Agent skill

Paid Ads Strategy

by kostja94 in kostja94/marketing-skills

When the user wants to plan paid ads strategy, allocate ad budget, or choose paid channels.

MITAuto-check passedMarketing & SEO

Install Paid Ads Strategy

skills CLI
$ npx skills add kostja94/marketing-skills --skill paid-ads-strategy -a claude-code

Project install by default; add -g for ~/.claude/skills/.

GitHub CLI
$ gh skill install kostja94/marketing-skills paid-ads-strategy --agent claude-code

Project scope by default; add --scope user for a personal install. Needs GitHub CLI 2.90.0 or later (public preview).

Manual copy
$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/kostja94/marketing-skills.git skills-src && mkdir -p .claude/skills && cp -r skills-src/skills/strategies/commercial/paid-ads .claude/skills/paid-ads-strategy && rm -rf skills-src

Use ~/.claude/skills/ instead of .claude/skills for a personal install. The folder must contain SKILL.md.

Claude Code skills documentation · loads skills from .claude/skills/

Facts

Skill name
paid-ads-strategy
GitHub stars
1k
Token cost
~3.3k tokens
SKILL.md length
1,424 words
Files
1
Skills in repo
102
Repo updated
First seen
Licence
MIT

At a glance

When the user wants to plan paid ads strategy, allocate ad budget, or choose paid channels.

  • Wants to plan paid ads strategy
  • SKILL.md covers Before Starting, Two Modes: PMF Testing vs…, When to Use Paid Ads and When NOT to Use Paid Ads, plus 16 more sections
  • Instructions only: no scripts, shell commands, URLs or credentials in SKILL.md
  • Allocate ad budget

What it does

Paid Ads Strategy is an agent skill from kostja94/marketing-skills. When the user wants to plan paid ads strategy, allocate ad budget, or choose paid channels. Also use when the user mentions "paid ads," "paid media," "PPC," "SEM," "web ads," "app ads," "TV ads," "CTV," "OOH," "banner ads," "ad network," "ad alliance," "Taaft ads," "Shopify App Store ads," "Google Ads," "Meta Ads," "PMF testing," "PMF validation," "test product-market fit with ads," "ad spend," "ad budget," "ROAS," "paid acquisition," "Quality Score," or "ad-to-page alignment." For Google Ads execution, use…

Its SKILL.md is about 3.3k tokens, which your agent loads only when the skill is triggered. It is a single SKILL.md file with no bundled scripts.

It sits in Marketing & SEO, covering Paid advertising. It works with Google Ads, Meta Ads and Shopify. The repository describes itself as: Agent Skills for Marketing — SEO, Social, Influencer & More. 160+ open-source skills for SEO, content, 40+ page types, paid ads, channels, and strategies. Add project context… The licence is MIT.

When your agent uses it

  • Wants to plan paid ads strategy
  • Allocate ad budget
  • Choose paid channels
  • The user mentions paid ads

Example prompts

  • “paid ads,”
  • “paid media,”
  • “web ads,”
  • “/paid-ads-strategy”

What it can do on your machine

Read from SKILL.md and the folder at commit 8dd89c5. It shows what the files ask for, not the result of running them.

  • Tool permissions

    Pre-approves nothing: there is no allowed-tools line, so your agent's usual permission prompts apply.

    From allowed-tools in the SKILL.md frontmatter.

  • Runs code

    No scripts in the folder and no shell commands in SKILL.md.

    From the folder's file list and the shell code blocks in SKILL.md.

  • Network

    Links to these hosts (documentation or services it may open):

    • mktcactus.com

    From URLs in SKILL.md, links to its own repository left out.

  • Credentials

    Names no API keys, tokens, secrets or passwords.

    From names ending in _API_KEY, _TOKEN, _SECRET, _KEY or _PASSWORD in SKILL.md.

Context cost

Paid Ads Strategy loads about 3.3k tokens when it runs. Until then it costs about 159 tokens; SKILL.md has 1,424 words of instructions outside code blocks.

Always · name and description, kept in context so the agent knows when to use it
~159
When it runs · the whole SKILL.md, loaded when a task matches
~3.3k

Estimates: characters ÷ 4, the usual rule of thumb; real counts depend on the model's tokenizer. Scripts and assets cost tokens only if the agent reads them.

