Marketing Demand Generation

Paid ads with tracking tested before you spend

How do you get leads from paid ads at a cost per lead you accept?

Works plans a Google or Meta ad campaign. The Ad Copywriter agent writes three to five ad variants from your Channel Message Matrix, your message for each channel. The Campaign Designer agent installs conversion tracking to count each lead. This agent tests it with a real form before any spend. Each week, you compare cost per lead with your target.

Updated

What you get
Google Search campaign · October 2026
Ready for the first review
5 / 5
ad variants live
$250
target cost per lead
Brand identity ad set 3 variants live
Website projects ad set 2 variants live
Offer in every variant Free consultation
Conversion tracking Tested on a real form
Daily budget $100
First 7-day review October 19

At each weekly review, you compare the cost per lead with the $250 target.

See it run

A campaign before launch

Campaign in setup
Google Search · $100 a day
Ad variants approved 3 / 5
Schedule
Every week
Review on Monday
Run log
  1. You
    “Launch Google Search ads for brand identity and website projects at $100 a day.”
    Your instruction
    ✓
  2. C
    Google Search with 2 ad sets Campaign Designer
    The campaign runs on Google Search. One ad set is for brand identity projects. The other ad set is for website projects. You chose $100 a day from your simple budget.
    ✓
  3. You
    Your review needed You
    The Ad Copywriter wrote 3 variants for the brand identity ad set. It wrote 2 for the website projects ad set. Every variant offers a free consultation. You approved 3 of 5 variants. Review the last 2.
  4. C
    Testing conversion tracking Campaign Designer
    A lead form submission counts as a conversion. The conversion counts when the thank-you page loads. The agent submits a real form to check the count.
    •
  5. You
    Your launch day needed You
    Choose a launch day after the tracking test passes. If you launch on Monday, October 12, the first 7-day review is on October 19.
  6. ↓
    Lead generation plan used Upstream
    The $250 target cost per lead comes from Plan Lead Generation.
    ✓
  7. ↓
    Website analytics used Upstream
    The website analytics setup comes from Set Up Website Analytics.
    ✓
  8. ↓
    Budget used Upstream
    The $100 daily budget for paid ads comes from Create a Simple Budget.
    ✓
How it works

Tracking that works before you spend on ads

Every ad promotes one offer. Each ad links to a landing page made for the campaign, not to your homepage. The agent tests the conversion tracking with a real form submission before any spend. All ad variants start on the same day. You choose a target cost per lead. Each week, you compare the real cost per lead with your target.

What it needs
Your lead generation plan, with the chosen channels and the approved budget
Your messages for each channel, for the ad copy
The URL of a dedicated landing page (not the homepage)
An ad platform account: Google Ads or Meta Ads Manager
What you get

A live campaign on Google or Meta with one campaign for each objective and one ad set for each audience. It has three to five ad variants that run at the same time, tested conversion tracking, and a scheduled 7-day review.

Run sequence

Start to finish

The work starts from your lead generation plan, website analytics setup and simple budget. Four stages end with a live campaign.

  1. 1
    Campaign Structure and Audience

    Choose the platform and audiences

    Google or Meta, by how your buyers behave
    One ad set for each audience
    You choose the daily budget
    Campaign Designer + You
  2. 2
    Ad Creative

    Write three to five ad variants

    Variants from your Channel Message Matrix
    Headlines that match the landing page
    You review the variants
    Ad Copywriter + You
  3. 3
    Tested Conversion Tracking

    Test tracking before any spend

    The agent confirms the offer and the thank-you page
    The agent installs the conversion tracking
    The agent submits a real form to test it
    Campaign Designer
  4. 4
    Live Campaign and Weekly Review

    Launch and review every week

    You launch all variants on the same day
    The agent schedules a review every 7 days
    Written rules for pausing ads or adding budget
    You + Campaign Designer
Before it starts

What Works asks you

A few questions in plain words. The answers set up the run for your business.

How many audience segments, each with its own ad set, do you want in the first campaign?
YouTwo segments worth separate budgets
What daily budget can you keep up for at least a full month of testing?
YouThe amount your simple budget sets for paid ads
Which one offer should every variant promote?
YouThe free consultation
Which action should count as a conversion for this campaign?
YouLead form submission
What day do you want to launch the campaign?
YouAfter the tracking test passes
What target cost per lead decides whether you keep a channel or pause it?
YouThe target in the lead generation plan
Who runs it

The agents behind this workflow

The Campaign Designer chooses the platform and tests the tracking. The Ad Copywriter writes the ad variants.

Playbook specialist
D

Demand Generation Lead

Owns this area

Plans and runs demand generation: lead generation plans, paid ads, webinars, automatic follow-up, retargeting, outbound email, and scaling what works.

build and launch paid ad campaignsPlan leads from each channel to meet a targetscale up the channels that work
On this workflow
C

Campaign Designer

Chooses the platform, sets up the campaign structure, and tests conversion tracking before any spend

Match the platform to buyer behaviorStructure campaigns and ad setsSet audience targeting
A

Ad Copywriter

Writes the ad variants from your messages for each channel, matched to the landing page

Write ad headlines that match the landing pageChange the creative and keep the audience the sameFocus copy on a single offerAdapt the tone to each platform
Jeanie, your Chief of Staff Works Crew

Jeanie leads a core crew of seven that runs your company day to day. They direct the specialist and workflow agents in each playbook, including the ones on this workflow.

