Practical field guide · Updated September 2026

Paid Ads Client Onboarding Checklist

Paid advertising onboarding should produce a campaign brief and a visible list of launch blockers. A client stating a budget in a form does not authorize spending, and an account connection does not prove that the offer, destination or measurement has been reviewed.

Define the campaign before opening a launch checklist

Ask what is being offered, who it is intended for, where it is available and what the visitor should do next. Record the landing page and the person who can confirm that its claims and offer details are current. Different offers may need separate briefs even when they share an account.

Separate the proposed media budget from agency fees and production work. Record currency, planning period and the person who can approve spend through your agreed process. The form should gather planning inputs; it should not make a campaign live or imply authorization.

Readiness checks and evidence

Scroll sideways to read all three columns.

Area	What to confirm	Hold when
Offer	The intended audience, offer terms and availability have an owner.	The advertisement and destination describe different offers.
Account	The necessary invitation has been accepted and access tested.	The team cannot review or manage the agreed account.
Budget	Currency, period, proposed limits and approval owner are recorded.	The amount is ambiguous or spending approval is unresolved.
Creative	The exact copy and asset version have been reviewed for their intended use.	A later edit has not been checked.
Destination	The link and intended visitor action work in the tested scenarios.	The page is unavailable or the action cannot be completed.
Measurement	The intended conversion and test evidence are documented.	The team cannot explain what is counted or what remains unmeasured.
Monitoring	Someone owns post-launch checks and the pause decision.	No one can act when a material problem appears.

Illustrative launch review: a workshop enquiry campaign

Scroll sideways to read all three columns.

Finding	Status	Next action
Client supplied a budget without a currency or period.	Hold for clarification.	Account lead confirms the planning amount and approval route.
The ad promises a date not shown on the landing page.	Hold for offer review.	Program owner confirms the date and matching page copy.
The enquiry form works, but the intended conversion is not verified.	Measurement unresolved.	Measurement owner records the test and remaining limitation.

Use evidence instead of a blanket Yes

A readiness checklist is stronger when it records the version reviewed, the scenario tested and the person who checked it. ‘Tracking done’ is hard to review. ‘The named conversion was checked on the current landing-page version; this device scenario passed; another scenario remains open’ gives the launch owner something concrete to assess.

Use statuses such as Passed, Failed, Not checked and Not applicable. Require a reason for Not applicable so it does not become a shortcut around missing evidence. If the campaign changes after review, identify which checks need repeating instead of assuming the old checklist covers the new version.

Hand the brief to the launch owner

Collect planning inputs

Use the intake for offer, audience, budget context, source materials and account owners.

Resolve the blockers

Keep an owner and next action for every missing approval or failed check. Ask for a targeted correction rather than resending the whole intake.

Record the decision separately

The responsible person reviews the current evidence and decides whether to launch, hold or request further checks through the agreed process.

Put the guide into practice

Paid Advertising Client Intake

Scope campaign objectives, media budget, landing pages and conversion ownership before buying ads.

Creative Asset Approval

Record a review decision against a specific creative version, with required correction notes when changes are requested.

Campaign Launch Checklist

Record evidence for creative, landing page and tracking checks, then name unresolved blockers and the launch decision owner.

Questions people ask

Is a budget field permission to spend?

No. It is a planning input. Use the separately agreed approval process before spending or launching.

Should the form collect card information?

No. Arrange billing through the relevant advertising platform or approved billing process, outside a general intake questionnaire.

Can an agency promise a return during onboarding?

The brief can define objectives and assumptions. It does not establish that a particular return, conversion rate or acquisition cost will be achieved.

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