// Calculates ad spend budgets based on revenue goals, conversion rates, and cost-per-acquisition targets. Use when planning how much to spend on ads to hit revenue targets.
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Creates detailed ad creative briefs with visual direction, copy variants, dimensions, and platform specifications. Use when producing ads for any paid media channel.
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| name | ad-spend-calculator |
| description | Calculates ad spend budgets based on revenue goals, conversion rates, and cost-per-acquisition targets. Use when planning how much to spend on ads to hit revenue targets. |
| allowed-tools | Read Write Glob |
| metadata | {"author":"matthewhitcham","version":"1.0"} |
Use this skill when you need to:
DO NOT use this skill for organic marketing budgets, general business budgeting, or ad creative strategy. This is specifically for calculating paid advertising budgets.
AD SPEND IS AN INVESTMENT EQUATION — EVERY DOLLAR IN MUST PRODUCE A MEASURABLE RETURN, AND THE MATH MUST WORK BEFORE THE FIRST DOLLAR IS SPENT.
| Input | What to Ask | Default |
|---|---|---|
| Revenue goal | "What is your monthly revenue target from ads?" | No default — must be provided |
| Average order value (AOV) | "What is your average sale or order value?" | No default — must be provided |
| Profit margin | "What is your profit margin per sale (after COGS)?" | 60% |
| Current conversion rate | "What percentage of ad clicks convert to sales?" | 2% (industry average) |
| Current CPC | "What is your average cost per click?" | $1.50 (estimate) |
| Ad platforms | "Where are you running ads?" | Meta + Google |
GATE: Do not proceed without revenue goal and AOV.
## Ad Spend Calculator
### Inputs
- Monthly revenue goal: $[X]
- Average order value: $[X]
- Profit margin: [X]%
- Conversion rate: [X]%
- Average CPC: $[X]
### Calculated Metrics
| Metric | Value | Formula |
|--------|-------|---------|
| Sales needed | [X] | Revenue goal / AOV |
| Clicks needed | [X] | Sales needed / Conversion rate |
| Required ad spend | $[X] | Clicks needed x CPC |
| Cost per acquisition (CPA) | $[X] | Ad spend / Sales needed |
| Max viable CPA | $[X] | AOV x Profit margin |
| ROAS needed | [X]x | Revenue goal / Ad spend |
| Profit after ad spend | $[X] | Revenue - COGS - Ad spend |
Flag these automatically:
Present 3 scenarios so the user can choose their risk level.
## Scenarios
### Conservative (Lower spend, proven channels only)
| Metric | Value |
|--------|-------|
| Monthly spend | $[X] |
| Expected sales | [X] |
| Expected revenue | $[X] |
| Expected ROAS | [X]x |
| Profit after ads | $[X] |
### Base Case (Moderate spend, balanced approach)
| Metric | Value |
|--------|-------|
### Aggressive (Higher spend, scaling mode)
| Metric | Value |
|--------|-------|
## Budget Allocation by Platform
| Platform | % of Budget | Monthly Spend | Expected ROAS | Rationale |
|----------|-------------|---------------|---------------|-----------|
| Meta | [X]% | $[X] | [X]x | [Why] |
| Google | [X]% | $[X] | [X]x | [Why] |
| [Other] | [X]% | $[X] | [X]x | [Why] |
## Monthly Spend Plan
Week 1: $[X] — Testing phase (3-5 ad sets, $X/day each)
Week 2: $[X] — Evaluate, pause underperformers
Week 3: $[X] — Scale winners, increase daily budgets
Week 4: $[X] — Maintain and optimize
Total: $[X]
- [ ] CPA is below max viable CPA ($[X])
- [ ] ROAS exceeds breakeven ([X]x)
- [ ] Daily budget supports statistical significance ($[X]/day minimum)
- [ ] Conversion tracking is installed and verified
- [ ] Landing page conversion rate is at or above [X]%
Inputs: AOV = $197, margin = 85%, conversion rate = 3%, CPC = $2.00
Results:
Verdict: Math works well. CPA is 40% of max viable CPA — room to scale.