What are Messenger ads?
Messenger ads come in two forms. Ads in the Messenger Stories placement appear in people's stories on Messenger and extend Facebook and Instagram Stories campaigns. Ads that click to Messenger run in other placements and open a Messenger conversation with your business when tapped. Both can be built in Ads Manager, and Advantage+ placements include Messenger Stories for compatible objectives.
Messenger is both a place your ads can appear and a place your ads can send people. As a placement, Meta offers Messenger Stories, which sits alongside Facebook and Instagram Stories. As a destination, ads elsewhere can open a Messenger chat with your Page, where you continue the conversation through live chat or an automated flow.
Where do Messenger ads appear?
Meta’s placement list includes Messenger Stories in its “stories, status and reels” group, where your ads appear in people’s stories on Messenger. Meta says ads delivered to Messenger Stories can increase the reach of your Instagram Stories and Facebook Stories campaigns.
Ads that click to Messenger are different: they are shown on Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp placements, and a tap opens Messenger with your welcome message.
| Messenger ad type | Where people see it | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| Messenger Stories placement | In people’s stories on Messenger | Shows your image or video ad |
| Ads that click to Messenger | Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp | Opens a Messenger conversation with your business |
How do you run ads in Messenger Stories?
- Go to Ads Manager, click + Create and choose an objective.
- Pick website, app or messaging apps as the conversion location, unless you chose Awareness.
- Keep Advantage+ placements on; Meta includes Messenger Stories for compatible objectives.
- To edit placements, open Show more settings and tick Messenger Stories.
- Choose your Facebook Page or Instagram account under Identity.
- Select single image or video, add media, text and a call to action, then publish.
Meta says you can also choose the flexible format if your objective is App promotion or Sales, and use Stories templates to turn creative into a vertical animation.
Which objectives work for ads that click to Messenger?
Meta lists four: Traffic sends people to a Messenger conversation, Engagement reaches people more likely to reply, Leads collects leads in Messenger, and Sales reaches people more likely to buy in Messenger or is used when you track events with a Meta Pixel. You set up a message template with conversation prompts, an automated question flow or a customised experience.
How do you measure Messenger ads?
Meta says insights for Messenger placements are the same as for other Facebook campaigns, such as how many people saw or clicked your ad. To see a single placement, use the Breakdown: Placement column in Ads Manager, which shows figures such as reach, results and impressions.
FAQ
Can I message anyone who saw my Messenger ad?
No. Meta says a customer must interact with your business first, for example by commenting on your Page’s post, clicking an ad that opens Messenger, or opting in to receive your messages, before you can start communicating with them in Messenger. Clicking an ad that clicks to Messenger counts as that interaction.
How do I keep people from blocking my Page in Messenger?
Meta’s block-rate advice is to give context before the conversation starts, with a call to action that says clearly that clicking opens Messenger. It also suggests letting people opt out, testing messages on a small sample first, and focusing on people who recently messaged your Page or are likely to buy again.
Are Messenger ads available in every country?
Not fully. Meta says certain messaging-related metrics, ad campaigns and organic messaging features for businesses and ads delivered to and from Europe and Japan are unavailable. Check which options Ads Manager offers you before planning a Messenger campaign for those regions.
Sources
- Create ads to be delivered to Messenger Stories (Meta, checked 2 Oct 2026)
- About insights for Messenger placements (Meta, checked 2 Oct 2026)
- About ad placements across Meta technologies (Meta, checked 2 Oct 2026)
- Create ads that click to Messenger in Meta Ads Manager (Meta, checked 2 Oct 2026)
- Create ads that click to Messenger from your Facebook Page (Meta, checked 2 Oct 2026)
- About ads that click to message on Meta technologies (Meta, checked 2 Oct 2026)
- About Messenger for business (Meta, checked 2 Oct 2026)
- Troubleshoot your Messenger block rate (Meta, checked 2 Oct 2026)
Drafted with AI and checked claim by claim against the pages linked under Sources. Found a mistake? Tell us via the corrections policy.