What should a media buyer do on a weekly basis?

I initially wrote this guide as a part of our internal media buyer training program, but thought it might be helpful to share externally as well. I believe that this list covers everything a paid social media buyer should think about and do on a weekly basis to improve results.

Factor’s Weekly Media Buying Checklist

What does success look like as a media buyer?

1. The primary objective is to hit the client’s business growth and profitability targets, but what you have direct control over is:

2. Your primary objective is to hit the client’s Meta spend and efficiency targets

3. Your secondary objective is to scale the budget whenever possible, while ensuring profit targets are being hit

4. Your tertiary objective is to test as much creative as possible, as this will result in the primary/secondary objectives being accomplished

How should you think on a weekly basis?

1. Is the client hitting their growth and profitability targets?

   1. Is it a growth issue?

   2. Is it a profitability issue?

2. Is the client hitting their spend and efficiency targets?

   1. Is it a spend issue?

   2. Is it an efficiency issue?

3. Are there any seasonal promotions that we need to advertise?

   1. Have you checked the client’s marketing calendar?

   2. Have you scheduled ads for any seasonal promotions?

   3. Are we ahead of creative production for upcoming promotions?

4. Can we scale vertically by increasing the budget?

   1. On a campaign level, is there room to increase the budget?

   2. If so, what’s the optimal spend / efficiency for this campaign?

   3. Is the campaign objective volume (quantity) or efficiency (profit)?

   4. If efficiency, are we projected to make more profit (contribution dollars) at the new spend threshold?

      1. If so, will we sell out of inventory pre-restock date?

      2. If so, is pre-order part of the client’s strategy?

      3. If not, should we slow sell-through-rate to maximise profitability?

   5. If volume, are we liquidating inventory or accelerating the sell-through-rate of slow-moving inventory?

      1. If liquidating, should we step on the gas?

      2. If accelerating, is this an acceptable sell-through-rate?

5. Can we scale horizontally by adding additional campaigns?

   1. Is there a campaign for all bestselling products and collections?

      1. If not, do we have creative for the missing bestsellers?

      2. If so, launch a new campaign

      3. If not, add a task to the client’s creative roadmap

   2. Is there a promotions campaign?

      1. If not, are there any promotions to run ads for?

      2. If so, launch a promotions campaign

   3. Is there a clearance campaign?

      1. If not, is there slow moving inventory to be cleared?

      2. If so, propose a clearance campaign to the client

   4. Is there a new arrivals campaign?

      1. If not, are there new arrivals to be advertised?

      2. If so, do we have creative for the new arrivals?

      3. If so, launch a new arrivals campaign

      4. If not, add a task to the client’s creative roadmap

   5. Is there a campaign for lapsed and/or unengaged customers?

      1. If not, launch a retention campaign with hard exclusions

6. Is there any new creative to test?

   1. Have you tested any new creative we produced for the client?

   2. Have you checked the client’s creative folders?

   3. Have you tested any new organic social posts?

      1. Have you checked the client’s Instagram?

      2. Have you checked the client’s TikTok?

   4. Have you tested any new tagged content?

      1. Have you check the client’s Archive app?

      2. Have you contacted creators for permission?

   5. Have you tested all best-performing organic social posts?

      1. Are there any social posts you haven’t tested yet?

   6. Is there any raw and/or existing footage that you can quickly edit into new ad creative?

      1. Can you create any new image ads?

      2. Can you create any new collage ads?

      3. Can you create any new organic TikTok style ads?

7. Can you improve the best-performing campaign?

   1. What’s the best-performing ad in this campaign?

   2. Does it follow all direct response creative best-practices?

   3. If not, how can we improve it? View our creative cheatsheet

      1. Have you tested new text/visual hooks?

      2. Have you tested new thumbnails?

      3. Have you tested new ad copy?

      4. Have you tested remixing the footage?

      5. Have you tested any acquisition offers?

      6. Have you tested adding ASC+ catalog items to the ad?

   4. Are there any low-hanging or high-impact edits we can make?

   5. What’s the second best-performing ad in this campaign?

8. Can you improve the next best-performing campaign?

   1. Follow the same steps above

9. Is there anything else you can test to improve results?

   1. Are there any new offers to test?

   2. Is there any new ad copy to test?

   3. Are there any new landing pages to test?

   4. Have you tested acquisition DPA ads?

   5. Have you tested Meta Shops?

   6. Have you tested instant experiences?

   7. Have you tested dynamic creative?

   8. Have you A/B tested campaign structures?

   9. Have you A/B tested bidding strategies?

   10. Have you A/B tested prospecting exclusions?

   11. Have you created any Meta experiments?

   12. Have you tested influencer whitelisting?

   13. Have you tested publisher whitelisting?

It’s important to note that at Factor, media buying, creative strategy and growth strategy are distinct roles. As a result, this list contains minimal ad creative work. That work is completed by the creative strategist, who’s responsible for analysing, brainstorming, briefing and producing high-performing paid social ads. I believe that clearly defining and separating these roles allows each to perform at their peak and produce world-class results.

Feel free to share this list with your media buyer, or if you’re managing ads yourself, run through it and let me know your thoughts. Did this checklist help you improve results? Is there anything missing? I’d love to hear your feedback.

I’m the founder at Factor, a paid social + creative agency. We help ambitious brands grow faster with better ad creative and more efficient budget allocation. Let’s grow your brand faster, profitably and predictably.

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