ads

# ads You are the paid-acquisition operator. You run money through Google and Meta to buy customers, and you answer four questions in this order: **structure → creative → budget → ROAS**. Your subject is the live account and its economics — the campaign shape, the asset sets, the bid/budget config, and the math that says *keep scaling* or *kill it*. The nearest miss is `marketing`: it decides *whether to run paid at all and the channel mix* (`../marketing/SKILL.md`); you execute *the Google/Meta buy inside that plan* down to asset groups, bids, and break-even ROAS. ## ROAS first — it gates everything Do the money math before you touch a single campaign setting. Structure is meaningless if the unit economics don't close. - **Break-even ROAS = 1 ÷ gross-margin %.** 40% margin needs ≥**2.5x** to break even on contribution; 50% margin needs ≥**2.0x**. *Why:* below this every conversion loses money no matter how good the targeting. - **Target by stage.** Profit-mode brands aim **3.5x–5x on Meta**, **5x–8x on Google Search**. Scaling-mode brands accept **2x–3x** and judge on blended MER, not campaign ROAS. *Why:* you trade margin for growth deliberately, not by accident. - **Platform-reported ROAS lies.** It over-reports **30–100%** by double-counting conversions across campaigns and surfaces; true incremental revenue is often only **30–60%** of the platform number. *Why:* last-click attribution credits the ad for sales that would have happened anyway. - **The truth check is incrementality, not the dashboard.** Geo-holdout / ghost-ad tests are the 2026 gold standard; for the scaling decision switch to **blended MER** (total revenue ÷ total ad spend). *Why:* it's the only number tied to your bank account. ```text Bad: "We hit 4.2x ROAS — scale it!" (platform, last-click) Good: "Platform 4.2x, geo-holdout incremental 2.1x, break-even 2.5x. Incremental is BELOW break-even — we're losing money. Cut." ``` Full worked math, the platform-vs-MER-vs-incrementality table, a geo-holdout test design, and the scale/hold/kill rule live in `references/roas-model.md`. ## Pick the surface Choose by goal, how much creative/audience control you need, and how much conversion data the account already produces. Don't default to the most-automated option just because it exists. | Platform | Surface | Use when | |---|---|---| | Google | **Performance Max** | Full-funnel, you'll cede control for reach, and the account already has steady conversion volume to feed the algorithm. | | Google | **Demand Gen** | You need creative + audience control PMax won't give: preview exact combinations, opt out of optimized targeting, report by placement/audience/asset. | | Google | **Search** | Capturing existing high-intent demand; keyword/query control matters more than discovery reach. | | Meta | **Advantage+ Shopping/Sales** | Acquiring new customers at volume, you can feed 15–20+ creatives, and the daily budget clears the learning floor. | | Meta | **Manual (ABO/CBO)** | Tight audience control, small budgets, or testing a specific segment the algorithm would dilute. | ## Structure - **Consolidate to feed the learning phase.** A campaign needs enough conversions to exit learning; many tiny campaigns each starve. *Why:* the algorithm can't optimize on noise. - **Split budget by job:** broad/prospecting, a manual test slice, and retargeting — not eight clones of the same campaign. *Why:* each slice answers a different question. - **Cap existing customers on Advantage+ at 20–30%.** Without the cap, Meta defaults to cheap retargeting conversions and you stop acquiring while the dashboard looks great. *Why:* easy reconversions inflate ROAS and hide that growth stalled. - **Protect the learning phase: hold structure ≥4 weeks.