> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://docs.smaq.io/documentation/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://docs.smaq.io/documentation/get-started/tutorials/plan-a-campaign.md).

# Plan a campaign with Media Plans

Media plans in SMAQ aren't just spreadsheets. Once a plan is in flight, SMAQ tracks actual spend and performance against your plan, snapshots it on a schedule, and can run an AI agent to recommend reallocations.

### What you'll end up with

A media plan for a hypothetical "Summer Launch" campaign:

* Flight: 4 weeks
* Budget: $20,000 total
* Channels: Google Ads, Meta Ads
* Goal: maximize ROAS
* KPI targets: ROAS ≥ 3.0, CPA ≤ $40

### Prerequisites

* A project with Google Ads and Meta Ads connected.
* Editor or Owner role.

***

### Step 1 — Start the wizard

1. In the side menu, click **Media Plans**.
2. Click **Create new plan**.
3. The wizard opens. (You can click **Skip to advanced form** anytime to switch to the full form.)

> **\[Screenshot needed]** Media plan wizard step 1 — Goal & Flight — with all fields empty.

### Step 2 — Goal & Flight (wizard step 1)

Fill in:

* **Goal template**: pick **Maximize ROAS**. The wizard offers other templates (Target CPA, Brand reach, etc.) — picking one preloads the right KPI targets in step 3.
* **Plan name**: "Summer Launch."
* **Flight dates**: today + 4 weeks.
* **Total budget**: $20,000.
* **Currency**: USD.

Click **Next**.

> **\[Screenshot needed]** Step 1 with all fields filled in as above.

### Step 3 — Channels (wizard step 2)

Add your first channel:

1. Click **Add channel**.
2. **Label**: "Google Ads — Brand."
3. **Channel type**: Google Ads.
4. **Source**: pick the Google Ads connection in this project.
5. **Allocated budget**: $12,000 (60% of the total).
6. Optional: **Pick specific campaigns** — choose only the brand campaigns if you want SMAQ to track this allocation against a subset.

Add a second channel for Meta:

1. **Add channel**.
2. **Label**: "Meta — Prospecting."
3. **Channel type**: Meta Ads.
4. **Source**: pick the Meta connection.
5. **Allocated budget**: $8,000 (40%).

Click **Next**.

> **\[Screenshot needed]** Step 2 with the two channels added, totals adding up to $20,000.

### Step 4 — Review (wizard step 3)

* **Snapshot frequency**: Weekly. SMAQ will save a snapshot of plan vs actuals once a week.
* **Notes**: free-text for context (e.g. "Targeting the East Coast for the first 2 weeks").
* **KPI targets**: pre-filled from your goal template — ROAS ≥ 3.0, CPA ≤ $40, etc. Edit if needed.

Click **Create plan**.

> **\[Screenshot needed]** Step 3 review screen with snapshot frequency and KPI targets visible.

### Step 5 — Verify the plan

You'll land on the plan detail page showing:

* The plan header (name, flight, total budget, days remaining).
* A spend trend chart (empty for now — fills in as data lands).
* The channel breakdown table with budgets and any actuals from your connections.

> **\[Screenshot needed]** New media plan detail page with the empty spend trend chart and the channel table.

### Step 6 — Enable Media Plan Intelligence (optional)

For Scale-tier and above:

1. From the plan detail page, click **Add automation → Media Plan Intelligence**.
2. Pick recipients and a weekly schedule.
3. SMAQ will analyze plan progress weekly and recommend reallocations — e.g. "Meta is underpacing at 60% of plan with ROAS at 4.5 — consider shifting $1,500 from Google Ads brand."

See [Media Plan Intelligence](/documentation/features/media-plans/intelligence.md) for the full breakdown.

### What's next

* [Media Plans overview](/documentation/features/media-plans.md) — the full feature reference.
* [Budget Pacing Alert](/documentation/features/automations/reference.md) — automation that pings you when any channel is overpacing or underpacing.
* [Command Center](/documentation/features/command-center.md) — see all in-flight plans alongside live campaign data in one screen.