A lot of artists ask how to run ads on their own. Here's a safe setup that works if you're new and want to test ads without wasting money.
From 10+ years in advertising, millions spent across campaigns, and $150,000+ invested in tattoo ads since launching Bonehead Digital.
Full transparency: There's a lot more that goes into the campaigns Bonehead Digital runs for clients. But this setup gives you a real shot at results without needing crazy experience or a huge budget.
The main focus here is consistency. Meta wants you to get results. It doesn't know what a booked tattoo looks like. It only knows clicks, views, and DMs.
This tutorial will show you the beginner-safe setup that lets Meta learn your audience properly without burning through your budget in a week.
This method requires patience. You're teaching Meta's algorithm who your ideal clients are. That takes time. If you want immediate results or don't have 60 days to test, contact Bonehead Digital for the done-for-you option or follow us on Instagram @boneheadtattoomarketing for more free tips.
Want expert help instead?
Learn about our Instagram Ads service or
explore our Meta Ads packages
Follow these five steps exactly if you're testing Instagram ads for the first time.
If you're new, stay away from every CTA except Traffic.
Here's why:
Pick Traffic. That's it.
Leave everything open. Only set your city. That's the one thing you must lock in.
Don't mess with:
Meta will find your crowd over time. Trust the algorithm to learn who engages with your work. Your only constraint is geography—you want people in your city who can actually come get tattooed.
Keep it evergreen. No deadlines. No guest spot dates. No limited offers.
This method needs time. Use a simple collage of your sickest tattoos. Show your best work. Make it clean and professional.
Why evergreen? Because you're running this for 60 days. Time-sensitive offers create pressure to constantly update ads, which resets your learning. An evergreen collage can run indefinitely.
We handle all ad creative, targeting, and optimization so you can focus on tattooing.
Get a free consultation or follow @boneheadtattoomarketing on Instagram
Keep it simple. Style, location, and a call to action.
Example:
"Black and grey realism tattoos in [Your City]. DM to book your custom piece."
That's it. Don't overthink this. You're not writing a novel. Tell people what you do, where you are, and how to contact you.
This is where most artists mess up.
They decide to try $300 on ads, set it for a week, and expect results. The first three days sit in the learning phase, so only four days of spend go toward the real work. Meta never gets enough time to find your audience. You get random clicks and nothing more.
If you want to test ads with $300, run $5 per day for 60 days.
Same spend. Better outcome.
By the end, the people landing on your page will be far closer to your real target audience.
The difference between wasting money and actually getting results.
$300 for 7 days
$43/day budget
3 days learning phase (wasted)
4 days of actual optimization
Random clicks, no pattern, poor results
$300 for 60 days
$5/day budget
3 days learning phase
57 days of optimization and learning
Qualified traffic, clear patterns, real results
Our campaigns are optimized from day one with 10+ years of experience and $150K+ in tattoo ad spend.
Contact us today |
Learn about our lead generation |
Follow @boneheadtattoomarketing
How Meta learns to find your ideal clients over 60 days.
The algorithm learns who engages with your ad, who spends time on your page, and who shows real interest in your work.
Over time, Meta learns the type of people who want your content—their demographics, behaviors, and interests.
Pulls you out of the cycle of the same crowd seeing your posts. You get new eyes on your work beyond your existing followers.
More locals seeing your page means more people in your city know you exist and what you're capable of.
With more qualified local traffic seeing your work, you create more chances for real bookings and consultations.
It takes time, but it works. This is the foundation for scalable, consistent growth—not quick hits that burn out.
This basic setup works, but there's a lot more that goes into the campaigns Bonehead Digital runs for clients. If you want expert management so you can focus on tattooing, here's what we do differently.
We go beyond basic city targeting with layered audience strategies, retargeting, lookalike audiences, and continuous optimization based on performance data.
We optimize your ad creative for maximum engagement—testing different formats, copy variations, and calls to action to find what works best.
Once we've gathered data, we layer in engagement campaigns, conversion campaigns, and retargeting to maximize your ROI at every stage.
Daily monitoring and adjustments based on what's working. Budget allocation, creative refresh, audience expansion—all handled for you.
You keep posting your tattoos as usual. We handle everything else. Zero extra work on your end.
Millions spent across campaigns. $150,000+ in tattoo-specific ad spend. We know what works and what doesn't. See our work on Instagram or visit our website.
If you want someone who has run successful tattoo ads for a long time to handle it all for you, contact Bonehead Digital. Focus on tattooing—we'll handle the marketing.
Follow us on Instagram: @boneheadtattoomarketing for free tattoo marketing tips daily