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Validation Errors

This guide helps you understand and resolve validation errors that prevent campaigns from publishing. Whathead validates your campaigns before sending them to platforms to catch issues early.

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Understanding Validation

Validation happens at two levels:
  1. Whathead validation: Checks for basic requirements and hierarchy rules
  2. Platform validation: Platform-specific rules checked before publishing
Validation errors appear in real-time as you edit and must be resolved before you can publish.

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Common Validation Errors

Error Message: “Campaign name is required” or “Ad set objective is required”Cause: A required field is empty or not set.Required Fields by Entity:
  • Campaign: Name, objective, platform, ad account
  • Ad Set: Name, budget, targeting (location, age, gender)
  • Ad: Name, creative (image/video), headline, description
Resolution:
1

Identify the missing field

The error message indicates which field is required
2

Open the entity editor

Click on the node to open its configuration panel
3

Fill in the required field

Provide a value for the missing field
4

Verify validation passes

The error should disappear once the field is filled
Error Message: “Budget must be at least $X per day”Cause: The daily budget you entered is below the platform’s minimum requirement.Platform Minimums:
PlatformMinimum Daily Budget
Meta$1.00
TikTok$20.00
Snapchat$5.00
Google$10.00
Resolution:
1

Check the platform minimum

Refer to the table above for your platform’s minimum
2

Update the budget

Increase the daily budget to meet or exceed the minimum
3

Consider campaign goals

Ensure the budget is sufficient for your campaign objectives
Set budgets higher than the minimum for better campaign performance. Minimum budgets may not provide enough delivery volume.
Error Message: “Cannot connect ad directly to campaign” or “Invalid parent-child relationship”Cause: You’ve created a connection that violates platform hierarchy rules.Valid Hierarchies:
  • Meta: Campaign → Ad Set → Ad
  • TikTok: Campaign → Ad Group → Ad
  • Snapchat: Campaign → Ad Squad → Ad
  • Google: Campaign → Ad Group → Ad
Resolution:
1

Review the hierarchy

Ensure you’re following the correct hierarchy for your platform
2

Add missing level

If you connected an ad directly to a campaign, add an ad set/group in between
3

Reconnect properly

Delete the invalid connection and create the correct hierarchy
You cannot skip levels in the hierarchy. Every ad must have an ad set/group parent, and every ad set/group must have a campaign parent.
Error Message: “Cannot connect ad set to campaigns with different objectives”Cause: You’re trying to connect one ad set to multiple campaigns that have different objectives.Why This Fails: Ad sets inherit optimization goals from their parent campaign. An ad set cannot optimize for multiple different objectives simultaneously.Resolution:
1

Review campaign objectives

Check the objectives of all campaigns you’re connecting to
2

Choose one approach

Either connect to campaigns with the same objective, or create separate ad sets for each objective
3

Update connections

Reconnect the ad set to campaigns with matching objectives
This is a system constraint, not a platform limitation. Whathead prevents this configuration because it would result in ambiguous optimization goals.
Error Message: “Location targeting is required” or “Age range is required”Cause: Required targeting fields are not configured.Required Targeting Fields:
  • Location (country, region, or city)
  • Age range (minimum and maximum)
  • Gender (or “All”)
Resolution:
1

Open ad set targeting

Click on the ad set node and navigate to targeting settings
2

Configure location

Add at least one location (country, region, or city)
3

Set age range

Define minimum and maximum age (e.g., 18-65)
4

Select gender

Choose male, female, or all genders
Error Message: “Image dimensions do not meet requirements” or “Video format not supported”Cause: Your creative asset doesn’t meet platform specifications.Common Format Issues:
  • Image dimensions too small or too large
  • Video aspect ratio not supported
  • File size exceeds platform limits
  • File format not supported by platform
Resolution:
1

Check platform requirements

Review asset requirements for your platform (see Asset Management pages)
2

Verify your asset

Check the dimensions, format, and file size of your creative
3

Reformat if needed

Resize, convert, or compress the asset to meet requirements
4

Upload corrected asset

Replace the asset with one that meets specifications
Upload assets to the platform’s media library first. The platform will validate them and provide specific error messages if they don’t meet requirements.
Error Message: “Ad must have at least one image or video”Cause: The ad node doesn’t have any creative assets attached.Resolution:
1

Open the ad editor

Click on the ad node to open its configuration
2

Add creative

Upload an image or video, or select from the media library
3

Verify format

Ensure the creative meets platform requirements
4

Save changes

The validation error should clear once creative is added
Error Message: “Headline exceeds maximum length” or “Description too long”Cause: Your ad copy exceeds platform character limits.Platform Character Limits:
PlatformHeadlineDescriptionLink Description
Meta40 chars125 chars30 chars
TikTok100 chars1000 charsN/A
Snapchat34 chars80 charsN/A
Google30 chars90 charsN/A
Resolution:
1

