Notes on Paid Media

Ad account security: authentication, access and roles in 2026

A compromised ad account can burn through the budget in hours, publish unwanted ads or lead to suspensions. Basic security (strong authentication…

Click fraud and invalid traffic: signs, tools and what to claim back

Some of the clicks we pay for do not come from interested people: they may be invalid, automated or fraudulent traffic. Platforms filter part of it and…

Bots, scrapers and ads: protecting budget from automated traffic

Bots and scrapers visit sites constantly. Some are useful (search engines), others consume resources, distort statistics and, in campaigns, can generate…

Pixel and tag audit: the quarterly inventory that prevents data leaks

Every pixel and tag on a site is a channel through which data leaves. Over time they accumulate: forgotten tools, scripts from old campaigns, duplicate…

Creative diversity as a signal: why more angles beat more variations

Platforms learn to tell messages apart when creatives are genuinely different from one another. Twenty variations of the same angle teach little. A few…

Three-second hooks: a testing system for short videos

In short videos, the first three seconds decide whether a person stays or swipes away. The hook (the opening line, image or action) is the most testable…

Creator content at scale: briefs that produce usable material

Content made by creators and customers convinces because it looks real. To scale it you need a brief that gives freedom without losing the essentials…

Creatives for the whole funnel: top, middle and bottom with different messages

One message does not suit someone who has never heard of the brand and someone who is already comparing prices. Creatives for the whole funnel adapt the…

Asset libraries: organising images, videos and copy for teams and AI

Images, videos and texts scattered across folders and chats slow teams down and confuse AI. An organised asset library, with clear names, metadata and…

Creative testing on a small budget: the minimum design that still teaches something

Testing creative takes money, but not as much as people think. With a minimal, disciplined design you can learn on a short budget: few hypotheses, one…