Free First Ad Budget Template: Copy, Fill, Ship

Starting from a blank page is where most first ad tests go wrong. You open the ad platform, see fifty settings and begin clicking. This post gives you a first ad budget template to use instead. Copy it, fill it in before you open any ad platform, then use it as your guide while you build.

It follows the routine from Lesson 4.6, Spend your first $100 on ads the smart way. The lesson explains the thinking behind each blank, and this page gives you the blanks.

Fill in the template before you open the ad platform. If a blank is empty, you are not ready to launch.

The first ad budget template

Copy everything between the lines into a document.

FIRST AD BUDGET PLAN 1. Total cap: $____ in total. I will stop spending at this number. 2. Daily figure: $____ per day, for ____ days. I will check spend every day. 3. Goal: One action I will count: ____________. 4. Audience: One group, in one sentence: ____________. 5. Page: The page I am sending people to: ____________. I tested it on my phone: yes / no. 6. Counting: I completed the action myself and saw it counted: yes / no. 7. Ad A: ____________ (first line and image). 8. Ad B: Same as A except: ____________ (one thing). 9. Stop rule: If ____________ happens, I will ____________. 10. Break-even: One customer is worth about $____ in profit to me. 11. Check dates: First read on ____. Decision on ____. 12. Decision (fill in at the end): Stop / Keep / Grow, because ____________.

How to fill each blank

1. Total capPick a number you can lose without stress. Platforms may exceed a daily figure on a given day, so this total is your own limit.
2. Daily figureDivide the total by the days, then go a little lower for safety.
3. GoalOne action only. Booking, signup, purchase or call.
4. AudienceWho, where and what they want, in one sentence.
5. Page and countingDo not skip the two yes or no boxes.
6. AdsTwo versions with exactly one difference.
7. Stop ruleDecide now, calmly.
8. Break-evenA rough figure is fine. It lets you judge cost per action later.

A filled example, clearly made up

Here is the template filled in for an invented dog walking business. The figures are illustrative.

1. Total cap: $100. 2. Daily figure: $12 per day, for 7 days. That totals $84, leaving a margin. 3. Goal: Booking request form submitted. 4. Audience: Dog owners within 5 miles who work full time. 5. Page: The "book a walk" page. Tested on phone: yes. 6. Counting: Submitted the form myself and saw it counted: yes. 7. Ad A: "Dog home alone all day? A midday walk fixes that." Photo of a dog on a lead. 8. Ad B: Same as A except: the first line reads "Local, insured dog walker. Book a free meet and greet." (Only claim insurance if it is true.) 9. Stop rule: If $50 is spent and there are no requests, I check the page and counting, then pause. 10. Break-even: One regular client is worth about $200 in profit over a few months. 11. Check dates: First read on day 3. Decision on day 7. 12. Decision: (blank until the end.)

Why the daily figure leaves a margin

Google says a campaign can spend up to twice its average daily budget on a given day, while keeping to 30.4 times the daily average over a month. That is why the example sets $12 a day for a $100 cap. It leaves headroom on busy days. If you use Meta, you can choose between a daily budget and a lifetime budget. A lifetime budget lets you state the total for the run, which fits a fixed test like this.

Using the template while you build

Keep it open next to the ad platform. As you create the campaign:

• Enter your cap and daily figure.
• Choose the goal that matches blank 3.
• Set the audience from blank 4.
• Build two ads that match blanks 7 and 8.

Meta describes A/B testing as comparing versions by changing a variable such as image, text, audience or placement. Blank 8 keeps you to one variable, which is what makes the comparison readable.

The review step

Meta's advertising standards say ads are reviewed before they run, usually within 24 hours but sometimes longer, and can be reviewed again later. Put a note beside blank 11: "Allow a day for review." It prevents you reading a quiet first day as a failed ad.

After the test: a three line summary

At the end, add three lines under the plan.

What happened: spend, actions, cost per action. What I learned: one sentence. What next: the next test, with its own filled template.

Over a few tests, these summaries become your own playbook. For turning your numbers into a weekly routine, see the spend framework, and for which numbers to read, see the metrics guide.

Common blanks people leave empty

The stop rule and the break-even figure are the two blanks most often skipped, because they feel like paperwork. They are the most useful ones. The stop rule saves you from deciding under stress, and the break-even figure is the only way to tell whether a cost per action is good news or bad news. If you truly cannot estimate a customer's worth, write your best guess and the date, then correct it once real orders come in. A guess you can correct beats a blank you cannot.

Making a copy

Paste the template into any notes app or document. Save one copy as a blank master and fill in a new copy for every test. Name each copy with the date and a few words, such as "dog walking, week 1". That is enough structure to start.

Lesson 4.6, Spend your first $100 on ads the smart way, takes you through each blank in order, then through the first three days of results and the decision about the next $100.

Questions people ask

Do I have to use $100?

No. Change the cap to whatever you can afford to lose. A smaller cap just gives a rougher signal.

What if I cannot fill in the break-even blank?

Use a rough number. A rough figure is better than none.

Can I use this on any ad platform?

Yes. The blanks are platform neutral.

Is the dog walking example real?

No. It is invented to show how the blanks look when filled in.