Key Concepts

Before you dive into creating campaigns, understanding these core concepts will help you work more efficiently in Whathead. This guide explains the essential terminology and mental models you’ll use every day.

Campaign Builder

The Campaign Builder is your visual workspace where you create and manage advertising campaigns. Think of it as a canvas where you build campaign structures using connected nodes. What you can do:

Create new campaigns from scratch
Import existing campaigns from connected platforms
Edit campaign structures visually
Manage multiple campaigns simultaneously
Copy campaigns between platforms or accounts

The Campaign Builder replaces the need to navigate through multiple screens in platform portals. Everything you need is on one canvas.

The Campaign Builder auto-saves your work. You can leave and come back anytime without losing progress.

Nodes

Nodes are the visual building blocks on your Campaign Builder canvas. Each node represents a campaign entity: a campaign, ad set (or ad group/ad squad), or ad. Node types:

Campaign Node - The top-level container that defines objectives and budgets
Ad Set Node - The middle tier that defines targeting and scheduling (called “Ad Group” on TikTok, “Ad Squad” on Snapchat)
Ad Node - The bottom tier that contains your creative content and messaging

Nodes connect to each other to form a hierarchy. You click on a node to edit its settings, and you can drag nodes to rearrange them on the canvas.

Nodes show visual indicators for their status: green checkmarks mean ready to publish, red warnings mean validation errors need fixing.

Campaign Hierarchy

All advertising platforms use a three-tier hierarchy, but they use different names for the middle tier. Understanding this structure is essential because it determines how your campaigns are organized.

Meta
TikTok
Snapchat
Google

Meta (Facebook/Instagram) uses:

Campaign
└── Ad Set
    └── Ad

Campaign - Sets the objective (Sales, Traffic, Awareness) and campaign budget
Ad Set - Defines targeting, placements, schedule, and ad set budget
Ad - Contains creative (images/videos), copy, and destination URL

Meta allows both campaign-level and ad set-level budgeting. You choose which level controls spending.

TikTok uses:

Campaign
└── Ad Group
    └── Ad

Campaign - Sets the objective and campaign budget
Ad Group - Defines targeting, placements, schedule, and ad group budget
Ad - Contains creative (videos), copy, and destination URL

TikTok calls the middle tier “Ad Group” instead of “Ad Set”, but it serves the same purpose.

Snapchat uses:

Campaign
└── Ad Squad
    └── Ad

Campaign - Sets the objective and campaign budget
Ad Squad - Defines targeting, placements, schedule, and ad squad budget
Ad - Contains creative (images/videos), copy, and destination URL

Snapchat calls the middle tier “Ad Squad”. In Whathead, you’ll see “Ad Set” in the interface, but it creates Ad Squads on Snapchat.

Google Ads uses:

Campaign
└── Ad Group
    └── Ad

Campaign - Sets the campaign type, objective, and budget
Ad Group - Defines targeting (keywords, audiences), bids, and ad group settings
Ad - Contains creative (text, images, videos), copy, and destination URL

Google uses “Ad Group” like TikTok. Google campaigns also include additional elements like keywords and extensions.

Why this matters:

You must follow the hierarchy - ads must be inside ad sets, ad sets must be inside campaigns
Each level inherits settings from the level above (e.g., ad sets inherit objectives from campaigns)
You cannot connect campaigns with different objectives to the same ad set
Understanding the hierarchy helps you plan campaign structures before building

Connecting multiple campaigns with different objectives to one ad set node will fail validation. Ad sets inherit optimization goals from their parent campaign.

Portal System

A Portal is Whathead’s term for a connected advertising platform. When you connect Meta, TikTok, Snapchat, or Google to Whathead, you’re creating a portal. What portals enable:

Authentication with platform accounts
Access to your ad accounts and media libraries
Publishing campaigns to the platform
Fetching existing campaigns from the platform
Syncing campaign data and performance metrics

You can connect multiple portals and multiple ad accounts per portal. Each campaign node on your canvas specifies which portal and ad account it belongs to.

