Publishing Overview
When you publish Meta campaigns from Whathead:- Validation: Whathead checks that all required fields are filled and meet Meta’s requirements
- Preview: You can review what will be created or updated before publishing
- API Calls: Whathead sends your campaigns to Meta’s API
- Confirmation: You receive confirmation of successful publishes or error messages for failures
Publishing Workflow
Complete Your Campaign
Build your campaign structure on the canvas with campaigns, ad sets, and ads. Fill in all required fields.
Review Validation
Whathead validates your campaigns and shows any errors that need to be fixed before publishing.
Monitor Progress
Watch the progress bar as Whathead publishes your campaigns. This may take a few moments for large campaigns.
Validation Rules
Before publishing, Whathead validates your campaigns against Meta’s requirements:Campaign Validation
| Rule | Requirement | Error if Not Met |
|---|---|---|
| Campaign Name | Must be provided | ”Campaign name is required” |
| Objective | Must be selected | ”Campaign objective is required” |
| Budget | Must be ≥ $1/day if set at campaign level | ”Campaign budget must be at least $1 per day” |
| Special Ad Category | Must be set if applicable | Warning only |
| Ad Sets | Must have at least one ad set | ”Campaign must have at least one ad set” |
Ad Set Validation
| Rule | Requirement | Error if Not Met |
|---|---|---|
| Ad Set Name | Must be provided | ”Ad set name is required” |
| Targeting | Must have at least one targeting option | ”Ad set must have targeting configured” |
| Budget | Must be ≥ $1/day if not using CBO | ”Ad set budget must be at least $1 per day” |
| Optimization Goal | Must be selected | ”Optimization goal is required” |
| Placements | Must have at least one placement | ”Ad set must have at least one placement” |
| Ads | Must have at least one ad | ”Ad set must have at least one ad” |
| Parent Campaign | Must be connected to a campaign | ”Ad set must be connected to a campaign” |
Ad Validation
| Rule | Requirement | Error if Not Met |
|---|---|---|
| Ad Name | Must be provided | ”Ad name is required” |
| Creative | Must have image or video | ”Ad must have creative (image or video)“ |
| Primary Text | Must be provided | ”Ad primary text is required” |
| Headline | Must be provided for most formats | ”Ad headline is required” |
| Call-to-Action | Must be selected | ”Call-to-action is required” |
| Destination | Must have URL or app destination | ”Ad destination is required” |
| Parent Ad Set | Must be connected to an ad set | ”Ad must be connected to an ad set” |
Creative Validation
| Rule | Requirement | Error if Not Met |
|---|---|---|
| Image Format | JPG or PNG | ”Image must be JPG or PNG format” |
| Image Size | ≤ 30 MB | ”Image file size must be under 30 MB” |
| Image Resolution | ≥ 600 × 600 pixels | ”Image resolution must be at least 600×600 pixels” |
| Video Format | MP4 or MOV | ”Video must be MP4 or MOV format” |
| Video Size | ≤ 4 GB | ”Video file size must be under 4 GB” |
| Video Duration | ≤ 241 minutes | ”Video duration must be under 241 minutes” |
Special Constraints
Create vs Update vs Skip
When you publish, Whathead determines whether to create new entities, update existing ones, or skip unchanged entities:CREATE Behavior
Entities are created new on Meta when:- The entity has no existing ID (it’s a new node created on the canvas)
- The entity was copied/pasted (existing IDs are cleared on paste)
- The entity was duplicated
UPDATE Behavior
Entities are updated on Meta when:- The entity has an existing ID (it was loaded from Meta)
- The entity has been modified since loading
- At least one field has changed
SKIP Behavior
Entities are skipped (not sent to Meta) when:- The entity has an existing ID
- No fields have been modified since loading
- The entity is unchanged
Whathead tracks which fields you’ve changed and only sends updates for modified entities. This makes publishing faster and reduces unnecessary API calls.
