Facebook Ads Proposal Example: What to Include

A Facebook ads proposal should include the client's goal, an audit of where their account stands today, research on what competitors are running, your strategy, a creative plan, an illustrative budget split, KPIs, a timeline, how you will report, and your pricing and terms. The best proposals I have sent read less like a sales pitch and more like the first week of the work, already done.

What should a Facebook ads proposal include?

Ten sections, in roughly this order. Each one answers a question the client is silently asking.

How do you open the proposal with the goal?

Restate the client's goal in one sentence, in their language, with a number if they gave you one. "Grow online sales of the spring collection while keeping the cost of each new customer below what it is today." Then add two or three lines of context: who they sell to, what they sell, what they have tried.

I also name one primary metric at this stage. Not five. One, with the others as supporting signals.

What goes in the audit of the current state?

If the client already runs ads, ask for view access to their ad account before you write anything. Look at account structure, tracking, creative volume, how long ads have been running, and the gap between what Ads Manager reports and what their store or CRM says.

If they have never advertised, audit what they have instead: their website, offer, product pages, organic social and reviews. An ad can only sell what the landing page can close.

Keep the findings short and specific. Three to five issues, each with a one-line consequence. "Pixel fires on every page but no purchase event is set up, so Meta cannot optimise for sales." Our Facebook ads audit checklist has the full list I work through.

How do you add competitor ad research to a proposal?

This is the section that wins the deal in my experience.

Here is how I build it:

1. Pick three to five competitors. The ones the client named, plus one smaller brand they have not noticed. If you found this prospect through the Ad Library, as in our guide to finding clients with the Meta Ad Library, half of this is done.
2. Look each one up in the free Meta Ad Library at facebook.com/ads/library. Search by Page name, pick the right country, and keep "All ads" selected.
3. Note how many ads each brand is running and which formats dominate: video, static image or carousel.
4. Check the Started running on date on each ad. Ads that have been live for months are the ones the advertiser keeps paying for, which is the closest thing to a performance signal the library gives you. It shows no spend or engagement numbers for normal ads.
5. Group the long-running ads into two to four patterns, such as "founder talking to camera", "before and after slideshow" or "price-anchored offer".

For the proposal itself, I download the actual ads instead of relying on links, because ads disappear from the library when the advertiser stops them. I use our free extension, the Meta Ad Library downloader, to save the videos and full carousels. If you have not done this before, our guide to downloading Facebook Ad Library videos walks through it.

Put screenshots or stills in the document, labelled with the pattern and how long it has been running. Then write one sentence per pattern on what the client should do about it. We cover how to lay this out for a client in how to present a competitor ad audit.

A note on reuse: you are showing the client the angle to borrow, not ads to copy. Competitor creatives belong to the competitor. This is general guidance, not legal advice.

What should the strategy section say?

The strategy section explains the plan in plain language. Which campaigns you will run, who they target, and why that structure fits the goal.

A typical shape for an ecommerce client is a prospecting campaign to find new buyers, a retargeting layer for visitors and engaged audiences, and a testing lane where new creative gets proved before it scales. For a service business, it might be a lead or messaging campaign plus retargeting.

What goes in the creative plan?

Creative is the biggest performance lever on Meta, so give it its own section. List the angles you plan to test first, which ones came from the competitor research, and the formats for each.

Then answer the practical question every client has: who makes the ads? If you produce them, say how many per month. If the client supplies footage or photos, say what you need and by when. A slow supply of creative caps results, and it is better to say that now than in month three.

How should you show the budget split?

As an illustration, not a promise. Show the split as proportions of whatever monthly budget the client chooses, and label it clearly as a starting point that will shift once data comes in.

There are no exact percentages here because the right split depends on the account's size, history and audience.

Also say who pays Meta. The cleanest setup is the client's card on the client's ad account. Our post on how to run Facebook ads for clients explains why that protects both sides.

Which KPIs belong in the proposal?

One primary KPI tied to the goal, plus a few supporting ones. For ecommerce, that might be cost per purchase or return on ad spend as primary, with click-through rate, cost per click and conversion rate as supporting. For lead generation, cost per qualified lead matters more than cost per lead.

Be explicit about which numbers come from Ads Manager and which come from the client's own systems. They will not match, and agreeing up front which one counts prevents most arguments later. Our Meta ads KPIs explained post defines each metric.

What timeline should you promise?

A phased one, without guaranteed results. I break it into setup and tracking, an initial testing and learning period, then optimisation and scaling once winners emerge.

Name the learning period honestly. New campaigns need time and budget to stabilise, and results in the first weeks are often worse than later. If the client knows this in advance, the first report is a progress update rather than a crisis call.

How do you describe reporting?

Say how often, in what format, and what it will contain. Weekly short updates and a monthly report with a call is a common rhythm. Show a sample page if you have one. Our Facebook ads report template is a starting point.

How do you present pricing and terms?

There are three common models, and each changes your incentives in a way the client may notice.

Percentage of ad spend. Your fee scales with the budget. It is simple and grows as the account grows, but it can look like you benefit from spending more, so be ready to explain why your incentive is still aligned with results.

Flat monthly retainer. A fixed fee for a defined scope. Predictable for both sides and not tied to spend.

Hybrid or performance-linked. A base fee plus a bonus tied to an agreed outcome. Attractive, but only workable when both sides trust the same measurement.

Many agencies also add a one-off setup fee for tracking and account build, and some set a minimum term. Whatever you choose, state it plainly with no hidden extras.

Terms should cover the notice period, who owns what, how access is removed at the end, and that campaigns are handed over paused rather than deleted.

What does a sample proposal outline look like?

Here is the outline I start from. Swap in the client's details and cut what does not apply.

FAQ

What should a Facebook ads proposal include?

It should include the goal, an audit of the current state, competitor ad research, strategy, a creative plan, an illustrative budget split, KPIs, a timeline, reporting and pricing with terms. Each section should answer a specific question the client has before signing.

How long should a Facebook ads proposal be?

Eight to ten pages covers most clients. A small local business may only need four or five, while a larger brand may want a separate appendix for the audit and competitor research.

How do agencies price Facebook ads management?

The common models are a percentage of ad spend, a flat monthly retainer, or a hybrid with a performance bonus. Many add a one-off setup fee for tracking and account build.

Should I include competitor ads in a proposal?

Yes. Real ads from the free Meta Ad Library are often the most persuasive part of a proposal. Show patterns from ads that have run for a long time and present them as angles to learn from, not creatives to copy.

What KPIs belong in a Facebook ads proposal?

One primary KPI tied to the goal, such as cost per purchase or cost per qualified lead, plus a few supporting metrics. State which numbers come from Ads Manager and which from the client's own systems.