Learn more about connecting and managing portals in Portal System Overview.

Creating vs Updating Campaigns

Understanding when Whathead creates new campaigns versus updates existing ones is crucial for managing your advertising. Creating new campaigns:

When you build a campaign from scratch on the canvas
When you copy and paste nodes (existing IDs are cleared)
When you duplicate nodes
When you reconnect a node to a different parent (creates a duplicate due to platform constraints)

Updating existing campaigns:

When you fetch a campaign from a connected platform and edit it
When you republish a campaign that has an existing platform ID
When you make changes to a published campaign and republish

Skipping unchanged campaigns:

When you republish a campaign that hasn’t changed since the last publish
Whathead detects no changes and skips the API call to save time

Nodes created directly on the canvas always CREATE new entities when published, even if you republish them multiple times. Only nodes loaded from platforms can UPDATE.

Existing IDs

Existing IDs are platform-specific identifiers that tell Whathead whether a campaign, ad set, or ad already exists on the platform. Types of existing IDs:

existingCampaignId - Links a campaign node to a platform campaign
existingAdSetId - Links an ad set node to a platform ad set/ad group/ad squad
existingAdId - Links an ad node to a platform ad

How existing IDs work:

When you fetch campaigns from a platform, Whathead stores their existing IDs
When you publish, Whathead checks for existing IDs to decide CREATE vs UPDATE
When you copy/paste nodes, Whathead clears existing IDs so new entities are created
Canvas-origin nodes (created from scratch) never have existing IDs

Why this matters:

Existing IDs determine whether you’re creating new campaigns or updating existing ones
Understanding existing IDs helps you predict publishing behavior
You can see existing IDs in the node details panel

Learn more about publishing behavior in Create vs Update Documentation.

Validation

Validation is the process Whathead uses to check your campaigns before publishing. Validation ensures your campaigns meet platform requirements and will publish successfully. What validation checks:

Required fields are filled in (campaign name, objective, budget, etc.)
Budgets meet platform minimums
Creative assets meet platform specifications (dimensions, file size, format)
Targeting is configured correctly
Campaign hierarchy is valid (no conflicting objectives)
Platform-specific constraints are satisfied

Validation indicators:

Green checkmark on a node means it passes validation
Red warning icon means validation errors need fixing
Click a node with errors to see what needs to be fixed

Whathead validates continuously as you work, so you catch errors before publishing rather than after.

You cannot publish campaigns with validation errors. Fix all errors before clicking Publish.

Publishing

Publishing is the process of sending your campaigns from Whathead to the advertising platform. When you click Publish, Whathead:

Validates all campaigns on the canvas
Determines which entities to CREATE, UPDATE, or SKIP
Sends API calls to the platform
Confirms success or reports errors

Publishing behavior:

New campaigns are created on the platform
Existing campaigns are updated with your changes
Unchanged campaigns are skipped to save time
You can publish multiple campaigns simultaneously

After publishing, your campaigns are live on the platform and will start running according to their schedule and budget settings.

Learn more about publishing workflows in Publishing Overview.

Expand Flow

Expand Flow is the process of fetching existing ad sets or ads from a platform and loading them onto your canvas under an existing campaign node. How it works:

You fetch a campaign from a connected platform
The campaign node appears on your canvas
You click “Expand” to fetch its ad sets
Ad set nodes appear connected to the campaign
You can expand ad sets to fetch their ads

Why use Expand Flow:

Edit existing campaigns without recreating them from scratch
Add new ad sets or ads to existing campaigns
Bulk edit existing entities
Review campaign structures visually

Expanded entities have existing IDs, so when you republish them, Whathead updates the existing entities rather than creating new ones.

Use Expand Flow when you want to edit campaigns you’ve already created in platform portals or in previous Whathead sessions.

