Build your campaign tree by adding and connecting nodes. Each node holds one entity (campaign, ad set, or ad). Connections define the hierarchy that is sent to the platform when you publish.The Campaign Builder canvas is made of nodes and connections (edges). Nodes are the boxes you see: campaigns at the top, ad sets under them, ads under ad sets. Connections are the lines that link a campaign to its ad sets and each ad set to its ads. This page explains how nodes work and how connections affect publishing.
Node types
There are three node types. Each holds the form data for one entity on the platform.| Node type | What it represents | You set |
|---|---|---|
| Campaign | One campaign on Meta, TikTok, or Snapchat | Platform, objective, name, budget, bid strategy |
| Ad set | One ad set (or ad group) under a campaign | Targeting, schedule, optimization goal, budget |
| Ad | One ad under an ad set | Creative (image/video), copy, headline, CTA |
Allowed connections
Connections define the parent → child relationship:- Campaign → Ad set — An ad set must be connected to exactly one campaign. That campaign is its parent.
- Ad set → Ad — An ad must be connected to exactly one ad set. That ad set is its parent.
- Ad → Ad — Optional: for carousel ads (Meta or TikTok), you can chain ad nodes so multiple cards are built from one carousel.
One parent at publish
Important: On the platform, every ad set belongs to one campaign, and every ad belongs to one ad set. Whathead follows the same rule when publishing.- If you connect one ad set to multiple campaigns on the canvas (e.g. draw lines from six campaigns to the same ad set), the canvas can show all those lines, but at publish we use only one parent for that ad set. The ad set is published under the campaign that is stored as its parent (usually the last one you connected, or the one that matches the node’s stored parent).
- So: “6 campaigns, one ad set linked to all” — visually you can have multiple campaign→ad set links, but when you publish, that ad set will be created or updated under one campaign only. To have the same ad set structure under six campaigns, create six ad set nodes (one per campaign) and duplicate the settings, or use Copy/Paste to duplicate the ad set under each campaign.
Reconnect and paste
- Reconnect (drag an ad set to a different campaign, or an ad to a different ad set): Whathead clears the node’s “existing” platform IDs so that when you publish, the reconnected node is treated as new under its new parent. The old entity on the platform is not moved; a new one is created under the new parent.
- Copy + Paste: The pasted node has no platform IDs. When you publish, the pasted tree is created as new. So you can duplicate a campaign (or ad set, or ad) by copying, pasting, and publishing.
Summary
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| What is a node? | A campaign, ad set, or ad on the canvas. Double-click to edit. |
| How are nodes connected? | Campaign → Ad set → Ad (and Ad → Ad for carousel). |
| Can one ad set belong to 6 campaigns at publish? | No. At publish, each ad set has one campaign parent. Use multiple ad set nodes (one per campaign) or copy/paste to duplicate. |
| What if I move an ad to another ad set? | The ad is created as new under the new ad set when you publish. |
| What if I copy a campaign and paste? | The pasted tree is new; publishing creates new campaigns, ad sets, and ads. |
Campaign Builder
Canvas workflow and common tasks
Publishing
What gets created, updated, or skipped