Publishing Scenarios
Different scenarios result in different publishing behavior:New Campaign
Scenario: You create a new campaign with new ad sets and ads on the canvas. Behavior: All entities are created on Meta. New IDs are assigned and stored in Whathead.Existing Campaign with Changes
Scenario: You load an existing campaign, make changes, and republish. Behavior: Changed entities are updated, unchanged entities are skipped.Existing Campaign without Changes
Scenario: You load an existing campaign and republish without making changes. Behavior: All entities are skipped. No API calls are made to Meta.Mixed New and Existing
Scenario: You load an existing campaign and add new ad sets or ads. Behavior: Existing unchanged entities are skipped, existing changed entities are updated, new entities are created.Partial Success Handling
When publishing multiple campaigns, some may succeed while others fail:What Happens
- Successful campaigns are published to Meta and marked as published in Whathead
- Failed campaigns remain unpublished and show error messages
- Partial structures may be created (e.g., campaign and ad sets succeed, but ads fail)
How to Handle
Retry Failed Only
Select only the failed entities and click Publish again. Successfully published entities will be skipped.
Publishing Performance
How Long Does Publishing Take?
Publishing time depends on campaign complexity:- Simple campaign (1 campaign, 1 ad set, 1 ad): 2-5 seconds
- Medium campaign (1 campaign, 5 ad sets, 10 ads): 10-20 seconds
- Large campaign (5 campaigns, 20 ad sets, 50 ads): 30-60 seconds
- Bulk publish (10+ campaigns): 1-3 minutes
What Affects Publishing Speed
- Number of entities: More campaigns, ad sets, and ads take longer
- Creative uploads: Uploading new images or videos adds time
- Meta API response time: Meta’s servers may be slower during peak hours
- Network connection: Slow internet affects upload speed
Troubleshooting Publishing Issues
Validation error: Budget below minimum
Validation error: Budget below minimum
Error: “Campaign budget must be at least $1 per day”Cause: Your budget is below Meta’s $1/day minimum.Resolution: Increase the budget to at least $1 per day and try publishing again.
Validation error: Multiple objectives on one ad set
Validation error: Multiple objectives on one ad set
Error: “Cannot connect campaigns with different objectives to the same ad set”Cause: You’ve connected multiple campaigns with different objectives to one ad set node.Resolution: Create separate ad sets for each campaign, or ensure all campaigns have the same objective.
Publishing fails with 'Permission denied'
Publishing fails with 'Permission denied'
Error: “You don’t have permission to create campaigns in this ad account”Cause: Your Meta connection doesn’t have the necessary permissions.Resolution:
- Navigate to Integrations
- Reconnect your Meta account
- Ensure you grant all required permissions
- Try publishing again
Publishing fails with 'Invalid creative'
Publishing fails with 'Invalid creative'
Error: “Creative does not meet Meta’s requirements”Cause: Your image or video doesn’t meet Meta’s specifications.Resolution:
- Check that your image is JPG/PNG, under 30 MB, and at least 600×600 pixels
- Check that your video is MP4/MOV, under 4 GB, and under 241 minutes
- Replace the creative with a compliant file
- Try publishing again
Some campaigns published, others failed
Some campaigns published, others failed
Cause: Partial success — some campaigns met validation, others didn’t.Resolution:
- Review error messages for failed campaigns
- Fix the issues on failed campaigns
- Select only failed campaigns and publish again
- Successfully published campaigns will be skipped automatically
Publishing is very slow
Publishing is very slow
Cause: Large campaign with many entities, or slow network connection.Resolution:
- Be patient — large campaigns can take several minutes
- Check your internet connection
- Try publishing during off-peak hours
- Consider breaking very large campaigns into smaller batches
Best Practices
- Validate before publishing: Fix all validation errors before clicking Publish
- Preview changes: Always review the preview to ensure you’re publishing what you expect
- Test with small campaigns: When trying new features, test with a small campaign first
- Monitor after publishing: Check Meta Ads Manager to confirm campaigns appear correctly
- Keep Whathead open: Don’t close the browser while publishing is in progress
- Save frequently: Save your work before publishing in case of errors