Reconnect (Relink)

Reconnecting means changing a node’s parent connection. For example, moving an ad from one ad set to another, or moving an ad set from one campaign to another. Important behavior:

Platforms do not allow changing parent relationships
When you reconnect a node, Whathead creates a duplicate under the new parent
The original node remains under the old parent
Both nodes exist after publishing

When reconnecting happens:

You drag an ad to a different ad set
You drag an ad set to a different campaign
You change parent connections in the node details panel

Reconnecting creates duplicates, not moves. If you want to move an ad to a different ad set, you must delete the original ad after reconnecting.

Bulk Operations

Bulk Operations let you perform actions on multiple nodes simultaneously, saving time when managing campaigns at scale. Types of bulk operations:

Bulk Edit - Change settings on multiple campaigns, ad sets, or ads at once
Bulk Publish - Publish multiple campaigns simultaneously
Bulk Upload - Upload media assets to multiple platform portals at once
Bulk Status Changes - Pause, activate, or archive multiple campaigns

How to use bulk operations:

Select multiple nodes on the canvas (Shift+click or drag to select)
Right-click and choose the bulk action
Make your changes in the bulk edit panel
Apply changes to all selected nodes

Learn more about bulk capabilities in Bulk Operations Documentation.

Cross-Platform Transfer

Cross-Platform Transfer is Whathead’s capability to copy campaign structures from one platform to another or from one ad account to another. What transfers:

Campaign structure (hierarchy and connections)
Campaign settings (objectives, budgets, schedules)
Targeting settings (mapped to equivalent options on the destination platform)
Ad copy and messaging
Creative assets (automatically downloaded from source and uploaded to destination)

What doesn’t transfer automatically:

Platform-specific settings that don’t have equivalents
Performance data and history
Custom audiences (must be recreated on destination platform)
Tracking pixels (must be configured for destination platform)

Use cases:

Run the same campaign on multiple platforms
Transfer campaigns between client accounts
Test campaigns on different platforms
Migrate campaigns when switching platforms

Learn more about cross-platform capabilities in Cross-Platform Transfer Overview.

Media Library

The Media Library is where platforms store your creative assets (images, videos, documents). Each platform has its own media library. What you can do:

Browse assets from connected platforms
Upload new assets during ad creation
Select existing assets when creating ads
Upload assets to multiple platforms simultaneously (bulk upload)
Manage asset compatibility across platforms

Asset requirements vary by platform:

Different file formats supported
Different dimension requirements
Different file size limits
Different video length limits

Whathead shows you platform-specific requirements when you upload assets.

Use bulk media upload to upload the same assets to all connected platforms at once, saving time compared to uploading to each platform individually.

Understanding Whathead’s Unique Capabilities

Whathead can do things that platform portals cannot: Snapchat limitations overcome:

Snapchat portals cannot duplicate ad sets between campaigns → Whathead can
Snapchat portals cannot transfer ads between campaigns → Whathead can

Whathead unique capabilities:

Create multiple campaigns and connect one ad set node to all of them (publishes the ad set under each campaign)
Transfer campaigns between ad accounts on the same platform
Bulk edit campaigns more easily than in platform portals
Export campaigns to PDF for client reviews
Upload media to all platforms at once instead of one by one
Extract zip files for efficient asset management

Learn more about Whathead’s unique capabilities in Platform Capabilities Documentation.

Common Terminology Differences

Different platforms use different terms for the same concepts. Here’s a quick reference:

Whathead Term	Meta	TikTok	Snapchat	Google
Ad Set	Ad Set	Ad Group	Ad Squad	Ad Group
Daily Budget	Daily Budget	Daily Budget	Daily Budget	Daily Budget
Lifetime Budget	Lifetime Budget	Total Budget	Lifetime Budget	Campaign Total
Placement	Placement	Placement	Placement	Network
Creative	Creative	Creative	Creative	Asset

Whathead uses “Ad Set” consistently in the interface, but creates the correct entity type for each platform when publishing.

What’s Next?

