This recipe sets up and operates paid advertising campaigns on Google Ads, Meta Ads (Facebook/Instagram), and LinkedIn Ads — with platform-specific setup guides, campaign structures, targeting strategies, benchmark CPAs by industry, and optimization workflows. The output is live campaigns with conversion tracking, proper targeting, and a weekly optimization process that drives predictable customer acquisition within CPA targets. [src1]
Which platform(s)?
├── B2B SaaS (ACV < $5K) → Google Search + Meta retargeting
├── B2B SaaS (ACV $5K-50K) → Google Search + LinkedIn Ads
├── B2B SaaS (ACV > $50K) → LinkedIn (primary) + Google branded
├── B2C SaaS / App → Meta Ads (primary) + Google branded
├── E-commerce → Google Shopping + Meta + Search
├── Marketplace → Meta (demand) + Google Search (intent)
└── Developer tools → Google Search + Reddit Ads| Platform | Best For | Avg CPC | Avg CPA | Min Budget/mo | Setup Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Google Search | Intent capture | $2-5 | $40-200 | $500 | 2-3 hrs |
| Google Display | Retargeting | $0.50-2 | $50-100 | $300 | 1-2 hrs |
| Meta Ads | B2C, lookalikes | $0.50-3 | $20-150 | $500 | 2-3 hrs |
| LinkedIn Ads | B2B firmographic | $5-8 | $75-300 | $1000 | 2-3 hrs |
Duration: 30-60 min per platform · Tool: GTM + platform pixels
Install conversion tracking on all platforms before creating campaigns. Google Ads: conversion actions + GA4 link. Meta: Pixel + Conversions API. LinkedIn: Insight Tag + conversion definitions. [src3]
Verify: Fire test conversions. Check Google "Conversions" column, Meta Events Manager, LinkedIn Insight Tag status. · If failed: Use GTM debug mode to verify tag firing.
Duration: 1-2 hours per platform · Tool: Ad platform dashboard
Google: Brand (10-15%), Competitor (20-30%), Non-brand category (40-50%), Retargeting (10-15%), Performance Max (10-20%). Meta: Prospecting broad (60-70%), Retargeting (20-30%), Testing (10%). LinkedIn: Decision makers (60%), Practitioners (25%), Retargeting (15%). [src3] [src4]
Verify: Campaigns match structure templates with targeting, budgets, and conversion actions. · If failed: Check ad policy violations and fix flagged issues.
Duration: 1-2 hours · Tool: Canva + platform editors
AIDA framework: Headline (benefit-focused), Description (pain point + social proof), CTA (platform-specific). Minimum 3 ad variations per ad group. All URLs with UTM parameters.
Verify: 3+ variations per ad group. Landing page matches ad messaging. · If failed: If CTR < 2% search or < 1% social after 1 week, rewrite with more specific benefits.
Duration: 15 min launch + 2 weeks learning · Tool: Dashboard
Week 1-2: 50% planned budget (learning). Week 3-4: 75% (optimization). Week 5+: 100% (scaling). Never increase > 20%/week. Add negative keywords (Google), set frequency caps (Meta).
Verify: Campaigns spending and tracking. No campaigns stuck in "Learning" > 7 days. · If failed: Broaden targeting, raise bids, check ad approval.
Duration: 1-2 hours weekly · Tool: Dashboard + spreadsheet
Review: CPA by campaign vs target, CTR by ad, conversion rate by landing page, budget pacing. Optimize: add negative keywords, adjust bids, pause underperformers, launch 1 new creative/week. Monthly: calculate blended CPA, reallocate budget, review attribution. [src4]
Verify: CPA trending down/stable. 1+ A/B test always running. · If failed: If CPA 2x+ target after 4 weeks, narrow targeting, test different creative, or test landing page.
Duration: Ongoing · Tool: Dashboard
Scale when: CPA below target 2+ weeks, 50+ conversions, positive ROAS. Scale by: 15-20%/week budget increase, expand audiences, add platforms, launch lookalikes. Pause scaling if CPA rises > 15%.