Safety

Auto-check passed

The automated check found no risky patterns in SKILL.md.

Automated static check — not a guarantee. Review scripts before installing. It scans the text of SKILL.md for risky patterns (piping downloads into a shell, reading credential files, hidden Unicode, destructive commands); files beside SKILL.md are not scanned.

SKILL.md

The full file from kostja94/marketing-skills at commit 8dd89c5, republished under its MIT licence (© kostja94). 1,424 words, ~3,284 tokens.

Download SKILL.mdSave it as .claude/skills/paid-ads-strategy/SKILL.md (or your agent's skills folder).
name
paid-ads-strategy
description
When the user wants to plan paid ads strategy, allocate ad budget, or choose paid channels. Also use when the user mentions "paid ads," "paid media," "PPC," "SEM," "web ads," "app ads," "TV ads," "CTV," "OOH," "banner ads," "ad network," "ad alliance," "Taaft ads," "Shopify App Store ads," "Google Ads," "Meta Ads," "PMF testing," "PMF validation," "test product-market fit with ads," "ad spend," "ad budget," "ROAS," "paid acquisition," "Quality Score," or "ad-to-page alignment." For Google Ads execution, use google-ads. For Meta Ads execution, use meta-ads. For landing page alignment, use landing-page-generator.
metadata.version
1.7.0

Strategies: Paid Ads

Guides paid ads strategy: when to use paid acquisition, channel selection, budget allocation, ad-to-landing-page alignment, and cross-platform best practices. Paid ads (Google Ads, Meta, LinkedIn, Reddit, TikTok, etc.) deliver immediate reach and targeting; use when PMF is validated and budget allows.

When invoking: On first use, if helpful, open with 1–2 sentences on what this skill covers and why it matters, then provide the main output. On subsequent use or when the user asks to skip, go directly to the main output.

Platform-specific execution: Web: google-ads, meta-ads, linkedin-ads, reddit-ads, tiktok-ads. App: app-ads. TV/Streaming: ctv-ads.

Before Starting

Project context: Read root contextus.md when present and load only the modules relevant to this task. Without Contextus, use available project material or user-provided facts and ask for missing information; do not create a parallel context system.

Gather this context (ask if not provided):

AreaQuestions
GoalsPrimary objective? (Awareness, traffic, leads, sales, app installs) Target CPA/ROAS? Monthly budget? Constraints?
Product & offerWhat are you promoting? Landing page URL? What makes it compelling?
AudienceIdeal customer? Problem you solve? What do they search for or care about? Existing customer data for lookalikes?
Current stateRun ads before? What worked/didn't? Pixel/conversion data? Funnel conversion rate?

Two Modes: PMF Testing vs Conversion-Driven

ModeWhenGoalBudgetMetrics
PMF testingPre-PMF; idea validationValidate demand, messaging, pricing, audience before building$47–500; smallCTR, sign-up rate, bounce rate; low CTR/high bounce = messaging issue
Conversion-drivenPMF validatedCommercialization; scale; efficient acquisitionScale; ROAS targetROAS, CAC, conversion rate

PMF testing: Use paid ads as a learning tool—simple landing page, "Join Waitlist" or "Get Early Access" CTA, test ad variations (value props, price points, audiences). No full product needed. See google-ads for PMF testing setup.

Conversion-driven: Full funnel; conversion tracking; scale budget. Avoid large-scale paid acquisition before PMF—see cold-start-strategy.

Reference: Marketing Cactus – Using Google Ads to Test Product-Market Fit

When to Use Paid Ads

ConditionRationale
PMF validated (conversion mode)Product-market fit confirmed; scale acquisition
PMF testing (validation mode)Small budget; validate demand, messaging, pricing before building
Budget availableCAC and LTV modeled (conversion); or $47–500 for testing
Need speedOrganic takes months; paid delivers traffic immediately

When NOT to Use Paid Ads

ConditionRationale
Pre-PMF + large scaleLarge-scale paid acquisition before PMF wastes budget; use PMF testing mode or cold-start channels first
No conversion trackingCan't measure ROAS; optimize blindly (PMF testing uses CTR/sign-up)
Organic can workSEO, content, community may achieve goal at lower cost; see seo-strategy

Cold start: For acquisition, use Product Hunt, Reddit, directories, founder-led outbound first. For PMF validation, small-budget Google Ads + landing page is valid. See cold-start-strategy, google-ads.

