Plan and write a paid social advertising campaign

Social Ad Campaign Skill

This skill produces a complete paid social advertising campaign plan covering campaign objective, audience targeting, funnel structure, ad set architecture, ad copy and creative briefs for each format, budget allocation, bidding strategy, and a measurement framework. Output is ready for a media buyer, performance marketer, or social team to execute.

Required Inputs

Ask the user for these if not provided:

• Brand / product name
• Campaign objective — what are you trying to achieve? (traffic / leads / conversions / brand awareness / app installs / video views / event promotion)
• Platform(s) — Meta (Facebook/Instagram), LinkedIn, TikTok, X/Twitter, Pinterest, Snapchat
• Target audience — who are you trying to reach? (demographics, interests, job titles, behaviours, lookalikes)
• Budget — total campaign budget and timeframe (e.g. £5,000 over 4 weeks)
• Offer / landing page — what is the ad driving to? (free trial, product page, lead form, event sign-up)
• Key message — the single most important thing the ad must communicate

Output Structure

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Paid Social Campaign Plan: [Brand] — [Campaign Name]

Campaign objective: [e.g. Lead generation — 200 qualified leads in 30 days] Platform(s): [e.g. Meta (Instagram + Facebook), LinkedIn] Budget: [£/$/€ X total over X weeks] Campaign period: [Start date → End date] Owner: [Media buyer / performance marketer / agency] Date: [Date]

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1. Campaign Strategy Overview

Why paid social for this objective: [2–3 sentences justifying the platform and format choice for this specific goal and audience. E.g. "LinkedIn is the right channel for this B2B SaaS campaign — we can target by job title, company size, and seniority, ensuring budget reaches decision-makers, not browsers."]

Funnel structure:

Stage	Objective	Audience	Budget allocation
Top of funnel (TOFU)	Awareness / reach	Cold audience — interest/behaviour targeting	[X%]
Middle of funnel (MOFU)	Consideration / engagement	Warm audience — video viewers, page engagers, website visitors	[X%]
Bottom of funnel (BOFU)	Conversion / lead	Hot audience — retargeting, custom audiences, lookalikes	[X%]

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2. Audience Targeting

Audience 1: [Cold — Primary Target]

Platform: [Meta / LinkedIn / TikTok] Audience size target: [e.g. 500K–2M — broad enough to learn, narrow enough to be relevant]

Targeting dimension	Settings
Location	[Country / region / city]
Age	[e.g. 28–45]
Gender	[All / specify if relevant]
Interests / behaviours	[e.g. SaaS tools, productivity apps, small business owners]
Job titles (LinkedIn)	[e.g. Head of Marketing, Marketing Director, CMO]
Company size (LinkedIn)	[e.g. 50–500 employees]
Industry (LinkedIn)	[e.g. Technology, Financial Services, Healthcare]
Exclude	[e.g. Existing customers — upload suppression list]

Audience 2: [Warm — Engagement Retargeting]

Platform: [Meta] Source: People who engaged with content / visited website in last 30 days

Signal	Action
Watched 50%+ of a video ad	Retarget with a case study or testimonial ad
Visited product page but didn't convert	Retarget with a direct offer / free trial CTA
Engaged with Instagram / Facebook page	Retarget with social proof ad

Audience 3: [Hot — Conversion Retargeting]

Platform: [Meta / LinkedIn] Source: Website visitors (last 7 days), abandoned cart, form started but not completed

Retargeting message: More direct. Address the specific action they took. Time-sensitive CTA.

Audience 4: [Lookalike]

Source: [Existing customers / email list / best-converting website visitors] Lookalike similarity: [1%–3% (tight match) / 3%–10% (broader reach)] Platform: Meta

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3. Campaign Structure

Meta Campaign Architecture

Campaign: [Campaign Name] — [Objective: Lead Generation / Traffic / Conversions]
│
├── Ad Set 1: TOFU — Cold Interests
│   ├── Ad 1A: [Video ad — hook format]
│   ├── Ad 1B: [Static image — benefit-led headline]
│   └── Ad 1C: [Carousel — feature/use case showcase]
│
├── Ad Set 2: MOFU — Warm Retargeting (30-day engagers)
│   ├── Ad 2A: [Social proof / testimonial]
│   └── Ad 2B: [Case study / before & after]
│
└── Ad Set 3: BOFU — Hot Retargeting (7-day website visitors)
    ├── Ad 3A: [Direct offer — free trial / discount / demo]
    └── Ad 3B: [Objection handling — FAQ / reassurance]

LinkedIn Campaign Architecture

Campaign Group: [Campaign Name]
│
├── Campaign 1: [Job Title Targeting — Awareness]
│   ├── Single Image Ad: [Thought leadership hook]
│   └── Video Ad: [Problem/solution story]
│
├── Campaign 2: [Company Size + Industry — Consideration]
│   ├── Single Image Ad: [Case study / proof point]
│   └── Lead Gen Form: [Gated asset / webinar / demo]
│
└── Campaign 3: [Retargeting — Conversion]
    └── Sponsored Message / Lead Gen Form: [Direct CTA with personalisation]

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4. Ad Copy

Format 1: Video Ad (15–30 seconds) — TOFU

Hook (first 3 seconds — must stop the scroll):

"[Pattern interrupt question or statement — e.g. 'Are you still doing [painful thing] manually?']"

