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Recommended Campaign Setup

Getting your Snapchat Ads set up for success is a critical first step that enables you to maximize your ad performance. The foundation of an effective ad campaign is dependent on a setup that is tailored to your specific objective.

The following five core pillars contribute to improved advertising performance on Snapchat:

Creative

Bidding

Attribution

Targeting

Ad Format

Select your objective below to learn how to set your ad campaigns up for success on Snapchat.


Direct Response


For your initial campaign setup, to ensure optimal performance with your Snapchat Ads, we highly recommend following the below best practices based on your settings.

Setting

Best Practice

Bidding:
Test Target Cost and Auto-Bid

• We recommend splitting your budget between target cost and auto-bid.


• Auto-bid should be 20% of your total budget. Then, set your target cost daily budget to be 10x your target cost bid, if budget allows. This allows the ad system to learn from your conversions and optimize targeting.

Attribution:
Use 7/0 Optimization Window

• 7/0 prioritizes clicks over views in the ad auction. This will drive sales and ad performance by delivering your ads to targeted Snapchat users that have a higher track record of conversion.

Targeting:
Use Broad Targeting

• Use exclusion audiences as opposed to inclusion audiences (i.e. new users, users that haven’t purchased for some time, etc.)


• Do not use custom audiences on top of retargeting product audiences.

Ad Format:
Spend >85% on Snap Ads

• We recommend allocating 85% or more toward the Snap Ads format.


• Ensure your creative has a prominent logo with clear branding and value proposition.


• Include a tagline and CTA.

Creative:
Refresh Creative

• For initial setup, follow creative best practices.


• Incorporate a creative refresh at mid-point of campaign (ex. 6-week point of 12-week quarter), and ensure 3-5 unique assets are utilized in each time period, for a minimum total of 6-10+.

Once you’ve launched a campaign, follow the below recommendations to scale your ad performance.

Learning Period

Wait 5-7 days before making changes to your campaign to ensure the delivery system learns about your offering and audience. Maintain test campaigns for at least 30 days to gather sufficient data before evaluating performance.

Incremental Increases

Gradually increase your daily budget by up to 20% per day once the campaign no longer says Learning Phase. Avoid abrupt increases to maintain control over budget efficiency.

Performance Monitoring

Regularly review campaign metrics such as click-through rates (CTR), conversion rates, and return on ad spend (ROAS). Use these insights to identify top-performing ads.

Refine Targeting Options

Use performance data to refine audiences and scale creative testing to reach new customers more efficiently.

Refresh Creative

Start with testing a minimum of 6-10 creatives. We recommend leveraging creative that have performed on other social channels. Avoid creative fatigue by refreshing your campaign creative. Click here to learn more about Snap’s creative best practices.

Not sure how to proceed?


Reach out to your Snapchat Account Strategist to determine the best optimization for your campaign, budget, and objective.