How to Share a Facebook Ad Link
Trying to send a specific Facebook ad to a client or teammate? Getting a direct, shareable link to an ad post is incredibly useful for gathering feedback, getting approvals, or just showing off your work. This guide will walk you through the exact steps to grab that link, whether it's for one of your own ads or one you found from a competitor.
Why Share a Facebook Ad Link Anyway?
Before jumping into the "how," it's helpful to understand the "why." You’re not just sharing a link, you’re sharing a specific piece of creative for a specific purpose. Most people share ad links for a few key reasons:
Client Approvals: Agencies and freelancers constantly need to get a client’s sign-off before a campaign goes live. Sending a live preview link is far more professional and effective than a cropped screenshot. It allows the client to see the ad exactly as a user would, with the full copy, creative, and call-to-action button.
Team Collaboration & Feedback: Maybe you want a copywriter to review your ad text, or a designer to gut-check the visuals. A direct link allows your team to see the final ad in its natural environment and provide more contextual feedback.
Competitor Analysis: Did you spot a brilliant ad from a competitor that you want to save or share with your team for inspiration? The Facebook Ad Library lets you find competitor ads and grab their direct links to study their strategy, messaging, and creative approach.
Building a Swipe File: Marketers often keep a "swipe file" - a collection of great ads for inspiration. Saving the direct links allows you to revisit them later to spark ideas for your next campaign.
Method 1: How to Share a Link to Your Own Ad
This is the most common use case: you’ve built an ad inside Facebook Ads Manager and you need to share it. The process is straightforward and takes less than a minute once you know where to look.
Step 1: Navigate to Meta Ads Manager
First, log in to your Facebook account and head over to the Meta Ads Manager. This is the central hub for all your ad campaigns, ad sets, and individual ads.
Step 2: Locate the Specific Ad You Want to Share
Use the navigation panel on the left to select the correct ad account. Then, navigate to the ad level by clicking on the "Ads" tab (it usually has an icon that looks like a paper airplane). This will show you a list of all your individual ads.
You can use the search bar or filters to quickly find the exact ad if you have many running. Once you've located it, simply hover your mouse over the ad's name.
Step 3: Open the Ad Preview
When you hover over the ad name, a few options will appear underneath. Click on the "Preview" button. A new window will pop up, showing you how your ad looks in different placements (like the Facebook Feed, Instagram Stories, etc.). This preview screen is where the magic happens.
Step 4: Generate the Shareable Link
This is the final and most important step. In the top right corner of the Preview window, you'll see a “Share” button with a small arrow icon. Click on it. This will open a dropdown menu with several options. You're looking for one specific option: "Share a link."
After clicking "Share a link," Meta will generate a unique URL. A toggle switch allows you to control how long the link remains active - you can set it to expire in 30 days or turn the toggle off to make it last longer. Click the blue "Copy" button, and you're done! You now have a direct, shareable link to your ad preview.
Alternative: Getting the Direct Post Link
Sometimes, the preview link isn’t quite what you need. If your ad is already active and gathering comments or shares, you might want to share the actual, live Facebook post. Here’s how:
In the Ad Preview window, click the "Share" icon again.
This time, select "Facebook Post with Comments."
This will open the live ad post in a new browser tab. The URL in your browser's address bar is the permanent, shareable link to that specific ad post. Just copy and paste it anywhere you like.
This method is perfect for showing clients or team members the social proof (likes, comments, etc.) the ad has already received.
Method 2: How to Find and Share a Competitor's Ad Link
Don't want to share your own ad? No problem. Snooping on competitors to see what kind of ads they're running is a smart marketing tactic, and Facebook makes it easy with their Ad Library.
Step 1: Go to the Meta Ad Library
Navigate to the Meta Ad Library. This is a publicly accessible, searchable database of every ad currently running across Meta’s platforms (Facebook, Instagram, Messenger, etc.). No login required.
Step 2: Search for the Page You Want to Analyze
Choose an ad category (e.g., All Ads) and use the search bar to type in the name of the brand or company whose ads you want to see. Select their official Facebook Page from the drop-down list to proceed.
Step 3: Filter and Find the Ad
The library will now display all the ads that page is currently running. You can use the filter options to narrow down the results by country, platform (Facebook, Instagram, etc.), and media type (image, video, carousel). Scroll through the results until you find an ad you’re interested in.
Step 4: Share the Ad Link
Once you’ve found an interesting ad, you have two quick ways to share it:
Method A: Copy Ad Link. In the top-right corner of the ad's card, click the three small dots (...). A small menu will appear with the option to "Copy ad link." This will copy a direct link to that specific permutation of the ad right to your clipboard.
Method B: Get the Post Permalink. Click on "See ad details" on the ad card. This opens a dedicated view for the ad. From there, you can often find options to open the post directly on Facebook or Instagram. This gives you a permalink that’s clean and easily shareable.
What's Included in a Shared Ad Link? (And What's Not)
When you share an ad link, it's crucial to know what the other person will see. Think of it as sharing a live snapshot of the ad's creative.
What They Will See
The Creative: The image, video, carousel, or graphic asset being used.
The Ad Copy: The full primary text, headline, and description.
The CTA Button: The call-to-action, such as "Shop Now" or "Learn More."
Social Proof (if applicable): If you share the direct post link for an active ad, they'll see the likes, comments, and shares.
What They Will Not See
This is just as important. Sharing an ad link does not reveal its backend performance or strategy. The link will never show:
Performance Metrics: No data on clicks, cost per click (CPC), conversions, or return on ad spend (ROAS).
Targeting Information: The audience demographics, interests, or location settings.
Budget and Bidding: No details on daily/lifetime budgets or the bid strategy.
The shared link is strictly for reviewing the creative content of the ad, not its performance or setup.
Final Thoughts
Sharing a Facebook ad link is a simple way to collaborate with your team, get client approvals, or analyze the competition. Whether grabbing a link from your Ads Manager or snooping through the Ad Library, it only takes a few steps to get a direct view of the creative in its natural habitat.
Manually sharing ad links is great for one-off creative reviews, but when it comes to seeing the real story, you need to understand performance. We built Graphed because we believe analyzing that performance shouldn't be so hard. Instead of just seeing the creative, you can connect your Facebook Ads account in seconds and create live dashboards showing exactly which campaigns, ad sets, and creatives are actually driving results - all by using simple, natural language.