Skip to main content

​
Publishing Validation

Before you can publish campaigns, Whathead validates your configuration against platform requirements and system constraints. Validation ensures your campaigns meet all necessary criteria and helps you fix issues before sending them to advertising platforms.
What you’ll learn:
  • How validation works and when it runs
  • Common validation errors and how to fix them
  • Platform-specific validation rules
  • Budget minimums and required fields
  • What happens when you try to publish with errors

​
How Validation Works

Validation runs automatically as you build campaigns and again when you click Publish.

​
When Validation Runs

  • Real-time: As you configure nodes, Whathead validates fields immediately
  • On save: When you save node configuration, validation checks all fields
  • Before publish: When you click Publish, comprehensive validation runs on all nodes
  • During bulk operations: When you bulk edit, validation runs on all affected nodes

​
Validation Indicators

Visual indicators show validation status on the canvas:
  • Green checkmark: Node is valid and ready to publish
  • Red warning icon: Node has errors that must be fixed before publishing
  • Yellow info icon: Node has warnings or suggestions (can still publish)
  • Gray node: Node is paused or inactive
Hover over validation icons to see a summary of issues. Click the node to open its configuration and see detailed error messages with resolution steps.

​
Validation Error Types

Whathead checks for several types of errors:

​
Required Field Errors

All mandatory fields must have values before publishing. Common required fields:
  • Campaign name
  • Campaign objective
  • Campaign budget (daily or lifetime)
  • Ad set targeting (location, age, gender)
  • Ad creative assets (images, videos)
  • Ad copy text (primary text, headline)
  • Destination URL
You cannot publish campaigns with missing required fields. Red asterisks (*) in configuration forms indicate required fields.

​
Budget Validation Errors

Budgets must meet platform minimums and follow platform rules. Budget minimum requirements by platform:
PlatformDaily Budget MinimumLifetime Budget Minimum
Meta$1.00$1.00
TikTok$20.00$20.00
Snapchat$5.00$5.00
Google$10.00$10.00
Budget minimums apply at the campaign level or ad set level depending on where you set the budget. If you use campaign budget optimization, the campaign budget must meet the minimum. If you use ad set budgets, each ad set budget must meet the minimum.

​
Targeting Validation Errors

Targeting must be complete and valid for the platform. Common targeting errors:
  • No locations selected
  • Age range too narrow (some platforms require minimum audience size)
  • Conflicting targeting criteria (e.g., excluding all included locations)
  • Custom audience not found or expired
  • Lookalike audience source too small

​
Creative Validation Errors

Creative assets must meet platform specifications. Common creative errors:
  • Image dimensions too small
  • Video duration too short or too long
  • File size exceeds platform limits
  • Unsupported file format
  • Missing required creative elements (e.g., logo for some ad formats)

​
Hierarchy Validation Errors

Campaign structure must follow platform rules. Common hierarchy errors:
  • Ad set not connected to a campaign
  • Ad not connected to an ad set
  • Multiple campaigns with different objectives connected to the same ad set
  • Circular connections (not allowed)
You cannot connect campaigns with different objectives to the same ad set. Ad sets inherit optimization goals from their parent campaign, so all parent campaigns must have compatible objectives.

​
Platform Compatibility Errors

Settings must be supported by the target platform. Common compatibility errors:
  • Objective not available on the selected platform
  • Targeting option not supported by the platform
  • Ad format not available for the selected objective
  • Placement not available for the selected campaign type

