How to create and launch your first campaign in Propensity

What this article covers

This article explains the general process for creating and launching a campaign in Propensity.

While specific campaign types and channels may have additional requirements, most campaigns follow the same core workflow:

1. Create a campaign
2. Build your audience
3. Configure buying circles
4. Add plays and assets
5. Review campaign settings in Launch Manager
6. Launch the campaign
7. Monitor performance in Analytics

This guide focuses on the overall process and where each step occurs within the platform.

Types of plays

Propensity supports multiple play types that allow you to reach your target audience across different channels. Each play represents a way to deliver your campaign to the accounts and contacts in your audience.

Some plays are managed directly within Propensity, while others connect to external advertising platforms.

Social media advertising

These plays allow you to run advertising campaigns through major social platforms while managing audience targeting through Propensity.

Includes:

• Facebook Ads (standard, carousel, and video formats)
• LinkedIn Ads (standard, carousel, and video formats)
• Reddit Ads
• TikTok Video Ads

These plays deliver ads to users on their respective social platforms and can be used to increase brand awareness or engagement with your target accounts.

Google advertising

Google-based plays allow you to reach contacts through Google's advertising network.

Includes:

• Google Display Ads
• Google Video Ads

These plays typically run through Google’s ad ecosystem and can deliver ads across websites, apps, and video platforms.

Propensity Display Network

Propensity Display Network plays distribute ads automatically across a network of publishers and digital properties.

Includes:

• Propensity Display Network Ads
• Propensity Display Network Native Ads
• Propensity Display Network Video Ads
• Propensity Display Network Audio Ads
• Propensity Display Network CTV Ads

These plays allow campaigns to reach audiences across websites, streaming platforms, mobile apps, and other digital environments.

Email and direct outreach

These plays allow you to reach contacts directly through personalized communication channels.

Includes:

• Marketing Email
• Direct Mail

These channels are often used for more targeted outreach to contacts within your buying circles.

Step 1: Create a campaign

Start by creating a new campaign within Propensity.

During this step, you will define basic campaign information and begin setting up the targeting structure that will be used throughout the campaign.

1. On the home menu, click Campaigns
2. Click New Campaign
3. Select your campaign type
4. Add you campaign details
   • If you are creating a Contact-Based Marketing Campaign, you will need to choose a Campaign Audience Type

     • Static: keeps the same set of accounts and contacts across cohorts

     • Dynamic: updates over time based on changes in underlying data

5. Select your campaign play(s)
6. Save

Once the campaign is created, you can begin configuring the audience and targeting criteria.

Step 2: Build your audience

After creating a campaign, you can create your audience by going to the Audience tab. The audience defines the companies and contacts you want to reach.

Audience configuration may include:

• Account targeting
• Industry or company filters
• Website engagement signals
• Intent data
• Keyword filters
• Other targeting criteria available in the platform

Your audience can be refined until it reflects the accounts and contacts you want to target in the campaign.

For more information and tips about creating audiences, play types and playbooks (step 4 of this guide), check our Guide to Creating an ABM Campaign with Propensity.

And Best Practices can be found in the article Creating Your Primary Audience.

Step 3: Configure Buying Circles

In the same tab where you created your audience, you can create your Buying Circles. Buying Circles define the personas or roles you want to reach within your target accounts.

Examples may include:

• Marketing leaders
• IT decision makers
• Finance stakeholders
• Other relevant roles involved in the buying process

Buying circles allow you to focus on the individuals within each account who are most relevant to your campaign.

Step 4: Add plays and campaign assets

Go to the Playbook tab. Plays determine how your campaign will reach the selected audience.

It is necessary to link a Buying Circle to each one of the plays, so that the ads reach the correct target audience.

Check the Set Up to understand the requirements of each campaign play. These requirements need to be met, otherwise the campaign cannot be launched.

You can add your assets by clicking View. Within each play, you may configure elements such as:

• Campaign assets (for example, ad creatives or media files)
• Campaign settings
• Budget parameters
• Start and end dates

Step 5: Review your campaign in the Launch tab

Once your campaign configuration is complete, navigate to the Launch tab to finalize the setup.

In this section, you can:

• Review the campaign pricing breakdown
• Confirm that all setup requirements are complete
• Access channel configuration
• Review key campaign settings before launching

If required, you can click View Channel to configure the specific channel used for the play.

You can also review important settings such as:

• Max Budget
• CPM
• Brand Name
• Campaign assets

If adjustments are needed, these settings can typically be edited from the Playbook tab.

Step 6: Launch the campaign

When all requirements are complete, you can proceed with launching the campaign.

To launch:

1. Click View Channel
2. Confirm that the campaign is Launch Ready
3. Click View to review the final campaign configuration
4. Click Launch
5. Review the final campaign settings, including:
   • Campaign cost
   • Campaign dates
   • Domain exclusions
   • Timezone and scheduling
   • Frequency cap
6. Save your configuration and click Launch

Campaign status after launch

After launching, the campaign will initially appear in a Pending state.

During this stage, this play is in the process of launching and will remain pending until it becomes active, which may take time.

The Pending state may last several hours while the campaign activation process completes.

Once activation is complete, the campaign will become Active.

Monitor campaign performance

After the campaign is active, you can monitor performance in the Analytics tab.

The Analytics section provides visibility into campaign activity and performance metrics, allowing you to track engagement and results over time.

The Leads tab will show you a list with all of your active leads, including important information, such as the contact warmth and the number of claimed and unclaimed leads.

Tips and important information

• Campaign requirements may vary by play type: Some channels require additional setup steps before the campaign can be launched
• External advertising platforms may have their own approval processes: In some cases, campaigns may take time to become active after launching
• Audience size can affect campaign delivery: Very small audiences may limit campaign reach depending on the play type
• Campaign performance data appears after the campaign becomes active: Analytics and engagement metrics will begin populating once the campaign starts delivering