Ad Formats by Medium

Paid ads span multiple media beyond web. Choose by product type and audience.

MediumFormatBest forSkill
WebSearch, Display, Social (landing page)Websites, SaaS, e-commerce, leadsgoogle-ads, meta-ads, linkedin-ads, reddit-ads, tiktok-ads
Display / BannerAd networks, programmatic, banner adsBrand awareness; retargeting; publisher sitesdisplay-ads
AppApp install, in-app ads, App Store/Play StoreMobile apps; user acquisition (UA)app-ads
TV / StreamingCTV, OTT, linear TVBrand awareness; streaming viewers; 95% ad completionctv-ads
Directory / MarketplaceTaaft, Shopify App Store, G2, CapterraHigh-intent directory visitors; app/software discoverydirectory-listing-ads
Out-of-home (OOH)Billboards, transit, DOOHBrand reach; unskippable; real-world exposure—

Web drives to landing pages; Display = banner/network on publisher sites; App = install or in-app; TV/CTV = awareness or QR/URL; Directory = paid placements within Taaft, Shopify App Store, G2, Capterra.

Platform Selection (Web)

PlatformBest forUse when
Google AdsHigh-intent search trafficPeople actively search for your solution
Meta (FB/IG)Demand gen, visual productsCreating demand; strong creative assets
LinkedIn AdsB2B, decision-makersJob title/company targeting matters; higher ACV
Reddit AdsNiche communities, discussion-drivenAudience in specific subreddits; authentic, value-first messaging
TikTok AdsYounger demographics, viral creativeAudience 18–34; video capacity
X (Twitter) AdsTech audiences, thought leadershipAudience active on X; timely content

Decision tree: High intent? → Google Search. No? → Awareness: Meta/TikTok/YouTube. B2B: LinkedIn. E-commerce: Meta + Google Shopping. App? → app-ads. Streaming/TV? → ctv-ads. Display/banner? → display-ads. Directory (Taaft, Shopify, G2)? → directory-listing-ads.

Dual-Channel Strategy

Treat Google Ads and Meta Ads as complementary, not competing. Google captures high-intent search at moment of need; Meta creates and shapes demand by introducing brands to new audiences. A dual-channel approach often outperforms single-channel; use unified KPIs (prioritize profit over volume). See google-ads, meta-ads for platform setup.

Budget Allocation

PhaseApproach
Testing (2–4 weeks)70% proven/safe; 30% new audiences/creative
ScalingConsolidate into winners; increase 20–30% at a time; wait 3–5 days between increases

Ad Copy Frameworks (Cross-Platform)

FrameworkStructure
PASProblem → Agitate pain → Introduce solution → CTA
BABCurrent painful state → Desired future state → Your product as bridge
Social ProofImpressive stat/testimonial → What you do → CTA

Creative Best Practices

Image ads: Clear product screenshots; before/after; stats as focal point; human faces (real); text overlay <20%.

Video ads (15–30 sec): Hook (0–3s) → Problem (3–8s) → Solution (8–20s) → CTA (20–30s). Captions always; vertical for Stories/Reels; native feel outperforms polished.

Creative testing order: 1) Concept/angle 2) Hook/headline 3) Visual style 4) Body copy 5) CTA.

Retargeting Overview

Funnel stageAudienceMessage
TopBlog readers, video viewersEducational, social proof
MiddlePricing/feature visitorsCase studies, demos
BottomCart abandoners, trial usersUrgency, objection handling

Exclusions: Existing customers; recent converters (7–14d); bounced visitors (<10s).

Show full SKILL.md (556 more words)Show less

Budget & Metrics

MetricPurpose
ROASReturn on ad spend; primary paid channel metric
CACCost per acquisition; compare to LTV
Quality Score (Google)Ad relevance, LP experience; higher = lower CPC
CPC/CPMCost per click/impression; platform-specific

Quantified benchmarks: Quality Score 5→7 can reduce CPC by 30–50%. Smart bidding (Target CPA/ROAS) typically needs ≥30 conversions in 30 days to work effectively. Proper optimization can increase conversion rates 30–150% and reduce CPA 20–50%.

