When an ad set shows Not Delivering, Facebook has stopped serving your ads. No impressions, no spend, no data—full stop. In 2024 Meta reported that 11% of all paused or inactive campaigns moved into a Not Delivering state primarily because of audience and budget mis-alignment.
Typical Symptoms
| Symptom | Metric Impacted | Why It Matters |
|---|---|---|
| 0 impressions for 12 h+ | Cost per impression Facebook skyrockets to infinity | You’re paying for nothing |
| < 0.10% CTR | Below-industry Facebook ad CTR average of 0.90% | Algorithm deprioritises your ad |
| No conversions for 2 days | Facebook ads conversion rate stuck at 0% | Loss of learning phase |
Top 6 Reasons Your Ads Stop Delivering
Facebook advertising costs are rising fast: in 2024 the average US CPM hit $4.29, almost four times the worldwide baseline. Advertisers who bid below market rate are far more likely to see a ‘Not Delivering’ status
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Audience Too Small
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Ads exit the learning phase with fewer than 500 impressions.
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Facebook ads cost per 1000 impressions jumps 35% when audience size < 1 k.
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Budget or Bid Too Low
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Campaigns bidding 20% below the recommended range enter limited delivery within 24 h.
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Overlapping Ad Sets
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Internal benchmark: 1 in 4 ad accounts waste impressions on overlap, depressing Facebook ad click through rate.
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Disapproved Creative or Copy
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7% of all new creatives are flagged by Meta’s Brand Safety filter.
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Exhausted Frequency Cap
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Ads capped at 1 impression/day lost 42% reach compared with dynamic caps.
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Optimization/Event Mis-Match
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Choosing “Purchase” for a top-funnel audience extends the learning phase by 3×.
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How to Diagnose the Problem
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Check Delivery Insights
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Navigate to Ads → Columns → Delivery and sort by Status.
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Review Learning Phase
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If still in learning after 50 events, duplicate the ad set.
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Inspect Audience Overlap
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In Audience Manager, select two audiences → click “Show Overlap.” Anything > 30% warrants consolidation.
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Validate Bids and Budgets
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Compare your daily budget to Meta’s suggested range. Aim for at least 10× your target CPA.
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Examine Ad Quality Diagnostics
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Low Quality, Engagement, or Conversion rankings each add ~15% CPM.
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5 Actionable Fixes
| Fix | Expected Result | Key Metric |
|---|---|---|
| Expand or merge audiences to > 10 k people | Restores impressions within 2–6 h | Ad impressions Facebook |
| Increase budget/bid by 20% for 48 h | Exits limited delivery 83% of the time | Average cost per click Facebook |
| Use Campaign Budget Optimization (CBO) | Reduces overlap; boosts facebook ad CTR what is good benchmark by 18% | CTR |
| Refresh creative every 7 days | Cuts frequency inflation; lifts conversions 12% | Conversion Rate |
| Switch optimization event to mid-funnel (Add-to-Cart) | Shortens learning phase by 40% | Facebook ads conversion rate |
Pro-Tip: Aim for a good CTR on Facebook ads — around 1.0–1.5% in 2025. Anything below signals relevance issues.
Quick Checklist Before Relaunch
Facebook remains the go-to paid channel: 93% of marketers rely on it today, and two-thirds plan to spend even more in the next 12 months. Eliminating ‘Not Delivering’ downtime protects that growing budget
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Audience ≥ 10 k, overlap < 30%
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Budget ≥ 10× target CPA
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At least three ad creatives per ad set
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Frequency cap aligned with funnel stage
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Pixel events firing correctly
Conclusion
A stalled campaign isn’t the end of the road. By systematically auditing audiences, budgets, bids, and creative, you can revive delivery, push industry benchmark CTR levels upward, and drive profitable growth. Keep a close eye on CTR Facebook, cost per impression Facebook, and conversions—the trio that tells you whether the fix worked.
Keep Learning with LeadEnforce
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When Your Audience Is Too Small… — discover clever ways to scale smartly without blowing your budget.
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Facebook Ad Mistakes – All You Should Know about — a deep dive into the most common pitfalls that derail performance.
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How to Use the Facebook Attribution Tool to Optimize Your Facebook Ad Performance — master attribution and unlock hidden ROAS.
