Launch a campaign with Express mode

Express mode is a 6-step wizard at /campaign-creator/new (default). It walks you through: platform → objective → audience → budget → creative → review. Opinionated defaults speed you through. Publish paused first, activate when confident. Total time: 5-10 min for first launch.

Who is this for

Mediabuyers launching a single campaign with one ad set. First-time users. Anyone who wants speed over granular control.

Before you start

• At least one ad platform connected (gs-104)

• A pixel if your objective is conversion-based (Sales / Leads — see meta-105)

• An ad creative ready (image / video / from Creative Hub)

• Ad copy: primary text, headline, description, CTA

• A landing page URL

The 6 steps (in order)

Verified vs apps/frontend/src/pages/campaign-creator/steps/:

1. platform-step: pick ad account

2. objective-step: pick campaign objective

3. audience-step: configure targeting

4. budget-step: daily or lifetime + amount

5. creative-step: upload/pick assets + write copy

6. review-step: final check + Publish

Step-by-step

Step 1: Open Express

In sidebar click Campaign Creator → New campaign OR jump to /campaign-creator/new. Express loads by default.

Step 2: Choose platform (Step 1 of wizard)

Pick:

• Platform: Meta / Google Ads / TikTok / Taboola / Snapchat

• Ad account: one of your connected accounts on that platform

Only connected accounts appear in the dropdown. If you don't see your account: connect first.

Click Next.

Step 3: Pick objective (Step 2)

Per cc-106 campaign objectives, pick the campaign goal:

Wevion's Objective enum (apps/backend/src/types/campaigns/canonical.enums.ts) covers all Meta + Google variants. Express surfaces the right ones per platform.

Click Next.

Step 4: Define audience (Step 3)

Express keeps audience simple:

• Countries or regions (target_country / target_countries / target_regions)

• Age range (default 18-65)

• Gender (default All)

• Interests (1-3 tags from platform-side taxonomy)

For advanced targeting (lookalikes, custom audiences, exclusions): switch to Pro mode OR set up in Meta/Google first then reference.

Click Next.

Step 5: Set budget (Step 4)

Pick:

• Budget type: CBO (campaign-level, default) or ABO (per-adset)

• Duration: daily (default) or lifetime

• Amount: enter in cents per the DTO (daily_budget) — UI accepts your currency, converts to cents on save

For first launch: daily $20-50 is typical for learning. See cc-108 daily vs lifetime.

Click Next.

Step 6: Add creative (Step 5)

Three options:

1. Upload now: drag-and-drop image/video file

2. Pick from Creative Hub: use stored assets (gs-117)

3. Generate with AI: Wevion creates assets from text prompt (uses AI Credits)

Then fill copy fields:

• Primary text (≤125 chars on Meta)

• Headline (≤40 chars)

• Description (≤30 chars, optional on some platforms)

• CTA (from platform's dropdown — see cc-115)

• Destination URL (your landing page)

UTM parameters auto-generated by Wevion based on campaign IDs (cc-117 UTM Builder).

Live preview (right side) shows how the ad looks on Feed/Stories/Reels placements as you type.

Click Next.

Step 7: Review and publish (Step 6)

Review screen summarizes everything:

• Platform + ad account

• Objective + budget

• Audience size estimate

• Creative preview

• Pixel + conversion event (for Sales/Leads)

• DSA fields (for EU geo — auto-prompted if EU country selected, see cc-120)

Pre-flight validation runs (POST /api/v1/campaign-drafts/:id/preflight). If issues found: shown here. See cc-121 validation errors.

Two publish buttons:

• Publish as Paused (recommended, default) — campaign created on ad platform but paused

• Publish as Active (skips pause-first safety)

Click Publish as Paused for your first launch. See cc-119 paused vs active.

Step 8: Activate when ready

Wait for Wevion to confirm the campaign was created on the ad platform (toast notification within 30 seconds). Go to Ads Manager → find the campaign → toggle Active. Money starts moving within minutes.

What gets saved as you go

Draft auto-saved via POST /api/v1/campaign-drafts/:id on every step. You can close the tab and resume later — your data is preserved.

Field-level validation via POST /api/v1/campaign-drafts/:id/validate-field on blur — errors surface inline.

What you'll see when it works

After clicking Publish:

• Toast: "Campaign published to [platform]"

• Campaign appears at top of /ads-manager with Paused badge

• Direct link to view in native ad manager (Meta Ads Manager, etc.)

• Audit log entry recorded (team-113)

After activating:

• Status flips to Active (green)

• Within 15-30 min: first impressions / spend visible in Ads Manager

• Within 1-3 hours: dashboard KPI strip updates

Switching to Pro mid-flow

If you realize Express isn't enough (need multi-adset, advanced bid):

• Top-right toggle: Pro mode

• All your filled fields carry over to Pro

• Pro lets you add more adsets/ads

• Switch back to Express loses any Pro-only fields (warning shown)

Common issues

• "Validation error: missing field": pre-flight catches required fields. Most common: missing pixel for Sales objective, missing DSA fields for EU geo, missing destination URL for Traffic/Sales/Leads.

• "Audience too narrow": estimated reach < 1.000 (validation INVALID_AUDIENCE_SIZE). Broaden country, age, or interests.

• Publish fails on platform side: permission issue. Confirm account has Advertiser-level access. See meta-108 troubleshooting.

• Activated but no impressions after 24h: budget too low for audience size OR ad in platform review (4-24h typical for new creative). Check the platform's native Ads Manager for review status.

• Wrong currency in budget: each ad account has its own currency (set at creation, immutable in the platform). Use a matching ad account or accept the FX rollup in cross-channel reports.

When to NOT use Express

Express is opinionated. Use Pro instead if you need:

• Multiple adsets in one campaign (A/B audiences within campaign)

• Multiple ads per adset (creative A/B within audience)

• Advanced bid strategies (Cost Cap, Bid Cap, Min ROAS)

• Custom audiences beyond simple lookalikes/retargeting

• Fine-grained per-placement controls

• Catalog campaigns with product set rules

See cc-103 Pro mode walkthrough.

Related

• Campaign Creator overview — mode comparison

• Launch with Pro mode — escape hatch when Express isn't enough

• Launch your first campaign — generic intro version