Publishing Workflow

When you click Publish, Whathead analyzes your canvas and sends your campaigns to the connected advertising platforms. The publishing process validates your campaigns, determines what actions to take for each entity, and executes API calls to create or update campaigns, ad sets, and ads.

What you’ll learn:

The complete publishing workflow from start to finish
How to preview changes before publishing
When entities are created, updated, or skipped
How to handle publishing errors and retry failed campaigns

Publishing Process Overview

Publishing follows a structured workflow that ensures your campaigns are valid before sending them to platforms:

Validation

Whathead checks all nodes for errors and platform-specific constraints. Campaigns with validation errors cannot publish until you fix the issues.

Preview

You review what will happen for each entity: which will be created new, which will update existing entities, and which will be skipped because they haven’t changed.

Confirmation

You confirm the publish action. Whathead begins executing API calls to the platform.

Execution

Whathead sends requests to create or update entities on the platform. Progress indicators show which entities are processing.

Results

You see success or failure status for each entity. Successful entities receive platform IDs. Failed entities show error messages with resolution steps.

Validation Before Publishing

Before you can publish, Whathead validates your campaigns against platform requirements and system constraints.

What Gets Validated

Whathead checks:

Required fields: All mandatory fields must have values
Budget minimums: Daily or lifetime budgets must meet platform minimums
Targeting requirements: Audience targeting must be complete and valid
Creative requirements: Ads must have required assets (images, videos, text)
Hierarchy constraints: Nodes must follow proper parent-child relationships
Platform compatibility: Settings must be supported by the target platform
Objective compatibility: Ad sets connected to the same campaign must have compatible objectives

You cannot publish campaigns with validation errors. Red warning icons on nodes indicate errors that must be fixed. Click the node to see detailed error messages and resolution steps.

Common Validation Errors

Budget below minimum

Error: “Campaign budget must be at least $X per day”Cause: The daily budget is below the platform’s minimum requirement.Resolution: Increase the budget to meet the minimum. Platform minimums:

Meta: $1/day
TikTok: $20/day
Snapchat: $5/day
Google: $10/day

Missing required field

Error: “Ad set targeting is required”Cause: A required field is empty or incomplete.Resolution: Open the node configuration and fill in all required fields marked with asterisks (*).

Incompatible objectives

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 parent campaign, so all parent campaigns must have compatible objectives.Resolution: Either use separate ad sets for each campaign objective, or ensure all parent campaigns have the same objective.

Invalid creative format

Error: “Image dimensions must be at least 1080x1080 pixels”Cause: Creative assets don’t meet platform specifications.Resolution: Upload assets that meet the platform’s format, dimension, and file size requirements. Check Upload Requirements for specifications.

Fix validation errors as you build rather than waiting until publish. Green checkmarks on nodes indicate they’re ready to publish.

Preview Functionality

After validation passes, you see a preview of what will happen when you publish. The preview shows the action Whathead will take for each entity.

Understanding Preview Actions

The preview displays one of three actions for each node:

Action	What It Means	When It Happens
CREATE	Whathead will create a new entity on the platform	Node has no existing platform ID (new campaign, pasted node, or canvas-origin node)
UPDATE	Whathead will update an existing entity on the platform	Node has an existing platform ID and you made changes to its configuration
SKIP	Whathead will skip this entity (no API call)	Node has an existing platform ID but you made no changes

The preview helps you understand exactly what will happen before committing changes to your live campaigns. Review it carefully, especially when working with existing campaigns.

Preview Example

Here’s what you might see in a preview:

Campaign: "Summer Sale 2024" → UPDATE
  ├─ Ad Set: "US Audience 18-35" → SKIP (no changes)
  │   ├─ Ad: "Beach Photo Variant A" → UPDATE
  │   └─ Ad: "Beach Photo Variant B" → CREATE (new ad)
  └─ Ad Set: "UK Audience 25-45" → CREATE (new ad set)
      └─ Ad: "City Photo Variant A" → CREATE (new ad)

In this example:

The campaign will be updated because you changed its budget
The first ad set will be skipped because you made no changes
The first ad under the first ad set will be updated because you changed its copy
The second ad under the first ad set will be created new
The second ad set and its ad will be created new

Why Entities Are Skipped

Whathead skips entities that haven’t changed to avoid unnecessary API calls. This improves publishing speed and reduces the chance of rate limiting or API errors. An entity is skipped when:

It has an existing platform ID (loaded from the platform)
You made no changes to its configuration
Its parent wasn’t changed or reconnected

Skipping unchanged entities is efficient and safe. You’re not required to make changes to every entity when publishing.

