Beginner’s Guide: Set Up Meta & TikTok Lead Generation Ads

We’ll start from zero knowledge, assuming you’ve never run a paid advertisement before.

Our example will be KOLHUB attracting brands that need influencer marketing services. The goal is to get companies to submit their contact details so your BD team can approach them.

First, understand how ads work

There are three basic levels in an advertising campaign:

Part 1 – Set up Meta Ads (Facebook & Instagram)

We’ll start with Meta because one campaign can advertise across both Facebook and Instagram.

Step 1. Open Meta Ads Manager

1. Go to Meta Ads Manager.

2. Log in using your Facebook account.

3. If this is your first time, follow the prompts to set up a business advertising account.

4. Select Malaysia, MYR currency and Kuala Lumpur time zone.

5. Connect your business Facebook Page and Instagram account, and add your payment method.

Make sure you have administrator permissions and use your company’s business assets rather than creating everything under a personal brand account.

Step 2. Create your first campaign

In Ads Manager, find the Create button.

Click it, and look for the campaign objective options.

For your first test, use:

You may see extra Advantage+ audience or targeting settings. You can leave most of those at their defaults for your first test.

Step 4. Set a safe testing budget

For example, start with RM30–RM50 per day on Meta, subject to the minimum the platform displays.

At RM50/day for seven days, your planned media spend is RM350 before applicable taxes or fees. A daily budget may not be spent evenly on every individual day, so watch the total spend closely.

Step 5. Create the actual advertisement

At the Ad level:

1. Select KOLHUB’s Facebook Page and Instagram identity.

2. Choose a single image or video.

3. Upload your creative.

4. Insert the primary text and headline.

5. Choose a CTA such as Get Quote or Learn More.

Example headline:

Looking for Influencers to Grow Your Brand?

Example primary text:

“Planning your next marketing campaign? KOLHUB helps brands with influencer selection, campaign management, TikTok Shop and affiliate marketing. Submit your enquiry to explore a tailored proposal.”

Step 6. Create a lead form

Find Instant Form → Create Form.

Choose Higher Intent if available, then insert the following:

Use a legitimate company privacy policy URL and explain how the contact data will be used. Add a thank-you message, for example: “Thank you! Our team will review your enquiry and get in touch.”

Higher Intent forms add an extra confirmation step, which can help screen out accidental submissions.

Step 7. Preview and publish

Before clicking Publish, check your ad appearance, form questions, spelling, budget, dates, business identity and payment settings.

Clicking Publish submits the ads for Meta’s review and may lead to spending once approved and scheduled. If you are not ready to spend, save as draft instead.

Part 2 – Set up TikTok Ads

Step 1. Open TikTok Ads Manager

Visit TikTok Ads Manager.

Sign up or log in, complete your business and advertising account information, and set up billing.

Step 2. Create the campaign

Go to Campaigns → Create and choose Lead Generation as the objective.

Name the campaign KOLHUB | Lead Generation | TikTok | Oct 2026.

Step 3. Create an ad group

In the ad group settings, choose Instant Form as your optimisation location.

Start with Malaysia as the location and a broad audience. Use age 25–44 as an initial hypothesis for B2B prospects, then refine based on actual lead quality.

Set your daily budget and start/end dates.

Important: TikTok’s published minimums are above USD20 per day for an ad group and above USD50 at campaign level when using a campaign budget. The platform will show the applicable thresholds in your account. So the RM30–RM50 Meta test budget cannot simply be copied across to TikTok.

TikTok Ads Manager

Step 4. Upload a video

Prepare one short, vertical 9:16 video (ideally 15–30 seconds for this initial creative test).

Example structure: a strong problem-based hook, an explanation of KOLHUB’s service, a proof point if you have an approved case study, and a CTA asking brands to enquire.

Step 5. Build the lead form

At the Ad level, under Destination, choose Create for a new Instant Form.

Use the Lead Qualification Form template or a simple form, add your contact fields and qualification questions, and set the form type to Higher Intent where supported.

Then add your privacy policy URL, customise the thank-you page, and select Complete. TikTok states that completed forms cannot be directly edited, although they can be duplicated for changes.

TikTok Ads Manager

Step 6. Review and publish

Preview the video, CTA and form. Check your campaign budget, schedule, and payment account before publishing.

TikTok’s official instructions confirm this flow: Campaigns → Create → Lead Generation → Ad Group with Instant Form → attach or create form at Ad level