Leads & bookings
An ad agency-style workflow for a small team
You will have a four-stage workflow, a review gate for each stage and a simple record of what you tested.
Before you start
- A product or service to advertise
- A small budget and a platform in mind
- Someone responsible for approving each stage
The idea
An agency separates thinking from doing. You can do the same on a small scale: research first, then concepts, then production, then review, each with a person who says yes before the next begins.
An assistant can speed up each step. It should never publish, spend money or make claims without a person checking.
Stage 1: Research
- Collect ten competitor ads from public libraries.
- Write down who the ad is for and the problem it solves.
- Summarise patterns in a table.
Gate: you can state the customer and the single promise in two sentences.
Stage 2: Concepts
Offer: [offer and price]. Audience: [audience]. Give me five ad concepts, each with a hook, the main message and the picture idea. Use only the facts I gave. Do not invent proof.
Gate: pick two concepts. Check each claim is true and provable.
Stage 3: Production
- Write scripts and captions for each concept.
- Make images or video with your own material or tools whose terms allow commercial use.
- Keep file names that show the concept and version.
Gate: another person has read every word and checked every price.
Stage 4: Launch and review
- Launch a small test with a small budget.
- Record what you changed and why.
- After a week, note which concept did best and what you learned.
Rules that keep you safe
- Follow platform ad policies and the law on advertising claims.
- Never invent testimonials or results.
- Get permission for any person’s image, voice or words.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Letting the assistant approve its own work
- Launching without a small test
- Inventing proof
- Spending before you can state the single promise
Final checklist
- Each stage had a gate
- Every claim is true
- I tested small first
- I recorded what I learned