Create vs Update vs Skip Behavior

Understanding when entities are created, updated, or skipped is essential for managing campaigns effectively.

CREATE Behavior

Entities are created new on the platform when:

Canvas-origin nodes: You added a node directly on the canvas using + Campaign, + Ad Set, or + Ad
Pasted nodes: You copied and pasted nodes (paste clears existing IDs)
Duplicated nodes: You used the duplicate function
Reconnected nodes: You changed a node’s parent connection (creates a duplicate under the new parent)
First publish: You’re publishing a campaign for the first time

When an entity is created:

Whathead sends a CREATE request to the platform API
The platform generates a new ID for the entity
Whathead stores the platform ID on the node
The entity appears in your platform portal as a new campaign, ad set, or ad

Canvas-origin nodes always CREATE even if you publish them multiple times. They don’t have existing platform IDs, so each publish creates a new entity. To update an entity, you must load it from the platform using Select Existing or Expand.

UPDATE Behavior

Entities are updated on the platform when:

Loaded from platform: You used Select Existing or Expand to load the entity
Has existing ID: The node has an existingCampaignId, existingAdSetId, or existingAdId
Has changes: You modified one or more fields in the node configuration

When an entity is updated:

Whathead sends an UPDATE request to the platform API
The platform modifies the existing entity
The entity retains its original platform ID
Changes appear in your platform portal on the existing campaign, ad set, or ad

All major platforms (Meta, TikTok, Snapchat, Google) support updating existing ads when you make changes. The platform updates the existing entity and preserves the platform ID.

SKIP Behavior

Entities are skipped (no API call) when:

Loaded from platform: The entity has an existing platform ID
No changes: You made no modifications to the entity configuration
Parent unchanged: The entity’s parent wasn’t changed or reconnected

When an entity is skipped:

Whathead makes no API call for this entity
The entity remains unchanged on the platform
Publishing completes faster because fewer API calls are needed

If you want to force an update even when nothing changed, you can make a minor change (like adding a space to a field) and then remove it. This marks the entity as changed and triggers an UPDATE.

Decision Table

Here’s a quick reference for understanding CREATE vs UPDATE vs SKIP:

Node Origin	Has Existing ID?	Has Changes?	Action
Canvas (new node)	No	N/A	CREATE
Loaded from platform	Yes	Yes	UPDATE
Loaded from platform	Yes	No	SKIP
Copy/paste	No (cleared)	N/A	CREATE
Reconnected	No (cleared)	N/A	CREATE (duplicate)
Canvas (re-publish)	No	N/A	CREATE (duplicate)

Publishing Execution

After you confirm the publish action, Whathead executes API calls to create or update entities on the platform.

Execution Order

Whathead publishes entities in hierarchical order:

Campaigns first: All campaign nodes are created or updated
Ad sets second: After campaigns complete, ad sets are created or updated
Ads last: After ad sets complete, ads are created or updated

This order ensures parent entities exist before creating children.

If you’re publishing multiple campaigns, Whathead processes them sequentially with platform-specific rate-limit delays between campaigns. Within each campaign, the hierarchy order is maintained (campaign → ad sets → ads).

Progress Indicators

During publishing, you see:

Processing: Entity is currently being sent to the platform
Success: Entity was created or updated successfully
Failed: Entity encountered an error (see error message)
Skipped: Entity was skipped (no changes)

Handling Partial Failures

If some entities succeed and others fail:

Successful entities: Receive platform IDs and are live on the platform
Failed entities: Remain on the canvas with error messages
Dependent entities: Children of failed parents are not published

You can fix errors and retry publishing for failed entities without affecting successful ones.

If a campaign fails to create, its ad sets and ads will not be published. Fix the campaign error first, then retry publishing.

Retry and Error Handling

When publishing fails, you can fix errors and retry.

Common Publishing Errors

Authentication error

Error: “Platform authentication failed. Please reconnect your account.”Cause: Your platform connection expired or was revoked.Resolution: Go to Settings > Integrations and reconnect the platform. Then retry publishing.