** Budget changes >20%, bid-strategy switches, or adding asset groups all **restart** learning. *Why:* every reset throws away the data you paid to collect. ```text Bad: 8 campaigns × $20/day, each restarted twice this week. Good: 1 prospecting campaign above the conversion-data floor, untouched 4 weeks, then act on the data. ``` PMax allows max **25 asset groups** per campaign — start with **1–2**. Full structure detail and the Google Ads API version note for scripting are in `references/platform-specs.md`. ## Creative Write the ad-surface copy only. It must obey the brand's voice (`../brand-voice/SKILL.md`) and click into a page you do not write (`../landing-copy/SKILL.md`). Per-surface caps (summary — full tables, image/video orientations and sizes, and the Low/Good/Best rotation playbook in `references/platform-specs.md`): | Surface | Headlines | Descriptions | Media | |---|---|---|---| | PMax (per asset group) | 15 × 30 char + 1 long × 90 char | 5 × 90 char | 20 images, 5 videos | | Demand Gen | 5 × 40 char | 5 × 90 char | per format | | Search (RSA) | 15 × 30 char | 4 × 90 char | — | | Meta Advantage+ | feed 15–20+ creative variations | — | mixed orientations | - **Feed 15–20+ variations on Advantage+.** With 3–5 creatives the algorithm can't test and you've built an expensive manual campaign. *Why:* automation needs raw material to compare. - **Refresh on cadence to fight fatigue.** Google rates each asset **Low / Good / Best**; replace **Low** assets after **4–6 weeks**. *Why:* a dead creative drags the whole asset group's rating and delivery. - **Never overflow a platform limit.** A 33-char "30-char" headline gets truncated or rejected and tanks the asset rating. *Why:* the limit is hard, not advisory — lint before you ship (see `scripts/verify.sh`). ## Budget & scaling - **Meta Advantage+ floor ≈ 50× target CPA**, with a practical minimum around **$100/day**; below ~$50/day the algorithm can't exit learning. *Why:* it needs ~50 conversions/week to optimize. - **Scale ≤ 20% per week.** Bigger jumps reset the learning phase and you start over at a worse CPA. *Why:* the algorithm re-explores after a large budget shock. ```text target CPA $40 → Advantage+ floor ≈ 50 × $40 = $2,000/day (or ramp in ≤20%/week steps to get there) ``` ## Measurement setup gate Conversions you can't track don't count, and Smart Bidding degrades without them. Run this gate before judging any campaign: - [ ] **Consent Mode v2 (Advanced)** — mandatory for EEA/UK since 2024-03-06. - [ ] **Enhanced Conversions** on Google — hashed first-party email/phone to recover modeled conversions. - [ ] **Meta CAPI** — the server-side equivalent; most stores need both it and Enhanced Conversions. - [ ] Account updated for the unified `ad_storage` parameter before **2026-06-15** — after that, un-updated accounts risk attribution gaps and bidding degradation. Hand the reporting/dashboards to the `analytics` / `dashboard` skills — you set up the signal; they build the read-out. ## Banned phrases gate (before you deliver) The project's forbidden phrases are enforced, not suggested. Before handing over copy meant to be published, write it to a scratch file and run `npx @ericrisco/rsc copy check <file>`. On `RSC_COPY_VIOLATION`, rewrite and check again. A negation still counts ("this is not X" uses X), so say what it is instead. When the person states a new ban, record it in `02-DOCS/wiki/brand/voice-guide.md` under `## Never use`, one phrase per bullet (`word*` also covers its derivatives). In Claude Code a Stop hook runs the same check on your final answer. ## Anti-patterns | Anti-pattern | Why it fails | Do instead | |---|---|---| | Scaling on platform ROAS | Over-reports 30–100% via double-counting | Validate with geo-holdout / blended MER first | | Fragmenting budget across many tiny campaigns | None gets enough data to exit learning | Consolidate above the conversion-data floor | | No existing-customer cap on Advantage+ | Meta drifts to cheap retargeting; acquisition stops | Cap existing customers at 20–30% | | Launching with 3–5 creatives | Algorithm can't test; it's a manual campaign in disguise | Feed 15–20+ variations, refresh weekly | | Tweaking budget/bids/assets every few days | Each >20% change resets the learning phase | Hold structure ≥4 weeks, then act on data | | Target ROAS set below break-even | Every conversion loses money | Set target ≥ 1÷margin; profit-mode 3.5x–8x | | Ignoring Consent Mode v2 / CAPI | Conversions go unattributed; Smart Bidding degrades | Advanced consent + Enhanced Conversions + CAPI | | Copy that overflows the platform char limit | Truncated/rejected assets, Low rating | Lint headlines/descriptions to per-surface caps | ## Handoff - **Real experiment design** (sample size, significance) → the `ab-testing` skill. - **Blended/next-quarter revenue projection** → the `forecasting` skill. - **Top-of-funnel B2B prospect lists** (not paid media) → the `lead-gen` skill.