Attribution & Incrementality

Incrementality measures the additional value marketing creates beyond what would occur without it—causal impact, not just correlation. Essential in privacy-first environments (cookies limited, third-party data restricted); incrementality testing does not depend on cross-device tracking.

ApproachUse when
Incrementality testingHoldout experiments (geo, channel); isolate true lift; justify budget
AttributionUTM, last-click, multi-touch; compare channels; see traffic-analysis
Advanced conversionServer-side (Enhanced Conversions, CAPI); better accuracy

Principle: Measure incrementality and downstream value, not just cost metrics. Major platforms have lowered experiment thresholds (e.g., Google Ads incrementality experiments from $100K+ to ~$5K minimum spend).

Ad-to-Landing-Page Alignment

PrinciplePractice
Ad promise on pageAd copy (e.g. "15% off") must appear immediately; mismatch increases bounce
Post-click experienceAds drive traffic; LPs drive conversions; optimize full funnel
Quality ScoreWell-optimized LPs improve Google Quality Score → lower CPC
Mobile-firstCTA above fold; thumb-reachable; fast load (<3s)

See landing-page-generator for LP structure and conversion optimization.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

  • Launching without conversion tracking
  • Too many campaigns (fragmenting budget)
  • Not giving algorithms learning time (2–4 weeks; PMax needs 6+ weeks)
  • Single ad per ad set; not refreshing creative (fatigue)
  • Spreading budget too thin; big budget changes

Weekly Optimization Cadence

CheckAction
Creative fatigueRefresh when CTR or conversion rate drops; test new concepts
Learning phaseEnsure sufficient volume (e.g., 50+ conv/week Meta; 30+ conv/30d Google for smart bidding)
Brand term shareIf brand terms >30% of conversions, consider reallocating to non-brand
Placement/spendFlag if any single placement exceeds 15% of total spend

Affiliate Brand Bidding

When running affiliate programs: prohibit affiliates from bidding on your brand terms in Google Ads. Monitor paid search; use brand monitoring tools. See affiliate-page-generator.

Competitor Brand Bidding

When: Bid on "[Competitor] alternative," "[Competitor] vs [You]" to intercept high-intent traffic. Google allows competitor terms as keywords; ad copy cannot use competitor names without permission.

Landing page: Use a dedicated comparison/alternatives page, not a blog. Users searching competitor brands expect direct alternatives; blog increases bounce. See alternatives-page-generator, google-ads Competitor Brand Keywords.

Output Format

  • Channel recommendation (and route to platform skill if needed)
  • When to start (PMF check; budget readiness)
  • Budget approach (test budget; ROAS target)
  • Landing page requirement (ad-to-page alignment)
  • Metrics to track (ROAS, CAC, Quality Score)
  • google-ads, meta-ads, linkedin-ads, reddit-ads, tiktok-ads: Web platform setup
  • reddit-posts, linkedin-posts, tiktok-captions, twitter-x-posts: Platform (organic) skills; creative alignment with reddit-ads, linkedin-ads, tiktok-ads, X Ads
  • app-ads: App install, UA; Google App Campaigns, Apple Search Ads
  • ctv-ads: CTV, OTT, streaming ads
  • display-ads: Ad networks, banner ads, programmatic display
  • directory-listing-ads: Taaft, Shopify App Store, G2, Capterra paid placements
  • landing-page-generator: LP structure for paid traffic; ad-to-page alignment
  • alternatives-page-generator: Competitor brand keyword ads → dedicated LP (not blog); comparison page structure
  • cold-start-strategy: When NOT to use paid ads
  • pmf-strategy: PMF validation; when to use PMF testing vs conversion-driven mode
  • seo-strategy: Organic vs paid
  • integrated-marketing: PESO model; paid as one channel
  • keyword-research: Keywords inform paid search targeting
  • traffic-analysis: UTM for paid attribution
  • analytics-tracking: Conversion tracking; ROAS measurement; incrementality experiments

© kostja94, MIT. Rendered from Markdown: HTML in the file is shown as text, images as links, and headings moved down two levels. Raw file

Files

Just SKILL.md in skills/strategies/commercial/paid-ads of kostja94/marketing-skills.

Open the folder on GitHubat commit 8dd89c5

Compare with similar skills

Paid Ads Strategy next to the 5 skills that share the most tags, products or categories with it. Stars are the repository's; “used in” counts other GitHub owners with a copy.

