| name | meta-ads-media-planner |
| description | Strategic media planning for Meta Ads - budget calculation, forecasting, seasonal planning, channel allocation, and growth roadmaps for ecommerce businesses. Use when users ask about budget setting, media plans, how much to spend, forecasting results, planning for BFCM/Q4, allocating budget across channels, or building growth plans. Triggers include "how much should I spend", "create a media plan", "plan my budget", "forecast results", "Q4 planning", "BFCM budget", "what budget do I need", "channel allocation", "growth plan", "scaling roadmap", or any strategic budget and planning questions. |
Media Planner Skill
Strategic media planning and budget forecasting for Meta Ads ecommerce campaigns.
Skill Overview
The Media Planner skill helps ecommerce businesses create data-driven media plans, calculate appropriate budgets, forecast results, plan for seasonal events, allocate spend across channels, and build stage-appropriate growth roadmaps. It bridges the gap between business goals and advertising execution.
Core Principle: Goal-Backward Planning
THE MEDIA PLANNING FRAMEWORK:
WRONG APPROACH (Budget-Forward):
"I have $10K/month, what can I get?"
→ Leads to arbitrary spending
→ No connection to business goals
→ Can't measure success
RIGHT APPROACH (Goal-Backward):
"I need $500K revenue, what budget do I need?"
→ Starts with business objectives
→ Works backward to required spend
→ Clear success metrics
KEY INSIGHT:
Budget should be a function of goals, not the other way around.
Every dollar spent should ladder up to a business outcome.
When to Use This Skill
Use media-planner when:
- Setting annual, quarterly, or monthly ad budgets
- Creating media plans for new campaigns
- Planning for seasonal events (BFCM, Q4, holidays)
- Forecasting expected results from spend
- Deciding budget allocation across channels
- Building growth roadmaps and scaling plans
- Determining test budget requirements
- Justifying ad spend to stakeholders
Reference Files
When to Load Each Reference
| File | Load When |
|---|
references/budget-calculator.md | Calculating budget from goals, AOV/margin considerations |
references/forecasting-models.md | Estimating reach, conversions, revenue from budget |
references/seasonal-planning.md | BFCM, Q4, holiday planning, seasonal calendars |
references/channel-allocation.md | Deciding Meta vs Google vs other channel splits |
references/testing-budgets.md | Setting aside test budgets, minimum test thresholds |
references/growth-roadmaps.md | Stage-based spending plans, scaling timelines |
Media Planning Decision Tree
PLANNING REQUEST RECEIVED
│
├─► What type of plan needed?
│ │
│ ├─► BUDGET CALCULATION
│ │ │
│ │ ├─► From revenue goal
│ │ │ └─► Load: budget-calculator.md
│ │ │ Formula: Revenue ÷ Target ROAS = Ad Spend
│ │ │
│ │ ├─► From customer acquisition goal
│ │ │ └─► Load: budget-calculator.md
│ │ │ Formula: Target Customers × CPA = Ad Spend
│ │ │
│ │ └─► From available margin
│ │ └─► Load: budget-calculator.md
│ │ Formula: Revenue × Allowable Ad % = Ad Spend
│ │
│ ├─► FORECASTING
│ │ │
│ │ ├─► What will budget achieve?
