need different campaigns.

Goal	Recommended Platform	Campaign Type
Build a waitlist	Meta, TikTok	Lead generation
Drive app installs	Meta, Google App	Mobile app installs
Book demos	LinkedIn, Meta	Conversion-focused
Sell product	Google, Meta	Shopping / sales

Pro Tip: Don’t run ads without knowing what success looks like (e.g. 100 signups, €10 CAC, 2% CVR).

Step 2: Choose the right platforms

Different platforms excel at different parts of the funnel:

• Meta (Facebook & Instagram): Broad reach, cheap testing, great for cold audiences
• Google Ads: High intent, perfect for people already searching
• LinkedIn: B2B targeting by job title or company size
• TikTok: Best for low-fi, visual storytelling (especially pre-launch)

Note: You don’t need to be everywhere. Start with one or two platforms that best align with your audience.

Step 3: Build ads that convert

Startup ad creative doesn’t need to be fancy—but it must be clear, scroll-stopping, and tailored to the platform.

Checklist for high-performing ad creative:

• ✋ Hook in first 3 seconds (especially for video)
• ✋ Clear value proposition (what’s in it for them?)
• ✋ Visuals sized correctly for platform
• ✋ A single, strong CTA

Step 4: Budget realistically

You don’t need a massive budget to start advertising a startup with paid ads. But you do need enough to run a real test:

• Minimum test budget: €300–€500
• Expect to test: 2–3 visuals, 2 copy variants, one CTA
• Initial time window: 5–7 days per campaign round

Goal: Learn fast, don’t scale blindly.

Step 5: Track performance from day one

Performance marketing for startups is only useful if you can measure it.

Set up basic tracking:

• GA4 + Google Tag Manager
• Meta Pixel or TikTok Pixel
• LinkedIn Insight Tag

Track:

• CAC (Cost per Acquisition)
• CVR (Conversion Rate)
• ROAS (Return on Ad Spend)

Insight: Even early signals (click-through rate, landing page bounce) help you optimise. Don’t wait for hundreds of conversions to learn.

How Bulbul helps with advertising a startup with paid ads

At Bulbul, we help startups go from idea to live campaign in under 2 weeks with the Ad Campaign Pack.

You get:

• Full creative production (video + static)
• Platform-native copy and formats
• Campaign setup, targeting, and pixel tracking
• Ongoing performance support

Whether you’re launching your first ads or optimising after a failed test, we help you advertise smarter.

👉 Explore the Ad Campaign Pack

Bulbul is an official HubSpot Solutions Provider. [badge_photo]

FAQ: Advertising a startup with paid ads

What is the best platform to advertise a startup?

It depends on your goal. Use Meta or TikTok to build awareness; Google or LinkedIn to capture demand.

How much should I spend?

Start with €300–€500. It’s enough to test multiple ad creatives and copy without overcommitting.

Should I start ads before product-market fit?

Only to test positioning or get early interest. Don’t expect profitability yet.

What if I tried ads and they didn’t work?

Review your goal, offer, creative, and targeting. Paid ads fail fast—which is a good thing when you’re ready to learn.

---

• Tags:
• ad campaign pack