Rate limit exceeded

Error: “Too many requests. Please wait and try again.”Cause: You exceeded the platform’s API rate limit.Resolution: Wait a few minutes and retry publishing. Consider publishing fewer campaigns at once.

Budget insufficient

Error: “Account balance is insufficient for this campaign budget.”Cause: Your ad account doesn’t have enough funds to support the campaign budget.Resolution: Add funds to your ad account in the platform portal, then retry publishing.

Creative rejected

Error: “Ad creative violates platform policies.”Cause: Your ad content doesn’t comply with platform advertising policies.Resolution: Review the platform’s advertising policies, update your creative content, and retry publishing.

Retry Workflow

To retry failed entities:

Review error messages

Click failed nodes to see detailed error messages explaining what went wrong.

Fix the issues

Update node configurations to resolve the errors. This might involve changing budgets, updating creative, or reconnecting platforms.

Retry publishing

Click Publish again. Whathead will only attempt to publish entities that failed or haven’t been published yet. Successful entities are skipped.

Successful entities have platform IDs and are skipped on retry if you made no changes. Failed entities (which never received IDs) are published when you retry.

Publishing Confirmation

After publishing completes, you see a summary of results:

Total entities processed: How many campaigns, ad sets, and ads were involved
Successful: How many entities were created or updated successfully
Skipped: How many entities were skipped (no changes)
Failed: How many entities encountered errors

You can:

View in platform: Click to open the platform portal and see your live campaigns
Download report: Export a detailed report of publishing results
Close: Return to the Campaign Builder

Successful entities now have platform IDs stored on their nodes. If you edit and republish them, they will UPDATE rather than CREATE new entities.

Special Publishing Scenarios

Publishing Multiple Campaigns

When you publish multiple campaigns at once:

Whathead processes campaigns sequentially to respect platform rate limits
Platform-specific delays are applied between campaigns
Each campaign’s hierarchy is published in order (campaign → ad sets → ads)
Partial failures don’t affect other campaigns
You see individual status for each campaign

Cross-Platform Publishing

When publishing campaigns to different platforms:

Each platform is processed independently
Platform-specific validation rules apply
Authentication is checked per platform
Failures on one platform don’t affect others

Bulk Publishing

When publishing many entities:

Whathead batches API calls to improve efficiency
Rate limiting is managed automatically
Progress indicators show overall completion percentage
You can cancel publishing mid-process (entities already published remain live)

Canceling a publish operation stops future API calls but does not roll back entities that were already created or updated. Those entities remain live on the platform.

What Happens After Publishing

Once publishing succeeds:

Platform IDs stored: Entities receive existingCampaignId, existingAdSetId, or existingAdId
Campaigns go live: Entities appear in your platform portal
Delivery starts: If campaigns are active, platforms begin delivering ads
Canvas updates: Nodes show success indicators and platform IDs

Editing Published Campaigns

After publishing, you can:

Edit node configurations and republish to UPDATE entities
Add new ad sets or ads under existing campaigns (new entities are CREATED)
Pause or activate campaigns by changing status fields
Delete nodes (this doesn’t delete entities on the platform—use the platform portal for that)

Learn more about editing published campaigns in Existing Campaign Editing.

Publishing Best Practices

Validate early and often: Fix validation errors as you build rather than waiting until publish. This prevents surprises and speeds up your workflow.

Review the preview: Always check the preview before confirming. Make sure CREATE, UPDATE, and SKIP actions match your expectations.

Start small: When publishing for the first time, start with one campaign to verify everything works correctly. Then scale up to bulk publishing.

Use skip efficiently: Don’t feel obligated to change every entity. Skipping unchanged entities is normal and efficient.

Handle errors promptly: If publishing fails, fix errors and retry immediately while the context is fresh. Don’t leave failed entities unresolved.

Next Steps

Now that you understand the publishing workflow, explore these related topics:

Validation Errors

Learn about common validation errors and how to resolve them.

Create vs Update

Deep dive into when entities are created new versus updated.

Publishing Scenarios

Explore 30+ publishing scenarios covering all edge cases.

Existing Campaign Editing

Learn how to edit and republish campaigns loaded from platforms.

Bulk Publishing

Publish multiple campaigns simultaneously at scale.

Platform Limitations

Understand platform-specific constraints and workarounds.