​
Common Validation Errors and Resolutions

Error: “Campaign budget must be at least $X per day”Cause: The daily budget is below the platform’s minimum requirement.Resolution:
  1. Open the campaign node configuration
  2. Increase the daily budget to meet the minimum:
    • Meta: $1/day
    • TikTok: $20/day
    • Snapchat: $5/day
    • Google: $10/day
  3. Save the changes
  4. Validation will pass automatically
Error: “Ad set targeting is required” or “Campaign name is required”Cause: A required field is empty or incomplete.Resolution:
  1. Open the node configuration
  2. Look for fields marked with red asterisks (*)
  3. Fill in all required fields
  4. Save the changes
  5. Validation will pass automatically
Error: “Cannot connect campaigns with different objectives to the same ad set”Cause: You connected multiple campaigns with different objectives to one ad set node. Ad sets inherit optimization goals from their campaign, so all parent campaigns must have compatible objectives.Resolution: Choose one of these approaches:
  1. Use separate ad sets: Create separate ad sets for each campaign objective
  2. Use same objective: Change all parent campaigns to use the same objective
  3. Disconnect campaigns: Remove connections from campaigns with incompatible objectives
Error: “Image dimensions must be at least 1080x1080 pixels”Cause: Creative assets don’t meet platform specifications.Resolution:
  1. Check the platform’s creative requirements (see table below)
  2. Upload assets that meet the specifications
  3. Replace the invalid assets in the ad configuration
  4. Save the changes
See Upload Requirements for detailed specifications.
Error: “Estimated audience size is too small”Cause: Your targeting criteria result in an audience that’s too small for the platform to deliver ads effectively.Resolution:
  1. Open the ad set configuration
  2. Expand targeting by:
    • Adding more locations
    • Widening age ranges
    • Adding more interests or behaviors
    • Removing overly restrictive exclusions
  3. Check the estimated audience size indicator
  4. Aim for at least 50,000-100,000 people in the target audience
Error: “Destination URL is required for this ad format”Cause: The ad format requires a destination URL but none is provided.Resolution:
  1. Open the ad configuration
  2. Enter a valid destination URL in the “Website URL” or “Destination URL” field
  3. Ensure the URL starts with https://
  4. Test the URL to verify it works
  5. Save the changes
Error: “Custom audience ‘XYZ’ not found or expired”Cause: The custom audience you selected no longer exists or has expired on the platform.Resolution:
  1. Open the ad set configuration
  2. Remove the missing custom audience from targeting
  3. Select a different custom audience or use other targeting options
  4. Save the changes
If you need the specific audience, recreate it in the platform portal first, then select it in Whathead.
Error: “Video duration must be between X and Y seconds”Cause: Your video is too short or too long for the selected ad format.Resolution:
  1. Check the platform’s video duration requirements (see table below)
  2. Edit your video to meet the duration requirements
  3. Upload the corrected video
  4. Replace the invalid video in the ad configuration
  5. Save the changes
Error: “Objective ‘XYZ’ is not available on [Platform]”Cause: You selected an objective that the target platform doesn’t support.Resolution:
  1. Open the campaign configuration
  2. Select a different objective that’s available on the platform
  3. Review the platform’s available objectives:
    • Meta: Awareness, Traffic, Engagement, Leads, App Promotion, Sales
    • TikTok: Awareness, Consideration, Conversion
    • Snapchat: Awareness, Consideration, Conversions
    • Google: Sales, Leads, Website Traffic, Brand Awareness, App Promotion
  4. Save the changes
Error: “Placement ‘XYZ’ is not available for this campaign type”Cause: You selected a placement that’s not compatible with your campaign objective or type.Resolution:
  1. Open the ad set configuration
  2. Review the selected placements
  3. Remove placements that aren’t compatible
  4. Use automatic placements if unsure which placements are compatible
  5. Save the changes

​
Platform-Specific Validation Rules

Each platform has unique validation requirements:

​
Meta Validation Rules

  • Minimum daily budget: $1.00
  • Minimum lifetime budget: $1.00
  • Budget must be at least $1 per ad set if using ad set budgets
  • Campaign budget optimization requires minimum $1 campaign budget

​
TikTok Validation Rules

  • Minimum daily budget: $20.00
  • Minimum lifetime budget: $20.00
  • Budget must be at least $20 per ad group
  • Smart+ campaigns may have higher minimums

​
Snapchat Validation Rules

  • Minimum daily budget: $5.00
  • Minimum lifetime budget: $5.00
  • Budget must be at least $5 per ad squad
  • Goal-based bidding may have higher minimums

​
Google Validation Rules

  • Minimum daily budget: $10.00
  • Minimum lifetime budget: $10.00
  • Budget must be at least $10 per ad group
  • Some campaign types have higher minimums

​
Required Fields by Entity Type

​
Campaign Level Required Fields

All platforms require these campaign fields:
  • Campaign name
  • Campaign objective
  • Campaign budget (daily or lifetime)
  • Platform selection
  • Ad account selection
Platform-specific required fields:
FieldMetaTikTokSnapchatGoogle
Special ad categoryRequired if applicableN/AN/AN/A
Campaign typeRequiredRequiredRequiredRequired
Bidding strategyOptionalRequiredRequiredRequired

