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Creating Your First Campaign

This workflow guide walks you through creating a campaign from scratch using the Campaign Builder. This is the most common workflow for new campaigns.
When to use this workflow:
  • Creating brand new campaigns
  • Starting fresh campaign structures
  • Building campaigns not yet on the platform
For editing existing campaigns, see Editing Existing Campaigns.

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Prerequisites

Before starting, ensure you have:
  • Connected at least one advertising platform (Meta, TikTok, Snapchat, or Google)
  • Admin or advertiser access to your ad account
  • Creative assets ready (images or videos)
  • Clear campaign objectives and targeting strategy
If you haven’t connected a platform yet, see Initial Setup for connection instructions.

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Workflow Overview

Creating a campaign involves these steps:
  1. Open the Campaign Builder
  2. Create campaign node (top level)
  3. Add ad set nodes (middle level)
  4. Add ad nodes (bottom level)
  5. Validate and publish
Each step builds on the previous one, creating the three-tier hierarchy required by advertising platforms.

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Step-by-Step Workflow

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1. Open the Campaign Builder

1

Navigate to Campaign Builder

Click Campaign Builder in the left sidebar. You’ll see a blank canvas ready for campaign creation.
2

Understand the canvas

The canvas is your visual workspace where you’ll build campaign structures using nodes. The canvas auto-saves your work, so you can leave and return anytime.

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2. Create Campaign Node

1

Add campaign node

Click the + Campaign button in the center of the canvas (or use the toolbar if you already have nodes).
2

Select platform and ad account

Choose which platform and ad account this campaign belongs to. You can have multiple campaigns for different platforms on the same canvas.
3

Configure campaign settings

Fill in required campaign fields:
  • Campaign Name: Descriptive name for internal tracking
  • Objective: What you want to achieve (Sales, Traffic, Awareness, etc.)
  • Budget: Daily or lifetime budget (must meet platform minimums)
  • Schedule: Start date and optional end date
Campaign objective cannot be changed after publishing on most platforms. Choose carefully.
4

Save campaign node

Click Save. A campaign node appears on the canvas representing your campaign.

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3. Add Ad Set Nodes

Ad sets (called “Ad Groups” on TikTok/Google, “Ad Squads” on Snapchat) define targeting and placements.
1

Add ad set node

Click + Ad Set below your campaign node. The ad set automatically connects to the campaign.
2

Configure targeting

Define your audience:
  • Location: Countries, regions, cities, or radius targeting
  • Demographics: Age range, gender, language
  • Interests: Categories relevant to your audience
  • Behaviors: Purchase behavior, device usage, etc.
  • Custom Audiences: Upload your own audience lists (optional)
Targeting options vary by platform. See Targeting Overview for platform-specific details.
3

Configure placements

Choose where your ads appear:
  • Automatic Placements: Platform optimizes placement selection (recommended)
  • Manual Placements: Choose specific placements (feed, stories, reels, etc.)
4

Set schedule and budget

  • Schedule: When ads run (start date, end date, dayparting)
  • Budget: Ad set-level budget if using ad set budgeting (optional)
5

Save ad set node

Click Save. The ad set node appears connected to your campaign.
6

Add more ad sets (optional)

To test different audiences, add multiple ad sets under the same campaign. Each ad set can have different targeting while sharing the campaign objective.

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4. Add Ad Nodes

Ads contain your creative content and messaging.
1

Add ad node

Click + Ad below your ad set node. The ad automatically connects to the ad set.
2

Choose ad format

Select format based on your creative:
  • Single Image: One image with copy
  • Single Video: One video with copy
  • Carousel: Multiple images/videos users can swipe through
  • Collection: Product catalog format (platform-specific)
3

Upload creative

Upload your image or video:
  • Click Upload to select from your computer
  • Or select from Media Library if you’ve uploaded assets before
Ensure your creative meets platform requirements for dimensions, file size, and format. See Upload Requirements.
4

Write ad copy

Add your messaging:
  • Primary Text: Main ad copy (appears above or below creative)
  • Headline: Short, attention-grabbing headline
  • Description: Additional details (optional, platform-specific)
Character limits vary by platform. Whathead shows remaining characters as you type.
5

Set call-to-action and destination

  • Call-to-Action Button: Choose button text (Shop Now, Learn More, Sign Up, etc.)
  • Destination URL: Where users go when they click your ad
  • Display URL: Optional custom display URL (platform-specific)
6

Save ad node

Click Save. The ad node appears connected to your ad set.
7

Add more ads (optional)

To test different creative or messaging, add multiple ads under the same ad set. This is called A/B testing or creative testing.