Common Questions

What happens if I publish a canvas-origin campaign multiple times?

Each publish creates a new campaign on the platform. Canvas-origin nodes don’t have existing platform IDs, so they always CREATE. To update a campaign, load it from the platform using Select Existing or Expand.

Can I undo a publish?

No, publishing cannot be undone. Once entities are created or updated on the platform, they remain there. You can pause or delete campaigns in the platform portal, but Whathead doesn’t automatically roll back published changes.

Why was my entity skipped?

Entities are skipped when they have existing platform IDs but you made no changes. This is efficient and normal. If you want to force an update, make a change to the entity configuration.

What happens if publishing fails halfway through?

Entities that succeeded remain live on the platform. Entities that failed show error messages. Fix the errors and retry publishing—Whathead will only attempt failed entities, not successful ones.

Can I publish to multiple platforms at once?

Yes, if you have campaigns for different platforms on the same canvas, Whathead publishes them all when you click Publish. Each platform is processed independently.

How do I know if my changes will update or create new entities?

Check the preview before confirming. It shows CREATE, UPDATE, or SKIP for each entity. Generally, entities loaded from the platform UPDATE, and canvas-origin entities CREATE.

What happens when I reconnect a node to a different parent?

Reconnecting clears the existing platform ID and creates a duplicate entity under the new parent when you publish. Platforms don’t support moving entities between parents, so Whathead creates a new entity instead.

Can I preview changes without publishing?

Yes, the preview appears after validation and before confirmation. You can review what will happen and cancel if needed. No changes are sent to platforms until you confirm.

Validation Errors

Learn about common validation errors and how to resolve them before publishing.

Create vs Update

Deep dive into when entities are created new versus updated on platforms.

Publishing Scenarios

Explore 30+ publishing scenarios covering all workflows and edge cases.

Decision Logic

Understand the CREATE/UPDATE/SKIP decision tree and how existing IDs work.

Existing Campaign Editing

Learn how to edit and republish campaigns loaded from platforms.

Bulk Publishing

Publish multiple campaigns simultaneously at scale.

Platform Limitations

Understand platform-specific constraints and workarounds.

Troubleshooting Publishing Failures

Get help with publishing errors and learn how to retry failed campaigns.

Campaign Builder

Portal System

Targeting

Existing Campaigns

Publishing

Bulk Operations

Asset Management

Cross-Platform Transfer

Export & AI

Reference (legacy)

​Publishing Workflow

​Publishing Process Overview

​Validation Before Publishing

​What Gets Validated

​Common Validation Errors

​Preview Functionality

​Understanding Preview Actions

​Preview Example

​Why Entities Are Skipped

​Create vs Update vs Skip Behavior

​CREATE Behavior

​UPDATE Behavior

​SKIP Behavior

​Decision Table

​Publishing Execution

​Execution Order

​Progress Indicators

​Handling Partial Failures

​Retry and Error Handling

​Common Publishing Errors

​Retry Workflow

​Publishing Confirmation

​Special Publishing Scenarios

​Publishing Multiple Campaigns

​Cross-Platform Publishing

​Bulk Publishing

​What Happens After Publishing

​Editing Published Campaigns

​Publishing Best Practices

​Next Steps

Validation Errors

Create vs Update

Publishing Scenarios

Existing Campaign Editing

Bulk Publishing

Platform Limitations

​Common Questions

​Related Pages

Validation Errors

Create vs Update

Publishing Scenarios

Decision Logic

Existing Campaign Editing

Bulk Publishing

Platform Limitations

Troubleshooting Publishing Failures

Publishing Workflow

Publishing Process Overview

Validation Before Publishing

What Gets Validated

Common Validation Errors

Preview Functionality

Understanding Preview Actions

Preview Example

Why Entities Are Skipped

Create vs Update vs Skip Behavior

CREATE Behavior

UPDATE Behavior

SKIP Behavior

Decision Table

Publishing Execution

Execution Order

Progress Indicators

Handling Partial Failures

Retry and Error Handling

Common Publishing Errors

Retry Workflow

Publishing Confirmation

Special Publishing Scenarios

Publishing Multiple Campaigns

Cross-Platform Publishing

Bulk Publishing

What Happens After Publishing

Editing Published Campaigns

Publishing Best Practices

Next Steps

Common Questions

Related Pages