# Ads — Marketing Skill for AI Agents Whether to run ads — and where — comes down to intent and audience: use Google Ads when people actively search for your solution, Meta to create demand with strong creative, and LinkedIn for B2B where job-title and company targeting justify a higher price point. In 2026 the highest-leverage work has shifted from targeting filters to creative: on Meta's Andromeda algorithm, roughly 80% of your audience knowledge should go into the creative (headlines, hooks, examples) and target broadly, because interest-stacking now actively hurts. Scale by net cash flow, not ROAS percentage — find your break-even CPA from customer LTV and scale toward that ceiling, raising budgets ~20% at a time to avoid resetting the algorithm's learning phase. > Maintained by Corey Haines · v2.2.0 · Updated 2026-07-06 Install: `npx skills add coreyhaines31/marketingskills` Source: https://github.com/coreyhaines31/marketingskills/tree/main/skills/ads ## What's inside **The playbook covers:** Before Starting, Reference Routing, Platform Selection Guide, Campaign Structure Best Practices, Ad Copy Frameworks, Audience Understanding & Targeting, Modern Meta playbook (Andromeda era — 2026+), Creative Best Practices, Campaign Optimization, Retargeting Strategies, Landing Page Alignment (the headline-mirror trick), Reporting & Analysis, Platform Setup, Google RSA Output Spec (mandatory when generating RSAs), Common Mistakes to Avoid, Task-Specific Questions, Tool Integrations ### Reference library - [ABM Playbook (Paid)](https://github.com/coreyhaines31/marketingskills/blob/main/skills/ads/references/abm-playbook.md) — Account-based marketing with ads: targeting named accounts on LinkedIn and Meta, accelerating open pipeline, and stitching channels together. ABM ads are a *pipeline influence* motion, not a lead-gen motion — measure accordingly. - [Ad Copy Templates Reference](https://github.com/coreyhaines31/marketingskills/blob/main/skills/ads/references/ad-copy-templates.md) — Detailed formulas and templates for writing high-converting ad copy. - [Audience Targeting Reference](https://github.com/coreyhaines31/marketingskills/blob/main/skills/ads/references/audience-targeting.md) — Detailed targeting strategies for each major ad platform. - [B2B Paid Playbook](https://github.com/coreyhaines31/marketingskills/blob/main/skills/ads/references/b2b-paid-playbook.md) — Cross-platform operating rules for B2B paid acquisition — where sales cycles run 2–24 months, in-platform conversions mislead, and lead *quality* matters more than lead cost. Use this alongside the platform playbooks (Meta decision system, LinkedIn, Google Search, ABM). - [Conversion Tracking Setup](https://github.com/coreyhaines31/marketingskills/blob/main/skills/ads/references/conversion-tracking.md) — How to set up conversion tracking pixels across ad platforms. This guide covers installation, event configuration, and validation — everything a marketer needs to ensure ad spend is properly attributed. - [Google Search Playbook (B2B)](https://github.com/coreyhaines31/marketingskills/blob/main/skills/ads/references/google-search-playbook.md) — Intent-first operating rules for Google Ads: where to spend first, how to structure the account, when to loosen match types, and how to keep smart bidding pointed at revenue instead of junk form-fills. For RSA generation mechanics, see rsa-output-spec.md. - [LinkedIn B2B Playbook](https://github.com/coreyhaines31/marketingskills/blob/main/skills/ads/references/linkedin-b2b-playbook.md) — Operational rules for LinkedIn Ads: bidding, audience sizing, scaling triggers, benchmarks, and format-specific tactics. LinkedIn is the precision channel — highest-quality B2B targeting at the highest cost, so the operating discipline is about not wasting that precision. - [Meta Decision System (B2B)](https://github.com/coreyhaines31/marketingskills/blob/main/skills/ads/references/meta-decision-system.md) — A quantified kill/keep/scale engine for Meta ads. Every threshold derives from one anchor number, so decisions become arithmetic instead of vibes. Pairs with the strategy-level Meta playbook in SKILL.md (creative-as-targeting, creative volume) — this file is the *operating* layer. - [Platform Setup Checklists](https://github.com/coreyhaines31/marketingskills/blob/main/skills/ads/references/platform-setup-checklists.md) — Complete setup checklists for major ad platforms. - [Google RSA Output Spec](https://github.com/coreyhaines31/marketingskills/blob/main/skills/ads/references/rsa-output-spec.md) — When the user requests Google Ads RSAs (Responsive Search Ads), output MUST comply with these platform limits and structural requirements. Do not output any RSA that violates them. ## Key data - 1:1** — add the company by name; fully personalized creative for one account. - 1:few** — up to ~10–20 accounts per campaign, shared pain/industry angle. - 1:many** — uploaded list (or native targeting), scaled creative. - Maintenance rule (ads past ~7–14 days): pause when an ad's CPL runs 1.5–2× over target**. Target $300 → kill at $450–600 CPL. - 1. Week 1: launch on automated bidding / maximum delivery. Don't touch it — you're buying CPC data. - 2. Week 2+: switch to manual CPC set ~20% below the average CPC the automated phase produced. This reliably cuts CPC without killing delivery. ## Example **Prompt:** Help me plan a paid advertising strategy. We're a B2B SaaS tool for HR teams, selling at $99/month per seat. We have $15k/month to spend on ads and want to generate demo requests. Where should we advertise? **Retargeting: 4-component framework** 1. Objection-handling ad — verbatim reasons people didn't buy (from calling non-converters) 2. Proof testimonial carousel — supports the original ad's claims 3. Other-offers CBO — your best ads for different products 4. Value-first audit/assessment ad — wraps the ask in free value Retarget the same non-converting audience with a DIFFERENT offer — a 2-3 ROAS audience can hit 6+. **Naming convention** [Platform]_[Objective]_[Audience]_[Offer]_[Date] META_Conv_Lookalike-Customers_FreeTrial_2026Q1 LI_LeadGen_CMOs-SaaS_Whitepaper_Mar26 ## FAQ ### Which ad platform should I start with? Match the platform to buyer intent. Google Ads captures people already searching for your solution (high intent). Meta and TikTok create demand through native-feeling creative. LinkedIn wins for B2B when job-title, company, and industry targeting matter and your price point supports it. Twitter/X suits tech and thought-leadership audiences. Start where your buyers already are, prove it, then expand. ### Is targeting or creative more important on Meta now? Creative, by a wide margin. Since Meta's Andromeda algorithm, the model rewards broad targeting plus specific creative — put ~80% of your audience knowledge into headlines, hooks, and examples and just target by country. Stacking interests to narrow the audience now underperforms. A useful trick: duplicate a winning ad with an identity keyword ("462 dental leads per week") that acts as both a viewer trigger and a targeting signal. ### When should I scale my ad budget? Scale on net cash flow, not on holding a high ROAS. Calculate the most you can pay to acquire a customer and stay profitable given LTV — that's your break-even ceiling — and scale toward it. A ROAS dropping from 10 to 5 while spend goes from $10k to $100k nets far more total profit. Raise budgets about 20% at a time and wait 3–5 days between increases so you don't reset the platform's learning. ## Related skills - **ad-creative** — For generating and iterating ad headlines, descriptions, and creative at scale - **revops** — For the CRM side of ABM — lead scoring, routing, and the offline conversion loop - **customer-research** — For the voice-of-customer inputs that feed ad copy and creative angles - **copywriting** — For landing page copy that converts ad traffic - **analytics** — For proper conversion tracking setup - **ab-testing** — For landing page testing to improve ROAS - **cro** — For optimizing post-click conversion rates --- Canonical: https://marketing-skills.com/skills/ads