By Advertising.com Editorial on 
Key takeaways
- Install and verify measurement before you spend — you can’t optimize what you can’t see.
- Prepare creative in the sizes your chosen channels need, plus a fallback for each.
- Set one primary goal, a daily budget you can sustain for two weeks, and a date to review.
1. Measurement
Make sure your campaign can measure the right actions before it starts. Measurement is how you’ll know whether your marketing is actually working.
- Conversion pixel or tag installed on your confirmation page and verified firing.
- One primary conversion defined (purchase, lead or sign-up) — secondary events are optional.
- UTM parameters agreed so platform data and your analytics tool line up.
Test before you spend. Run test submissions or purchases where possible and check the event is recorded correctly. Confirm tracking works on the devices you’re targeting and that your reporting uses the right attribution settings.
2. Creative
Build ads to the requirements of the channels you choose, so nothing holds up the launch.
- Display: at least 300×250, 728×90 and 320×50, plus a native headline, description and image.
- Video and CTV: a 15- or 30-second spot with clear branding in the first few seconds.
- Landing page that matches the ad’s promise and loads quickly on mobile.
These are recommended starting points, not a standard requirement for every placement. Check the exact requirements, supported formats and size limits for your placements before uploading creative.
Keep the message simple, make text easy to read and the core benefit clear. Have fallback creatives ready where possible in case an asset is rejected or unavailable, and test the landing page on mobile and desktop so every step to conversion works.
3. Budget and goals
Choose one goal per campaign and a daily budget you can hold steady for at least two weeks. Spreading a small budget across every channel on day one makes it hard to learn what works, so start with two or three and expand.
Your objective determines how you allocate budget and measure success. A lead generation campaign might focus on lead quality and cost per lead, while an e-commerce campaign looks at sales and return on ad spend.
4. Policies and approval
Check your creative and landing pages against the Ad policies before you submit. Most delays come from missing disclosures, broken links or restricted categories that need extra documentation.
Review claims, disclaimers, destination URLs and any industry-specific rules. Make sure promotions and discounts are accurate and that landing pages deliver what the ad promises.
Leave time for creative review and any changes it requires. Approval timelines can vary.
A short checklist done well beats a long launch plan done late.
5. Launch and review
- Launch with conservative frequency caps, where supported and appropriate for your campaign.
- Check delivery and pacing after 24 hours.
- Review results after the first full week, then shift budget toward the best cost per outcome.
What to do next
Check creative and landing pages against our requirements before you submit. Read the Ad policies.