Now that you understand key concepts, you’re ready to start creating campaigns:

Quickstart Guide

Create and publish your first campaign in under 10 minutes with our step-by-step guide.

Campaign Builder Overview

Learn how to use the visual canvas to create and manage campaign structures.

Publishing Scenarios

Understand when campaigns are created new vs updated based on different workflows.

Platform-Specific Guides

Deep dive into platform-specific features, objectives, and requirements.

Common Questions

Why does Whathead use 'Ad Set' for all platforms?

Whathead uses consistent terminology in the interface to make it easier to work across multiple platforms. When you publish, Whathead creates the correct entity type for each platform (Ad Set for Meta, Ad Group for TikTok/Google, Ad Squad for Snapchat). This way, you don’t need to remember different terms for each platform.

What's the difference between a node and a campaign?

A node is the visual representation on your canvas. A campaign is the actual advertising campaign on the platform. Campaign nodes represent campaigns, but there are also ad set nodes and ad nodes. “Node” is the general term for any visual element on the canvas.

How do I know if a campaign will be created new or updated?

Check if the node has an existing ID. Nodes loaded from platforms (via Expand Flow) have existing IDs and will UPDATE when republished. Nodes created on the canvas from scratch don’t have existing IDs and will CREATE new entities when published. You can see existing IDs in the node details panel.

Can I change a campaign's objective after publishing?

This depends on the platform. Most platforms lock the objective after a campaign is published. You would need to create a new campaign with the new objective. Check your platform-specific documentation for details on which fields are editable after publishing.

What happens if I delete a campaign node?

Deleting a node in Whathead only removes it from your canvas. It does not delete the campaign from the platform if it’s already published. To delete a published campaign, you must delete it from the platform portal directly. Deleting a parent node also deletes all child nodes on the canvas.

Why can't I connect campaigns with different objectives to one ad set?

Ad sets inherit optimization goals from their parent campaign. If you connect campaigns with different objectives (e.g., Sales and Traffic) to the same ad set, the ad set can’t optimize for both goals simultaneously. This will fail validation. Each ad set must have a single parent campaign with one objective.

What's the difference between Expand Flow and creating new campaigns?

Expand Flow fetches existing campaigns from connected platforms so you can edit them. Creating new campaigns means building from scratch on the canvas. Use Expand Flow when you want to edit campaigns that already exist on the platform. Use new campaign creation when you’re starting fresh.

Can I use the same creative assets across all platforms?

Yes, but each platform has different requirements for dimensions, file formats, and file sizes. When you upload assets, Whathead shows you which platforms accept each asset. You may need to create multiple versions of the same creative to meet all platform requirements. Use bulk media upload to upload assets to all platforms at once.

Need Help?

If you have questions about terminology or concepts:

Review platform-specific documentation for detailed explanations
Check our Troubleshooting guides for common issues
Explore Publishing Scenarios to understand different workflows
Contact support through the help icon in the bottom-right corner

Ready to build your first campaign? Let’s go! 🚀

Getting Started

​Key Concepts

​Campaign Builder

​Nodes

​Campaign Hierarchy

​Portal System

​Creating vs Updating Campaigns

​Existing IDs

​Validation

​Publishing

​Expand Flow

​Reconnect (Relink)

​Bulk Operations

​Cross-Platform Transfer

​Media Library

​Understanding Whathead’s Unique Capabilities

​Common Terminology Differences

​What’s Next?

Quickstart Guide

Campaign Builder Overview

Publishing Scenarios

Platform-Specific Guides

​Common Questions

​Need Help?

Key Concepts

Campaign Builder

Nodes

Campaign Hierarchy

Portal System

Creating vs Updating Campaigns

Existing IDs

Validation

Publishing

Expand Flow

Reconnect (Relink)

Bulk Operations

Cross-Platform Transfer

Media Library

Understanding Whathead’s Unique Capabilities

Common Terminology Differences

What’s Next?

Common Questions

Need Help?