Connections · apps · integrations

Bring what you already run

The apps and accounts this workflow reads from and writes to. Connect them once and Works keeps them in sync.

Google AdsGoogle AnalyticsGoogle Docs
  • Google Ads. The Campaign Designer agent connects to Google Ads.
  • Google Analytics. Launch Paid Ads uses Google Analytics.
  • Google Docs. The Ad Copywriter agent connects to Google Docs.

These are starting points, not a limit. Connect the tools you already use.

Related workflows

One Marketing workflow uses these campaigns.

Builds on
Set Up Website Analytics
This one
Launch Paid Ads
Feeds into 1 workflow
Set Up Retargeting
Works · AI business OS

One workflow inside your whole business

In Marketing, Launch Paid Ads is part of the Demand Generation work.

Prebuilt playbooks, plus your own
StrategyMarketingSalesCustomer SuccessPartnershipsProducts & ServicesOperationsFinancePeopleLegal & Compliance + Build your own
The Marketing playbook
74
Workflows
20
Specialist agents
147
Workflow agents
226
Templates
You're here
Launch Paid Ads
One of 74 Marketing workflows · run by 2 workflow agents
Templates

What comes with it

Built for this workflow
XLSX
Ad Campaign Structure Planner
A sheet where you plan the campaigns and the ad set for each audience. It opens in Works after you sign up.
XLSX
Ad Copy and Creative Matrix
A sheet where you write and compare your ad variants. It opens in Works after you sign up.
DOCX
Campaign Brief
A short document with the goal, the audience and the offer of one campaign. It opens in Works after you sign up.
XLSX
Paid Media Budget and Pacing Model
A sheet where you plan paid ad spend week by week. It opens in Works after you sign up.
Also included here
DOCX
Channel Format and Spec Sheet
A document with the format and the specifications for each channel. It opens in Works after you sign up.
XLSX
Channel Message Matrix
A sheet with your message for each channel. It opens in Works after you sign up.
XLSX
Tracking QA Checklist
A checklist for testing your tracking. It opens in Works after you sign up.
DOCX
UTM Naming Convention
Rules for how you name the tracking tags on your links. It opens in Works after you sign up.
XLSX
CAC and Payback Model
A model of what it costs to win a customer and how fast you earn it back. It opens in Works after you sign up.
XLSX
Channel Media Plan
A plan with the budget and the lead target for each channel. It opens in Works after you sign up.
XLSX
Demand Funnel Model
A model where you calculate the leads you need from your revenue target. It opens in Works after you sign up.
XLSX
Marketing Budget Model
A sheet where you split the marketing budget. It opens in Works after you sign up.
XLSX
Landing Page Conversion Checklist
A checklist for the parts of a landing page. It opens in Works after you sign up.
DOCX
Landing Page Wireframe Canvas
A page where you sketch the layout of a landing page. It opens in Works after you sign up.
XLSX
Ad-to-Page Message Match Matrix
A sheet where you compare each ad with its landing page. It opens in Works after you sign up.
XLSX
Webinar Promotion Planner
A plan for how you promote a webinar. It opens in Works after you sign up.
XLSX
Campaign Results Tracker
A sheet where you record the numbers from each campaign. It opens in Works after you sign up.
XLSX
A/B Test Results Model
A sheet where you compare the results of two versions of an ad or page. It opens in Works after you sign up.
XLSX
Retargeting Audience Matrix
A sheet with the groups of past visitors that you show ads to again. It opens in Works after you sign up.
XLSX
Retargeting Planner
A plan for ads to people who visited your website before. It opens in Works after you sign up.
XLSX
ABM Play Matrix
A sheet where you list the actions for each company you target. It opens in Works after you sign up.

Each template opens inside Works after you sign up.

Questions

What people ask

Should your ads run on Google or Meta?

You choose the platform by how your buyers behave. Google Search is for buyers who already search for what you offer. Meta is for buyers who are not searching. An ad must interrupt them to get their interest. LinkedIn is an option only if precise B2B targeting is worth the cost.

How is conversion tracking tested?

You choose the action that counts as a conversion, for example a lead form submission or a booked call. The Campaign Designer installs conversion tracking from the ad platform. You confirm if the conversion counts when the thank-you page loads or when the form is submitted. The agent then submits a real form before any spend.

How many ad variants run at the same time?

Three to five ad variants run at the same time. You choose three for a small test or five for more data. The variants can differ by opening idea, such as a problem, an outcome or proof. They can also differ by tone. Every variant promotes the same offer. Each headline matches the landing page.

What happens at the weekly review?

The first review is 7 days after launch. At each review, you compare the cost per lead with your target cost per lead. Your target can come from your lead generation plan. You then decide whether to pause an ad or give it more budget. You also decide who owns the review.

What if your results are slow?

You choose between three options. You can extend the test and keep the same budget. You can raise the budget on the best ad. You can also pause the ads and rethink the offer. Before you start, you pick a daily budget that you can pay for at least a full month of testing.

Test your tracking before you pay for ads

Sign up to start your first paid ad campaign.

Sign Up