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5. Validate and Publish

1

Check validation status

Look for validation indicators on your nodes:
  • Green checkmark: Node passes validation, ready to publish
  • Red warning icon: Validation errors need fixing
Click nodes with warnings to see what needs to be fixed.
2

Fix validation errors

Common validation errors:
  • Budget below platform minimum
  • Missing required fields
  • Creative doesn’t meet specifications
  • Invalid targeting combinations
Fix all errors before publishing.
3

Review campaign structure

Verify your campaign hierarchy is correct:
  • Campaign nodes at the top
  • Ad set nodes connected to campaigns
  • Ad nodes connected to ad sets
  • No disconnected nodes
4

Publish

Click Publish in the top-right corner. Whathead shows a publish summary listing what will be created.
5

Confirm and wait

Review the summary and click Confirm. Whathead sends your campaign to the platform. You’ll see a success message when complete.
Your campaign is now live on the platform! It will start running according to your schedule and budget settings.

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What Happens When You Publish

When you publish a new campaign created from scratch:
  1. Whathead validates all nodes to ensure they meet platform requirements
  2. Whathead creates new entities on the platform (campaign, ad sets, ads)
  3. Platform assigns IDs to each entity (stored as “existing IDs” in Whathead)
  4. Campaign goes live according to your schedule settings
  5. Platform reviews ads (typically 15 minutes to 24 hours depending on platform)
Learn more about publishing behavior in Publishing Workflow and Create vs Update.

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After Publishing

Once your campaign is live:
  • Monitor performance in your platform dashboard
  • Edit and republish if you need to make changes (see Editing Existing Campaigns)
  • Pause or stop campaigns from the platform portal if needed
  • Fetch back to Whathead to edit using Expand Flow (see Fetching Existing Campaigns)
After publishing, your nodes will have platform IDs. If you republish after making changes, Whathead will UPDATE the existing campaigns rather than creating new ones.

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Common Patterns

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Testing Multiple Audiences

Create one campaign with multiple ad sets, each targeting a different audience: 
Campaign: Summer Sale 2024
├── Ad Set: Women 25-34, Fitness Interests
│   └── Ad: Workout Gear Creative
├── Ad Set: Women 35-44, Health Interests
│   └── Ad: Wellness Products Creative
└── Ad Set: Men 25-44, Sports Interests
    └── Ad: Athletic Wear Creative

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Testing Multiple Creatives

Create one campaign with one ad set and multiple ads: 
Campaign: Product Launch
└── Ad Set: Target Audience
    ├── Ad: Video Creative A
    ├── Ad: Video Creative B
    └── Ad: Image Creative C

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Full A/B Test Structure

Test both audiences and creatives: 
Campaign: Holiday Campaign
├── Ad Set: Audience A
│   ├── Ad: Creative 1
│   └── Ad: Creative 2
└── Ad Set: Audience B
    ├── Ad: Creative 1
    └── Ad: Creative 2

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Troubleshooting

Cause: Missing required fields or invalid values.Solution: Check that you’ve filled in campaign name, objective, and budget. Ensure budget meets platform minimums.
Cause: Campaign node may not be saved yet.Solution: Save the campaign node first, then add ad sets.
Cause: File doesn’t meet platform requirements.Solution: Check file format, dimensions, and size. See Upload Requirements for platform-specific specs.
Cause: Your budget is below the platform’s minimum requirement.Solution: Increase your budget. Minimums vary by platform and objective (typically 1−1-20 per day).
Cause: Targeting combination is not allowed by the platform.Solution: Review platform-specific targeting restrictions. Some combinations (like certain age ranges with certain objectives) are not allowed.

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Next Steps

Editing Existing Campaigns

Learn how to fetch and edit campaigns that already exist on the platform.

Bulk Campaign Management

Create and manage multiple campaigns simultaneously.

Cross-Platform Transfer

Copy campaigns between platforms or ad accounts.

Publishing Scenarios

Understand different publishing scenarios and behaviors.