What is a paid ad campaign launch SOP?

A paid ad campaign launch SOP is a written, step-by-step procedure for setting up, checking, launching and reviewing a paid ad campaign. It names who sets the budget, who builds the ads, which checks run before anything spends money and how results are reported, so every campaign launches the same way on any ad platform.

What should be checked before a paid campaign goes live?

The budget and end date are set in the ad account, targeting matches the brief, conversion tracking records a test conversion, every ad links to the right landing page with tracking tags, the ads follow the platform's ad policies and the brand guidelines, and an approver has signed off on the final setup.

How often should a new paid campaign be checked after launch?

Check spend, delivery and early results every day for the first week, fix anything broken straight away, and avoid large changes to budget or targeting until the campaign has had a few days to gather results. After that, a weekly check and report is usually enough.

Should each ad platform have its own SOP?

Yes, for the setup screens. Keep one launch SOP like this for the steps every paid campaign shares, such as the brief, budget caps, tracking, approvals and reporting, and a short platform SOP for where each setting lives in that platform's ad manager.

Paid Ad Campaign Launch SOP Template (Free, Editable)

Purpose

Launch every paid ad campaign the same way: a clear goal and budget agreed before anything is built, tracking that is tested before money is spent, ads checked against the brief and the platform’s ad policies, and a written review at the end. This procedure exists so spend never starts without a cap, a campaign never runs without tracking, and nothing goes live that nobody signed off.

Scope

Covers paid campaigns run by [company name] on search, social, display and video ad platforms, whether they are run in house or by an agency. The wider launch around a campaign (emails, landing pages, sales briefing) follows the marketing campaign launch SOP. Where each setting lives in a given ad manager belongs in that platform’s own SOP; this one covers the steps every paid campaign shares.

Roles and responsibilities

Role	Responsibility
Campaign manager	Owns the brief, the budget, the launch checklist and the review
Ad buyer or paid media specialist	Builds the campaign in the ad account, sets budgets and targeting, monitors spend
Designer and writer	Produce the ad creative and copy to the brief
Web or analytics owner	Sets up and tests conversion tracking and the landing page
Approver ([marketing lead])	Approves the brief, the budget and the final setup before launch

Before you start

Access to [ad accounts], [analytics], [CMS] and [project tool], with the right permission level for each person
A working payment method on each ad account, owned by the company rather than a person
The campaign brief template, the naming convention and the campaign log, kept at [link]
Brand guidelines, the current offer terms, and a link to each platform’s ad policies
The tracking convention your team uses for links (for example, UTM parameters)

Procedure

Write the brief. Campaign manager writes a one-page brief: the goal and the one number that will judge it (for example, cost per lead or cost per sale), audience, offer, platforms, total budget, daily or lifetime caps, start and end dates, landing page, owner and approver.
Approve the brief and budget. Approver signs off the brief and the budget in writing, or returns it with specific changes, within 2 business days. Nothing is built and nothing spends before the budget is approved.
Prepare the landing page. Web owner confirms the page matches the ad’s offer and message, loads quickly, works on a phone, and that its form or checkout reaches the right inbox or CRM.
Set up and test conversion tracking. Web or analytics owner installs or confirms the tracking each platform needs, then completes a test conversion and checks it is recorded in both the ad platform and [analytics]. No campaign launches with tracking untested.
Build the creative and copy. Designer and writer produce the ads in every size and format the brief lists, with at least [2] versions of the main message to compare. Every claim, price and date matches the approved offer.
Check ad policies and brand. Campaign manager checks each ad against the platform’s ad policies and the brand guidelines. Anything that names a customer, partner or result needs their written permission first.
Build the campaign in draft. Ad buyer builds the campaign, ad groups or ad sets and ads using the naming convention, sets the objective, audience, locations, languages, schedule, placements and exclusions from the brief, and adds tracking tags to every link.
Set budget guardrails. Ad buyer sets the daily or lifetime budget and the end date in the ad account itself, and an account spending limit or billing alert where the platform offers one.
Run the pre-launch QA. A second person, not the builder, works through the checklist below and records any fixes before the approver sees it.
Final approval. Approver reviews the finished setup in the ad account or a shared preview and approves it in writing.
Go live. Ad buyer publishes the campaign on the agreed date, confirms the ads are approved by the platform and delivering within [a few hours], and fixes or appeals any rejected ad.
Monitor the first week. Ad buyer checks spend, delivery, clicks and conversions every day for the first [7 days], fixes anything broken straight away, and avoids large changes to budget or targeting in the first [3 to 5 days] so results have time to settle. Any change to budget, audience or message is agreed with the campaign manager and noted in the campaign log.
Report weekly. Campaign manager sends a short weekly report: spend against budget, results against the goal number, what changed and what is planned next.
Close and review. When the campaign ends, ad buyer turns off every ad and confirms spend has stopped, and campaign manager writes a short review in the campaign log within [1 week]: results against the goal, best and worst ads, and what to change next time.

Checklist

Exceptions and escalation

Ad rejected by the platform: Ad buyer reads the stated reason, fixes the ad or appeals it, and tells the campaign manager if the fix changes the message or delays the launch.
Spend running ahead of budget: Ad buyer lowers or pauses the spend at once and tells the campaign manager the same day.
Tracking stops recording: Pause any spend that depends on it, tell the web or analytics owner, and do not judge results from the gap.
Wrong price or offer seen by customers: Pause the affected ads, fix them, tell the approver, and agree how to correct it with anyone who responded.
Change to the offer or budget mid-campaign: Treat it as a new approval: update the brief, get sign-off, then update the ads and the landing page.

Records to keep

Brief, budget approval and final setup approval in [project tool]
Final creative and copy in [shared drive > Ads > campaign name]
Customer and partner permissions in [shared drive > Permissions]
Weekly reports, changes made and the review in the campaign log

Review

The marketing lead reviews this SOP every 6 months, and whenever the team starts using a new ad platform or a platform changes how campaigns are set up. Read the last few campaign reviews and add any check that would have caught a problem before money was spent.

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Paid ad campaign launch SOP template