Paid Ads Strategy compared with similar skills
SkillStarsUsed inTokensAuto-checkLicenceRepo updated
Paid Ads Strategy this skillkostja94/marketing-skills1k—~3.3kAutomated safety check: PassMIT
Ecommerce Ppc Strategy PlannerLeoYeAI/openclaw-master-skills2.2k1 repos~5.5kAutomated safety check: PassMIT
AdsCesarjoquin/Marketing-Skills2021 repos~3.5kAutomated safety check: PassMIT
Adscoreyhaines31/marketingskills54k1 repos~7kAutomated safety check: PassMIT
Money Adsiamzifei/show-me-the-money1k—~2.4kAutomated safety check: PassCustom licence
Mena Adsgrowthack88/growth-marketing-os116—~2.5kAutomated safety check: PassMIT

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Categories

Questions about Paid Ads Strategy

What does Paid Ads Strategy do?

When the user wants to plan paid ads strategy, allocate ad budget, or choose paid channels. Paid Ads Strategy is an agent skill from kostja94/marketing-skills. When the user wants to plan paid ads strategy, allocate ad budget, or choose paid channels.

When should I use Paid Ads Strategy?

Paid Ads Strategy fits situations like: wants to plan paid ads strategy; allocate ad budget; choose paid channels; the user mentions paid ads.

How do I install Paid Ads Strategy in Claude Code?

Run `npx skills add kostja94/marketing-skills --skill paid-ads-strategy -a claude-code`. Or copy the skill folder (skills/strategies/commercial/paid-ads in kostja94/marketing-skills) into .claude/skills/paid-ads-strategy in your project. Claude Code loads it when a task matches its description.

How do I install Paid Ads Strategy in Codex?

Run `npx skills add kostja94/marketing-skills --skill paid-ads-strategy -a codex`. Or copy the skill folder (skills/strategies/commercial/paid-ads in kostja94/marketing-skills) into .agents/skills/paid-ads-strategy in your project. Codex loads it when a task matches its description.

Can I use Paid Ads Strategy in Cursor, Gemini CLI or GitHub Copilot?

Cursor, Gemini CLI, GitHub Copilot and OpenCode also load SKILL.md folders. With the skills CLI, run `npx skills add kostja94/marketing-skills --skill paid-ads-strategy -a cursor` (or -a gemini-cli, github-copilot or opencode for the others). To copy it by hand, put the folder in .cursor/skills/paid-ads-strategy, .gemini/skills/paid-ads-strategy, .github/skills/paid-ads-strategy and .opencode/skills/paid-ads-strategy in your project.

What does Paid Ads Strategy need to run?

SKILL.md names no scripts, command-line tools or credentials: Paid Ads Strategy is instructions for the agent only.

Does Paid Ads Strategy access the network?

SKILL.md names 1 domain. As links in the text: mktcactus.com. This is read from the text; nothing was executed.

Is Paid Ads Strategy safe to install?

Our automated static check of SKILL.md found no risky patterns, such as piping downloads into a shell, reading credential files or hidden Unicode. It is not a guarantee. Review the folder before installing.

What licence does Paid Ads Strategy use?

Paid Ads Strategy is published under the MIT licence (the repository's licence). It allows redistribution, so the full SKILL.md is shown on this page.

How many tokens does Paid Ads Strategy use?

About 3.3k tokens (SKILL.md is roughly 13k characters). Agents keep only the skill's name and description in context until a task matches; then they load SKILL.md in full.

What are the alternatives to Paid Ads Strategy?

Skills that share tags, products or a category with Paid Ads Strategy: Ecommerce Ppc Strategy Planner (LeoYeAI/openclaw-master-skills, 2.2k stars), Ads (Cesarjoquin/Marketing-Skills, 202 stars), Ads (coreyhaines31/marketingskills, 54k stars) and Money Ads (iamzifei/show-me-the-money, 1k stars). The comparison table on this page puts their stars, adoption, token cost, safety result and licence side by side.

Who maintains Paid Ads Strategy?

kostja94 (a GitHub user) maintains it in kostja94/marketing-skills, which has 1,025 GitHub stars. The repository holds 102 skills in this directory. The repository was last updated on October 6, 2026.

Source: kostja94/marketing-skills on GitHub. Facts on this page come from the repository at the commit we read; the author's words are quoted as theirs.