​
Ad Set Level Required Fields

All platforms require these ad set fields:
  • Ad set name
  • Targeting location
  • Targeting age range
  • Targeting gender (or “All”)
Platform-specific required fields:
FieldMetaTikTokSnapchatGoogle
Optimization goalRequiredRequiredRequiredRequired
PlacementsRequiredRequiredRequiredN/A
Conversion eventIf conversion objectiveIf conversion objectiveIf conversion objectiveIf conversion objective
KeywordsN/AN/AN/ARequired for Search

​
Ad Level Required Fields

All platforms require these ad fields:
  • Ad name
  • Ad format
  • Creative assets (images or videos)
  • Primary text or ad copy
  • Destination URL (for most ad formats)
Platform-specific required fields:
FieldMetaTikTokSnapchatGoogle
HeadlineRequiredRequiredRequiredRequired
DescriptionOptionalOptionalOptionalRequired
Call-to-actionRequiredRequiredRequiredOptional
Display URLOptionalOptionalOptionalRequired for Search

​
What Happens When You Publish with Errors

If you try to publish campaigns with validation errors, Whathead prevents the publish and shows you what needs to be fixed.

​
Publish Blocked

When validation errors exist:
  1. Publish button disabled: You cannot click Publish until errors are resolved
  2. Error summary shown: A message indicates how many nodes have errors
  3. Nodes highlighted: Nodes with errors show red warning icons
  4. Error details available: Click nodes to see specific error messages
You cannot publish campaigns with validation errors. All errors must be resolved before Whathead will send campaigns to platforms.

​
Partial Validation

If some campaigns are valid and others have errors:
  • Valid campaigns: Can be published individually
  • Invalid campaigns: Must be fixed before publishing
  • Bulk publish: Blocked if any selected campaign has errors
Use multi-select to publish only valid campaigns while you fix errors on others. Select valid campaigns, right-click, and choose “Publish Selected.”

​
Validation Best Practices

​
During Campaign Building

1

Fix errors immediately

Address validation errors as soon as they appear rather than waiting until publish. This prevents accumulation of issues.
2

Check validation indicators

Look for green checkmarks on nodes to confirm they’re ready to publish. Don’t assume nodes are valid without checking.
3

Test with one campaign first

When building multiple campaigns, complete and validate one campaign first to ensure you understand the requirements.
4

Use templates

Save validated campaign structures as templates to reuse. This ensures consistent validation compliance.

​
Before Publishing

1

Run final validation

Click Publish to trigger comprehensive validation even if you’re not ready to publish yet. This reveals any hidden issues.
2

Review all error messages

Read each error message carefully. Some errors provide specific resolution steps.
3

Check platform requirements

Review platform-specific validation rules if you’re unsure why an error occurred.
4

Verify budget minimums

Double-check that all budgets meet platform minimums, especially when working with multiple platforms.
Keep a checklist of common validation requirements for each platform. This helps you avoid repeated errors and speeds up campaign creation.

​
Troubleshooting Validation Issues

Cause: Platform-side validation may be stricter than Whathead’s validation, or platform rules changed.Resolution:
  1. Read the platform error message carefully
  2. Update the field that caused the platform error
  3. Retry publishing
  4. If the issue persists, contact support with the error message
Cause: Some validation errors have generic messages.Resolution:
  1. Check the field mentioned in the error message
  2. Review platform-specific validation rules for that field
  3. Try common fixes (increase budget, expand targeting, check creative specs)
  4. If still unclear, contact support with a screenshot
Cause: Platform rules may have changed, or the field was invalid when you fetched the campaign.Resolution:
  1. Update the field to meet current platform requirements
  2. Check if the platform changed its validation rules recently
  3. If the field was valid before, verify your platform connection is active
Cause: Each platform has unique validation rules.Resolution:
  1. Review the platform-specific validation rules section above
  2. Adjust your campaign configuration to meet each platform’s requirements
  3. Consider creating platform-specific campaigns if requirements differ significantly

​
Next Steps

Publishing Workflow

Learn the complete publishing process from validation to confirmation.

Upload Requirements

Review creative asset specifications for each platform.

Platform Limitations

Understand platform-specific constraints and workarounds.

Troubleshooting

Get help with publishing failures and validation errors.