│ │ │ └─► Load: forecasting-models.md
│ │ │ Estimate: Reach, impressions, conversions
│ │ │
│ │ └─► What-if scenarios
│ │ └─► Load: forecasting-models.md
│ │ Model different budget levels
│ │
│ ├─► SEASONAL PLANNING
│ │ │
│ │ ├─► BFCM / Black Friday
│ │ │ └─► Load: seasonal-planning.md
│ │ │ Section: BFCM playbook
│ │ │
│ │ ├─► Q4 / Holiday season
│ │ │ └─► Load: seasonal-planning.md
│ │ │ Section: Q4 calendar
│ │ │
│ │ └─► Other seasonal events
│ │ └─► Load: seasonal-planning.md
│ │ Section: Seasonal calendar
│ │
│ ├─► CHANNEL ALLOCATION
│ │ └─► Load: channel-allocation.md
│ │ Determine Meta vs Google vs other splits
│ │
│ ├─► TEST BUDGET
│ │ └─► Load: testing-budgets.md
│ │ Calculate appropriate test investment
│ │
│ └─► GROWTH ROADMAP
│ └─► Load: growth-roadmaps.md
│ Stage-based scaling plan
Quick Budget Calculator
Method 1: Revenue-Based
REVENUE → BUDGET FORMULA:
Target Revenue = $______
Target ROAS = ____x
Required Budget = Target Revenue ÷ ROAS
EXAMPLE:
Target Revenue: $100,000/month
Target ROAS: 4x
Required Budget: $100,000 ÷ 4 = $25,000/month
ROAS BENCHMARKS BY STAGE:
- New brand (0-6 months): 1.5-2.5x realistic
- Growth brand (6-18 months): 2-4x achievable
- Established brand (18+ months): 3-6x possible
- Highly optimized: 5-10x exceptional
Method 2: Customer Acquisition
CUSTOMER → BUDGET FORMULA:
Target New Customers = _____
Blended CPA = $______
Required Budget = Customers × CPA
EXAMPLE:
Target Customers: 500/month
Blended CPA: $35
Required Budget: 500 × $35 = $17,500/month
CPA ESTIMATION:
Blended CPA ≈ AOV × (1 - Gross Margin %)
If AOV = $80, Margin = 60%
Max sustainable CPA = $80 × 40% = $32
Method 3: Margin-Based
MARGIN → BUDGET FORMULA:
Expected Revenue = $______
Gross Margin = _____%
Ad Spend % of Revenue Target = _____%
Available Budget = Revenue × Ad Spend %
EXAMPLE:
Expected Revenue: $200,000/month
Gross Margin: 65%
Target Ad Spend: 15% of revenue
Available Budget: $200,000 × 15% = $30,000/month
AD SPEND % GUIDELINES:
- Aggressive growth: 20-30% of revenue
- Balanced growth: 15-20% of revenue
- Profitable scale: 10-15% of revenue
- Maintenance: 5-10% of revenue
Media Plan Structure
Annual Media Plan Template
ANNUAL MEDIA PLAN
Business Goal: $_______ annual revenue
Target ROAS: _____x
Annual Ad Budget: $_______
QUARTERLY BREAKDOWN:
Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4
Revenue Goal $____ $____ $____ $____
Budget $____ $____ $____ $____
% of Annual ____% ____% ____% ____%
MONTHLY PACING:
- January: $___ (post-holiday rebuild)
- February: $___ (Valentine's/seasonal)
- March: $___ (spring planning)
- April: $___ (stable month)
- May: $___ (Mother's Day, pre-summer)
- June: $___ (summer start)
- July: $___ (mid-year push)
- August: $___ (back-to-school)
- September: $___ (Q4 prep, testing)
- October: $___ (pre-BFCM warmup)
- November: $___ (BFCM peak)
- December: $___ (holiday/gifting peak)
SEASONAL ADJUSTMENTS:
- Q4 typically 35-45% of annual spend
- Q1 typically 15-20% of annual spend
- Adjust based on product seasonality
Campaign Budget Allocation
BUDGET ALLOCATION FRAMEWORK:
PROSPECTING: 60-75%
├── ASC Campaign: 50-60% of prospecting
├── Manual Testing: 15-25% of prospecting
└── Awareness (if applicable): 10-15% of prospecting
RETARGETING: 20-30%
├── High Intent (ATC/IC): 40-50% of retargeting
├── Medium Intent (VC): 30-40% of retargeting
└── Low Intent (Visitors): 10-20% of retargeting
TESTING: 5-15%
├── Creative tests: 60% of test budget
├── Audience tests: 25% of test budget
└── Offer/landing page tests: 15% of test budget
EXAMPLE ($30K/month):
- Prospecting: $21,000 (70%)
- ASC: $12,600
- Manual: $5,250
- Awareness: $3,150
- Retargeting: $6,000 (20%)
- High Intent: $2,700