Verify: Proportional conversion increase without CPA degradation. · If failed: Reduce to last stable budget. Stabilize 1 week before retrying.
{
"output_type": "paid_acquisition_operation",
"format": "configured accounts + campaign structure + reporting",
"columns": [
{"name": "platform", "type": "string", "description": "Ad platform", "required": true},
{"name": "campaign_count", "type": "number", "description": "Active campaigns", "required": true},
{"name": "monthly_spend", "type": "number", "description": "Monthly ad spend USD", "required": true},
{"name": "target_cpa", "type": "number", "description": "Target CPA", "required": true},
{"name": "actual_cpa", "type": "number", "description": "Current CPA", "required": false},
{"name": "conversion_tracking", "type": "string", "description": "Tracking status", "required": true}
],
"expected_row_count": "1-3",
"sort_order": "by monthly_spend descending",
"deduplication_key": "platform"
}| Quality Metric | Minimum Acceptable | Good | Excellent |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conversion tracking | Pixel installed | All events + server-side | Full attribution model |
| CPA vs target | Within 2x | Within 1.5x | At or below target |
| CTR (search) | > 2% | > 4% | > 6% |
| CTR (social) | > 0.5% | > 1% | > 2% |
| Landing page CVR | > 1% | > 3% | > 5% |
| ROAS | > 1x | > 3x | > 5x |
If below minimum: Fix conversion tracking first, then landing page CVR, then ad creative CTR. Optimize in this order for maximum impact.
| Error | Likely Cause | Recovery Action |
|---|---|---|
| Ads not spending | Audience too narrow, bid too low, ad rejected | Broaden audience 2-3x. Raise bid. Check approval status. |
| High impressions, zero conversions | Landing page issue or wrong audience | Test landing page directly. Verify audience matches ICP. |
| CPA 3x+ above benchmark | Broad targeting, weak creative, poor landing page | Narrow targeting. New creative. A/B test landing page. [src1] |
| Tracking shows 0 conversions | Pixel not firing | GTM debug mode, Meta Pixel Helper, LinkedIn debugger. |
| Campaign stuck in "Learning" | < 50 conversions/week | Increase budget, broaden targeting, use broader conversion action. |
| CPA rising while scaling | Budget increase too aggressive | Reduce to last stable budget. Expand audiences. Refresh creative. |
| Platform | Test ($500-2K) | Validation ($2K-10K) | Scale ($5K-50K) | Benchmark CPA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Google Search (B2B SaaS) | $500-1K | $2K-5K | $5K-20K | $100-200 |
| Google Search (E-commerce) | $500-1K | $2K-5K | $5K-50K | $45-100 |
| Meta Ads (B2C) | $500-1K | $2K-5K | $5K-50K | $20-50 |
| Meta Ads (B2B) | $500-1K | $2K-5K | $5K-20K | $75-200 |
| LinkedIn Ads (B2B) | $1K-2K | $3K-10K | $10K-50K | $75-300 |
| Total (single platform) | $500-2K | $2K-10K | $5K-50K | varies |
Spending $2K+ with no measurement. No data for optimization, no ROI calculation. [src3]
Install and verify conversion tracking on all platforms before launching. Test with a real conversion. Only then start spending.
$5K/mo on broad audiences day one. Algorithm has no data to optimize. [src5]
Highest-intent segment + $500-1K test. Let algorithms learn 2-4 weeks. Expand only after hitting target CPA.
Algorithms need 50+ conversions to optimize. Early CPA is always inflated during learning. [src2]
Set clear criteria before launch. Do not make judgment calls during the learning phase.
Use this recipe when paid advertising has been selected as a marketing channel and the startup needs to set up, launch, and optimize campaigns. Requires a landing page, ICP definition, and budget allocation as inputs. Handles paid ad execution, not overall marketing strategy.