Core message (seconds 4–20):

"[Agitate the problem → introduce the solution → show the specific outcome]"

CTA (final 5 seconds):

"[Clear, single action — e.g. 'Try free for 14 days — link in bio' / 'Get your demo today']"

Visual direction:

• [e.g. Founder talking to camera in natural setting — authentic, not polished ad]
• [e.g. Screen recording showing the product in use — show the outcome, not the feature]
• [e.g. Customer testimonial — real person, real result, first-person story]

Caption copy:

[Headline — max 40 chars] [Body copy — 1–3 sentences max] [CTA button label: e.g. "Learn More" / "Sign Up" / "Get Started"]

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Format 2: Static Image Ad — TOFU/MOFU

Ad variant A — Benefit-led headline:

Element	Copy
Headline	"[Single-sentence benefit statement — e.g. 'Cut reporting time by 80% with [Product]']"
Body copy	"[Problem → solution in 2 sentences. Proof point if available.]"
CTA	"Start free trial" / "Book a demo" / "Get 20% off"
Image	[Product UI / result visual / human context shot — no stock photos of people in suits]

Ad variant B — Social proof headline:

Element	Copy
Headline	"['[Result] in [timeframe]' — real customer result, or '500+ teams use [Product] to...']"
Body copy	"[Expand on the proof. 1–2 sentences. Add a second proof point if available.]"
CTA	"See how it works" / "Try it free"
Image	[Customer photo + quote overlay / logo wall / before/after data visual]

Ad variant C — Curiosity/question headline:

Element	Copy
Headline	"['[Common misconception or challenging question]' — e.g. 'What if [painful process] took 10 minutes, not 2 hours?']"
Body copy	"[Answer the question → introduce product → specific outcome]"
CTA	"Find out how"

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Format 3: Carousel Ad — Features / Use Cases

Headline (shown above carousel): "[Problem-first statement or benefit hook]"

Card #	Headline	Description	Image
Card 1 (hook)	"[Compelling hook — why this matters]"	"[1-sentence setup]"	[Eye-catching visual / stat]
Card 2	"[Use case / feature 1]"	"[Specific outcome this delivers]"	[Product UI or illustration]
Card 3	"[Use case / feature 2]"	"[Specific outcome this delivers]"	[Product UI or illustration]
Card 4	"[Use case / feature 3]"	"[Specific outcome this delivers]"	[Product UI or illustration]
Card 5 (CTA card)	"[Strong CTA headline]"	"[Reinforce the offer / urgency]"	[CTA-focused visual / button]

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Format 4: Lead Gen Form Ad (LinkedIn / Meta)

Intro text (shown before form):

"[1–2 sentences on what they'll get and why it's worth 60 seconds of their time]"

Form headline: "[Value-led headline — e.g. 'Get your free [asset] / Book your 20-min demo']"

Form fields (keep to minimum — each extra field reduces conversion):

• First name
• Work email
• [One qualifying question — e.g. "Company size" / "Current tool used" / "Biggest challenge"]

Privacy notice: [Standard GDPR / CCPA compliance text — "By submitting, you agree to our Privacy Policy and may be contacted by [Brand] about relevant products and services."]

Thank you message:

"[What happens next — e.g. 'Thanks! You'll receive [asset] in your inbox within 5 minutes. Our team will be in touch within 1 business day.']"

