New Launch Targeting Sequence
The order to run targeting prompts when launching a brand-new client. The prompts themselves are canonical in Targeting Audit Workflow — this page is the launch-specific routing layer (what to run, when, and how to act on the output).
Owner: Tasneem. Reference call: walkthrough with Sean on 2026-05-13.
NOTE
The audit workflow (Targeting Audit Workflow) is for fixing live targeting on an existing client. This page is for setting up correct targeting on Day 1 of a new client. Same prompts, different order and emphasis.
Sequence at a glance
| Step | Prompt | When to use | Output |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Prompt B — Messy Location → Radius | Only if the client gave a messy geo (zip list, county list, screenshot of overlapping bubbles). Skip if they gave a clean radius. | Clean primary radius + zip add-ons + exclusion radius (if needed) |
| 2 | Prompt C — Location Qualifier (Question Meta Prompt v2.0) | Always. Every new launch. | Lead form Q1 (the "Are you a homeowner in [Region]?" question) |
| 3 | Prompt A — Zip Exclusion Research (3-tier model) | Always. Every new launch. | Tier 1/2/3 zip lists with audience math |
| 4 | Apply | Always. | Final FB ad set audience |
All three prompts live in full in Targeting Audit Workflow — copy/paste from there.
Step-by-step
Step 0 — Read the client info first
From the new client's Discord channel: - Stated geo (radius, zip list, county list, city list, or "around X miles from Y") - Any client constraints ("we don't service downtown", "stay out of XYZ zip", etc.) - Service area boundaries (franchise lines, county-only restrictions, state-only)
If anything's unclear, tag Griffin before running prompts. Don't guess on geography.
Step 1 — Run Prompt B (only if needed)
Run when: client gave a messy geo input. Examples: - A screenshot of overlapping bubbles in FB Ads Manager - A list of 25+ zip codes - A list of 5+ cities - Conflicting verbal vs. survey input
Skip when: client said something clean like "50 miles around Las Vegas" or "Hamilton County only."
Where the prompt lives: Targeting Audit Workflow → Prompt B — Messy Location → Radius Optimization.
What you'll get back: a primary radius pin, optional secondary radius, zip code add-ons for outliers, exclusion radius if there's a franchise/territory carve-out, and a city callout recommendation for ad copy.
Then: use the resulting [Primary City + Radius] as the input for Steps 2 and 3.
Step 2 — Run Prompt C (always)
Why first (before exclusion research): the location qualifier question shapes the lead form, and you're building the lead form before the campaign (see Media Buyer Launch Playbook § "Build the lead form FIRST"). So Q1 needs to be ready early.
Where the prompt lives: Targeting Audit Workflow → Prompt C — Lead Form Qualifier (Location Question Meta Prompt v2.0).
Inputs: primary radius from Step 1 (or the client's clean stated radius).
What you'll get back: the exact Are you a homeowner in [Region]? question text + answer options. This text drops directly into the lead form (Lead Form Standard Questions § Q1).
TIP
Prefer regional nicknames ("Treasure Valley", "East Texas", "Lowcountry") over county lists when a strong regional name exists. The prompt is calibrated for this — if it returns a county list when a regional name would work, push back and re-run.
Step 3 — Run Prompt A (always)
Where the prompt lives: Targeting Audit Workflow → Prompt A — Zip Code Exclusion Research.
Inputs: center city + radius (in miles).
What you'll get back: three tiers of zip codes to exclude, with population math, area names, and reasoning per tier. Plus a "Top 5 Money Zips" callout for context.
Use Claude when available (Sean's preference for citation quality). ChatGPT and Gemini are fine fallbacks — manually verify a couple of zips' poverty/income against unitedstateszipcodes.org if you're suspicious of any output.
Step 4 — Apply per audience-size logic
Use the audience size after exclusions to decide how aggressive to be. This is the "750K floor" rule from Targeting Audit Workflow § "Audience Size Floor Logic":
| Audience size after exclusions | What to do |
|---|---|
| 1M+ | Apply Tier 1 + Tier 2. Consider Tier 3 if you want to push quality further. |
| 750K – 1M | Apply Tier 1. Selectively add Tier 2 zips (only the worst). |
| 500K – 750K | Apply Tier 1 only. Stop excluding. Focus on creative quality. |
| Below 500K | Don't exclude. Consider interest-narrowing instead (Tasneem's approach — see note below). |
NOTE
For audiences below 500K: instead of brute-force zip exclusion, layer in interest targeting to filter by income proxies (e.g., interests correlated with high-earner status). This is Tasneem's pack-testing approach — see Targeting Audit Workflow § "Audience Pack Adjustment". Run the detailed-interest pack in parallel with the broad pack, not as a 50/50 split.
Step 5 — Drop into Facebook Ads Manager
For the ad set audience:
- Pin: primary city from Step 1 + radius
- Add zip outliers (if any): from Step 1's add-on list
- Exclusion radius (if any): from Step 1 (carves out franchise/territory boundary)
- Zip exclusions: paste Tier 1 (+ Tier 2 + Tier 3 depending on audience size from Step 4)
- Minimum age: 30. Drop to 25 only if audience size is very small — flag in ad set name.
- Maximum age: 65+
- Gender: All
Audience naming:
[CompanyName]_[City]_1.0
Bump the version when you change exclusions/inclusions. Don't edit the locked 1.0 — duplicate and increment.
Worked example (from the 2026-05-13 walkthrough)
Client: Call on the Double (Lubbock, TX) — a new launch pending onboarding survey completion as of 2026-05-13.
- Stated geo: "60 miles around Lubbock, TX" → clean → skip Prompt B.
- Run Prompt C: returned
Are you a homeowner in West Texas?— used locals' regional name rather than a county list. Drops into the lead form. - Run Prompt A: returned Tier 1/2/3 lists with audience math against Lubbock's smaller metro.
- Apply: Lubbock metro is small (likely <750K). Expect Tier 1 only, focus on creative. Consider interest-narrowing if audience drops further.
When NOT to follow this sequence
- Existing client with bad lead quality: use Targeting Audit Workflow instead — that's the audit flow with the pre-flight diagnostic step.
- Client with strict zip-only mandate (e.g., "Only these 12 zips, no radius"): respect it on Day 1, but flag to Sean for a follow-up conversation — zip-only targeting limits audience size and almost always underperforms radius targeting (see Zip Code Exclusion Targeting).
- Multi-zone service area (San Antonio + Lakeway + Lake LBJ pattern): run Prompt B to map both zones, then run Prompt C with the multi-zone variant (separate "Yes, [Zone A]" / "Yes, [Zone B]" answer options).