- Medium Intent: $2,100
- Low Intent: $1,200
- Testing: $3,000 (10%)
Forecasting Framework
Input-Based Forecasting
FROM BUDGET → ESTIMATE RESULTS:
Given: Monthly Budget = $______
Step 1: Estimate CPM
Average CPM = $10-15 (varies by vertical/audience)
Estimated Impressions = (Budget × 1000) ÷ CPM
Step 2: Estimate CTR
Average CTR = 1-2%
Estimated Clicks = Impressions × CTR
Step 3: Estimate CVR
Average CVR = 2-4%
Estimated Conversions = Clicks × CVR
Step 4: Estimate Revenue
Average AOV = $_____
Estimated Revenue = Conversions × AOV
EXAMPLE ($25,000 budget):
- CPM: $12 → 2,083,333 impressions
- CTR: 1.5% → 31,250 clicks
- CVR: 3% → 938 conversions
- AOV: $85 → $79,688 revenue
- Implied ROAS: 3.2x
Historical-Based Forecasting
FROM PAST PERFORMANCE → PROJECT FUTURE:
Historical Data (Last 90 days):
- Spend: $_____
- Revenue: $_____
- ROAS: _____x
- CPA: $_____
- Conversions: _____
Projected at New Budget:
New Budget = $_____
Efficiency Adjustment = ____%
(Higher budget typically = slightly lower efficiency)
Projected Revenue = New Budget × Adjusted ROAS
Projected Conversions = New Budget ÷ Adjusted CPA
SCALING EFFICIENCY ADJUSTMENTS:
- 0-20% budget increase: -0-5% ROAS
- 20-50% budget increase: -5-10% ROAS
- 50-100% budget increase: -10-20% ROAS
- 100%+ budget increase: -15-30% ROAS
Seasonal Planning Quick Reference
Key Ecommerce Dates (2026)
Q1 EVENTS:
- Jan 1-15: Post-holiday sales
- Feb 14: Valentine's Day
- Feb: President's Day Sales
Q2 EVENTS:
- May: Mother's Day (2nd Sunday)
- May: Memorial Day Sales
- Jun: Father's Day (3rd Sunday)
Q3 EVENTS:
- Jul 4: Independence Day Sales
- Aug: Back to School
- Sep: Labor Day Sales
Q4 EVENTS:
- Oct 31: Halloween
- Nov: Black Friday (Nov 27, 2026)
- Nov: Cyber Monday (Nov 30, 2026)
- Dec: Holiday shopping
- Dec 25: Christmas
- Dec 26-31: Post-holiday sales
BFCM Budget Multipliers
BFCM SPEND MULTIPLIERS:
Week of BFCM: 2-4x normal weekly spend
- Mon-Wed before: 1.5x
- Thanksgiving: 2x
- Black Friday: 3-4x
- Saturday: 2.5x
- Sunday: 2x
- Cyber Monday: 3-4x
- Rest of week: 1.5x
MONTHLY IMPACT:
November typically = 1.5-2x average month spend
December typically = 1.3-1.5x average month spend
Combined Q4 = 35-45% of annual spend
CPM INCREASES:
Expect CPM increases of:
- 50-100% during BFCM week
- 30-50% rest of November
- 20-40% December
Channel Allocation Quick Guide
CHANNEL MIX BY BUSINESS STAGE:
STAGE 1: STARTUP (<$500K revenue)
- Meta: 70-80%
- Google: 15-25%
- Other: 5%
Rationale: Meta best for demand creation
STAGE 2: GROWTH ($500K-$2M revenue)
- Meta: 60-70%
- Google: 25-35%
- Other: 5-10%
Rationale: Capture Google demand, scale Meta
STAGE 3: SCALE ($2M-$10M revenue)
- Meta: 50-60%
- Google: 30-40%
- Other: 10-15%
Rationale: Diversify for stability
STAGE 4: ENTERPRISE ($10M+ revenue)
- Meta: 40-50%
- Google: 30-40%
- Other: 15-25%
Rationale: Full funnel, full channel
Test Budget Guidelines
TEST BUDGET MINIMUMS:
CREATIVE TEST:
Minimum: $500-1,000 per concept
Ideal: $1,500-3,000 per concept
Duration: 7-14 days
Statistical confidence: 50+ conversions preferred
AUDIENCE TEST:
Minimum: $1,000-2,000 per audience
Ideal: $3,000-5,000 per audience
Duration: 14-21 days
Statistical confidence: 50+ conversions per audience
OFFER TEST:
Minimum: $2,000-3,000 total
Ideal: $5,000+ total
Duration: 14-30 days
Note: Requires landing page support
MONTHLY TEST BUDGET GUIDELINES:
- $10K/month spend: $1,000-1,500 for testing
- $25K/month spend: $2,500-3,750 for testing
- $50K/month spend: $5,000-7,500 for testing
- $100K/month spend: $10,000-15,000 for testing
Growth Roadmap Stages
STAGE 0: VALIDATION ($0-$5K/month spend)
Goal: Prove product-market fit through ads
Budget: $100-150/day