Check character count

Review how many characters you’re using
2

Edit ad copy

Shorten the text to fit within platform limits
3

Maintain message clarity

Ensure your shortened copy still conveys the key message
Write concise, impactful copy from the start. Shorter copy often performs better anyway.
Error Message: “End date must be after start date” or “Start date cannot be in the past”Cause: Campaign or ad set scheduling has invalid dates.Resolution:
1

Review date settings

Check the start and end dates for your campaign or ad set
2

Correct the dates

Ensure start date is before end date and both are in the future
3

Consider timezone

Dates are typically in the ad account’s timezone
Error Message: “Targeting audience is too narrow” or “Estimated audience size below minimum”Cause: Your targeting configuration results in an audience that’s too small for the platform to deliver effectively.Resolution:
1

Review targeting settings

Check which targeting criteria you’ve applied
2

Broaden targeting

Remove some restrictions or expand geographic targeting
3

Check audience estimate

Most platforms show estimated audience size as you configure targeting
4

Balance reach and relevance

Find a balance between targeting precision and audience size
Minimum audience sizes vary by platform and objective. Generally, aim for at least 50,000-100,000 people for effective delivery.
Error Message: “Targeting not allowed for special ad category” or “Must declare special ad category”Cause: Your Meta campaign is about housing, employment, or credit but isn’t properly configured.Special Ad Categories:
  • Housing
  • Employment
  • Credit
Resolution:
1

Declare the category

If your ad is about housing, employment, or credit, you must declare it
2

Accept targeting restrictions

Special ad categories have limited targeting options (no age, gender, or detailed targeting)
3

Review Meta policies

Ensure your ad complies with Meta’s special ad category policies
Meta strictly enforces special ad category rules. Failure to declare can result in ad rejection or account penalties.
Error Message: “Bid amount must be between XandX and Y”Cause: Your manual bid is outside the platform’s acceptable range.Resolution:
1

Check bid strategy

Verify you’re using the correct bid strategy for your objective
2

Review platform limits

Check the platform’s minimum and maximum bid amounts
3

Adjust bid

Set a bid amount within the acceptable range
4

Consider automatic bidding

If unsure, use automatic bidding instead of manual

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Platform-Specific Validation Rules

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Meta Validation Rules

Budget Requirements:
  • Minimum $1/day per ad set
  • Lifetime budgets must be at least $1 total
  • Budget must be in ad account currency
Targeting Requirements:
  • At least one location required
  • Age range required (13-65+ available)
  • Special ad categories have restricted targeting
Creative Requirements:
  • Images: 1080x1080px recommended
  • Videos: Various aspect ratios supported
  • Text in images should be minimal (no strict limit anymore)
Ad Copy Limits:
  • Primary text: 125 characters
  • Headline: 40 characters
  • Description: 30 characters
Special Rules:
  • Special ad categories must be declared
  • Political ads require authorization
  • Some industries have additional restrictions

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Validation Error Categories

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Critical Errors (Must Fix)

These prevent publishing entirely:
  • Missing required fields
  • Invalid hierarchy connections
  • Budget below minimum
  • Missing creative content

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Warning Errors (Should Fix)

These may cause issues but don’t always prevent publishing:
  • Audience size very small
  • Budget very low (but above minimum)
  • Ad copy approaching character limits

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Platform Errors (Caught at Publish)

These are caught by the platform during publishing:
  • Policy violations
  • Account-specific restrictions
  • Regional limitations
  • Spending limit issues

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Best Practices to Avoid Validation Errors

  1. Fill required fields first: Start with campaign name, objective, and platform before adding details
  2. Check platform minimums: Know the budget minimums for each platform before setting budgets
  3. Follow hierarchy rules: Always create the correct campaign → ad set → ad structure
  4. Validate as you go: Fix validation errors immediately rather than waiting until publish time
  5. Use platform media libraries: Upload assets to platforms first to catch format issues early
  6. Review platform policies: Understand each platform’s advertising policies before creating campaigns
  7. Test with small campaigns: Create a simple test campaign first to verify your setup works
Enable validation warnings in your settings to catch potential issues before they become blocking errors.

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What to Do When Validation Passes But Publishing Fails

Sometimes campaigns pass Whathead validation but fail when publishing to the platform. This happens because:
  1. Platform rules are more complex: Platforms have additional rules we can’t fully validate in advance
  2. Account-specific restrictions: Your specific ad account may have limitations
  3. Policy violations: Content may violate platform policies
  4. Real-time checks: Platforms perform additional checks during publishing
When this happens:
  • Read the platform’s error message carefully
  • Check the platform’s documentation for the specific rule
  • Update your campaign to meet the platform’s requirements
  • Retry publishing

Publishing Validation

Learn about the validation process

Publishing Failures

Troubleshoot publishing errors

Platform Requirements

Review asset requirements

Publishing Workflow

Understand the publishing process