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Format 5: Retargeting Ad — BOFU

For website visitors (7 days) — direct offer:

Headline: "[Specific nudge — e.g. 'Still thinking about [Product]? Here's 20% off to make the decision easier.']" Body: "[Reinforce the primary benefit. Add urgency if genuine — e.g. 'Offer ends [date]'.]" CTA: "Claim offer" / "Start free trial" / "Book demo"

For video viewers (50%+) — social proof bridge:

Headline: "[Continue the story — e.g. 'See what [50/100/500] teams achieved with [Product]']" Body: "[Customer result quote or specific outcome. Bridge from awareness to consideration.]" CTA: "Read the case study" / "See how it works"

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5. Budget Allocation

Total budget: [£/$/€ X over X weeks]

Ad Set	Stage	Budget	% of total	Expected CPM	Expected CPC	Expected conversions
Ad Set 1 — Cold interests	TOFU	[£X/week]	[X%]	[£X]	[£X]	[X leads / clicks]
Ad Set 2 — Warm retargeting	MOFU	[£X/week]	[X%]	[£X]	[£X]	[X]
Ad Set 3 — Hot retargeting	BOFU	[£X/week]	[X%]	[£X]	[£X]	[X]
Total	—	[£X/week]	100%	—	—	[X total]

Bidding strategy:

• TOFU: [Lowest cost / Maximum reach — optimise for video views or link clicks]
• MOFU: [Lowest cost — optimise for landing page views or lead form opens]
• BOFU: [Cost cap / Target cost — optimise for conversions or lead form submits]

Budget reallocation rule: After [7] days, pause ad sets with CPL > [£X]. Reallocate budget to best-performing ad sets. Review weekly.

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6. Measurement Framework

Primary KPI (tied to campaign objective):

KPI	Target	Why
[Cost per lead (CPL)]	[≤ £/$/€ X]	[Primary success metric — every pound spent measured against leads generated]
[Conversion rate (ad → lead form)]	[≥ X%]	[Quality of targeting and ad relevance]
[Total leads]	[≥ X in X weeks]	[Volume target]

Secondary metrics (optimisation signals):

Metric	Target	Action if off-target
CTR (click-through rate)	[≥ X%]	[Test new headlines / hook variations]
CPM (cost per 1K impressions)	[≤ £/$/€ X]	[Broaden audience / test new placements]
Video completion rate (if video)	[≥ X%]	[Test shorter video / stronger hook]
Lead form completion rate	[≥ X%]	[Reduce form fields / test form intro copy]
Lead-to-opportunity rate (post-campaign)	[≥ X%]	[Review lead quality — tighten audience targeting]

Reporting cadence:

• Daily: Check spend, CTR, and CPL — pause clearly underperforming ads
• Weekly: Full performance review + budget reallocation decision
• Campaign end: Final report with learnings for next campaign

Attribution model: [Last-click / 7-day click + 1-day view / data-driven (if volume sufficient)]

Tracking setup checklist:

• Pixel / conversion API installed and verified on landing page
• Conversion event firing correctly (lead form submit / purchase / sign-up)
• UTM parameters set on all ad destination URLs
• Lead form CRM integration tested
• Lookalike audiences seeded from customer list upload

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7. A/B Testing Plan

Run structured tests — change one variable at a time:

Test #	Variable	Control	Variant	Success metric	Min budget to run
1	Hook / headline	[Current headline]	[Challenger headline]	CTR	[£X / 500 impressions]
2	Creative format	Static image	Video	CPL	[£X / 1,000 impressions]
3	CTA	"Learn More"	"Start free trial"	Conversion rate	[£X / 200 clicks]
4	Audience	Interest-based	Lookalike 1%	CPL	[Equal budget split]

Testing rules:

• Run each test for minimum [7] days or [1,000 impressions] — whichever comes first
• Change one variable at a time — never two in the same test
• Document results and apply winning variant to all future campaigns

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Quality Checks

• Campaign objective is single and measurable — not "awareness and leads"
• Full-funnel structure: TOFU, MOFU, and BOFU ad sets are separate
• Each ad has a specific hook, benefit, and CTA — not generic copy
• Ad copy has been tested against the "1-second scroll stop" rule — does the hook compel a pause?
• Budget allocation reflects funnel logic — BOFU gets proportionally more per lead
• Tracking setup checklist completed before campaign goes live
• A/B test plan is in place — one variable per test, minimum budget defined
• Retargeting suppression is set — existing customers excluded from acquisition campaigns

Example Trigger Phrases

• "Plan a paid social campaign for [product launch]"
• "Build Meta ad copy for our lead generation campaign"
• "Create a LinkedIn ad campaign for [B2B SaaS product]"
• "Write TikTok ad copy for [consumer brand]"
• "Structure a paid social funnel for [offer]"

Anti-Patterns

• Do not combine multiple campaign objectives in one campaign — pick one measurable goal or the algorithm cannot optimise correctly
• Do not skip retargeting suppression — existing customers receiving acquisition ads wastes budget and damages brand perception
• Do not launch without completing the tracking setup checklist — campaigns without verified pixel firing cannot be optimised or attributed
• Do not run A/B tests changing more than one variable at a time — multi-variable tests produce uninterpretable results
• Do not allocate equal budget across TOFU, MOFU, and BOFU — BOFU audiences convert at higher rates and deserve proportionally more budget per conversion