Focus: Test messaging, audiences, creative
Timeline: 1-3 months
Exit Criteria: Consistent ROAS >1.5x
STAGE 1: FOUNDATION ($5K-$15K/month spend)
Goal: Build repeatable acquisition engine
Budget: $200-500/day
Focus: Find winning creative, audiences
Timeline: 2-4 months
Exit Criteria: Stable CPA, exiting learning
STAGE 2: GROWTH ($15K-$50K/month spend)
Goal: Scale what works
Budget: $500-1,500/day
Focus: Horizontal scaling, creative volume
Timeline: 3-6 months
Exit Criteria: Consistent growth at target ROAS
STAGE 3: SCALE ($50K-$150K/month spend)
Goal: Maximize efficient scale
Budget: $1,500-5,000/day
Focus: Full funnel, diversification
Timeline: 6-12 months
Exit Criteria: Hitting revenue goals profitably
STAGE 4: DOMINANCE ($150K+/month spend)
Goal: Market leadership
Budget: $5,000+/day
Focus: Incrementality, brand building
Timeline: Ongoing
Exit Criteria: N/A - maintain and optimize
Common Planning Patterns
Pattern: New Brand Annual Plan
SCENARIO: New DTC brand, $0 starting point
Goal: $1M first year revenue
BUDGET CALCULATION:
Year 1 Target ROAS: 2x (realistic for new brand)
Required Spend: $500K annually
MONTHLY PROGRESSION:
Month 1-3: $20K/mo (testing, validation)
Month 4-6: $35K/mo (scaling winners)
Month 7-9: $45K/mo (growth)
Month 10-12: $65K/mo (Q4 push)
Total: ~$500K
EXPECTED OUTCOMES:
- Revenue: $800K-$1.2M
- ROAS: 1.6-2.4x
- New customers: 10,000-15,000
Pattern: Scaling Established Brand
SCENARIO: Brand doing $200K/mo on $50K ad spend
Goal: Scale to $400K/mo revenue
BUDGET CALCULATION:
Current ROAS: 4x
Scaled ROAS estimate: 3.2x (20% efficiency drop)
Required Spend: $400K ÷ 3.2 = $125K/mo
SCALING TIMELINE:
Month 1: $50K → $65K (+30%)
Month 2: $65K → $80K (+23%)
Month 3: $80K → $95K (+19%)
Month 4: $95K → $110K (+16%)
Month 5: $110K → $125K (+14%)
REQUIREMENTS:
- 2-3x creative volume
- Expanded audiences/geos
- Increased retargeting pools
Pattern: BFCM Planning
SCENARIO: Brand spending $30K/mo normally
Goal: Maximize BFCM revenue
BFCM BUDGET:
October: $35K (pre-warmup, audience building)
November: $60K (2x normal, BFCM week heavy)
December: $45K (holiday continuation)
Q4 Total: $140K (vs $90K normal quarter)
BFCM WEEK BREAKDOWN ($25K):
Mon-Wed: $3K
Thanksgiving: $3K
Black Friday: $6K
Saturday: $4K
Sunday: $3K
Cyber Monday: $6K
EXPECTED OUTCOMES:
- November revenue: 2.5-3x normal
- ROAS may be similar despite higher CPMs
- Heavy discount = lower margin per sale
Integration with Other Skills
| Skill | Integration Point |
|---|
| campaign-launcher | Execute campaigns from media plan |
| performance-optimizer | Adjust plans based on performance |
| account-auditor | Validate current spending efficiency |
| audience-architect | Plan audience scaling strategy |
| creative-studio | Plan creative production needs |
Media Planning Principles
1. GOAL-BACKWARD: Start with business goals, work back to budget
2. MARGIN-AWARE: Never spend more than unit economics allow
3. SEASONALITY: Account for predictable peaks and valleys
4. FLEXIBILITY: Plans are guides, not rigid rules
5. TEST ALLOCATION: Always reserve budget for learning
6. INCREMENTALITY: Consider true incrementality at scale
7. DIVERSIFICATION: Don't over-depend on single channel
8. REALISTIC EXPECTATIONS: New brands need time to optimize
Error Handling
| Scenario | Response |
|---|
| No historical data | Use industry benchmarks, conservative estimates |
| Unrealistic goals | Calculate what's achievable, show trade-offs |
| Budget too low for goals | Show minimum viable budget, adjusted targets |
| No clear business goals | Help define goals before creating plan |
| Seasonal product | Adjust calendar to product seasonality |
| Multiple geos/products | Break down plan by segment |
