Case Study: How a Creator Used Paid Exclusions and Total Budgets to Scale a Short-Term Launch

Hook: Stop wasting launch spend on junk placements — protect ROI with two new Google Ads controls

Creators and indie publishers: you’ve felt it — a short, high-energy product drop that explodes in clicks but eats your ad budget on low-quality placements and irrelevant inventory. In 2026, that problem has a practical fix. This case study shows how one creator used Google Ads account-level placement exclusions plus total campaign budgets to protect ROI and maximize link-driven conversions during a seven-day product launch.

Executive summary — what you’ll learn (and the outcome)

In this step-by-step case study you’ll get:

• A repeatable launch plan using account-level exclusions to block low-value inventory across Performance Max, Display, YouTube and Search.
• How to use total campaign budgets for precise spend control over a fixed launch window (new for Search and Shopping as of early 2026).
• UTM and tracking templates that tie paid clicks to link conversions and monetization (email signups, purchases, streams).
• Practical in-flight optimization rules, a post-mortem template, and expected KPI improvements based on our example.

Result (hypothetical but realistic): the creator reduced wasted spend by ~24%, kept CPA 18% below target, and increased link conversions 32% versus a control launch without exclusions.

Context: Why 2026 makes this approach timely

Late 2025 and early 2026 brought two major Google Ads updates that change how creators run short, high-intent launches:

• Account-level placement exclusions (Jan 2026) let advertisers block placements across all eligible campaign types from one list instead of repeating exclusions per campaign.
• Total campaign budgets (expanded to Search and Shopping in early 2026) let you set a finite spend target for a campaign over a specific date range and allow Google to pace toward that total.

These changes matter because advertising in 2026 is both more automated and more opaque. Automation—Performance Max and Demand Gen—drives efficiency, but without guardrails it can route spend to low-value placements. Account-level exclusions restore control. Total campaign budgets replace noisy daily budget fiddling and ensure your short-term launch uses the exact amount you intend.

Meet the creator: Ava Rivera (hypothetical)

Ava is a mid-size creator (150k combined followers across TikTok and Instagram) launching a limited-edition merch capsule and a simultaneous short online course. Her goals for the seven-day drop:

• Drive 1,200 link conversions (merch purchases and course signups).
• Maintain average CPA ≤ $15.
• Protect brand alignment (no association with low-quality YouTube channels or scammy apps).

Budget: $6,000 total for paid ads across Google for the full seven days.

Step 0 — Pre-launch analysis (3–10 days before launch)

Before launching paid campaigns you must audit historical placements and channel performance. Focus on three things:

1. Past placement reports (YouTube channels, apps, domains) from previous campaigns. Export the bottom 5–10% by conversion rate and flag them for exclusion.
2. Creative performance by placement — short-form video versus static creatives often behave differently when cross-posted into automations (Performance Max, Demand Gen).
3. Landing page readiness and link tracking — ensure linking and conversion events are mapped to your analytics and payment tools.

Action checklist (pre-launch):

• Create a GA4 property and link Google Ads; enable conversion modeling and import purchase and signup events.
• Build a launch landing page with a single primary CTA and one conversion event to keep attribution clean.
• Prepare a canonical UTM structure — examples below.

UTM template (copy/paste)

Use consistent UTMs so every paid click shows in your dashboards:

utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=ava_launch_jan26&utm_content={ad_id}_{placement}

Example resolved: ?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=ava_launch_jan26&utm_content=vidA_youtube_channelX

Step 1 — Build your account-level exclusion list

Thanks to Google’s Jan 2026 rollout, you can now centrally block placements across Performance Max, Demand Gen, YouTube, Display, Search (where applicable). This saves time and prevents gaps in protection.

Start with three classes of exclusions:

1. Known low-quality domains/apps — from your audit or industry sources.
2. Categories or sensitive content — sensitive content, hate, misinformation, or topics that conflict with your brand.
3. YouTube channel exclusions — channels with high viewcounts but low view-duration or poor brand safety scores.

Sample exclusion list entries (for a merch/course launch):

• In-app placements in hyper-casual gaming apps (low intent).
• “Rewarded video” placement groups that historically generate clicks with very low conversion intent.
• Specific YouTube channels previously flagged for click fraud or bot traffic.
• Known piracy or streaming aggregator sites that send low-quality referral clicks.

How to create: in Google Ads > Tools > Exclusions (Account-level) > Create new list > Add placements/domains/channels > Apply across eligible campaigns.

Step 2 — Allocate your total budget across campaigns

With $6,000 total for seven days, the goal is to balance reach and conversion efficiency. Total campaign budgets let you set a hard budget per campaign for the entire period so you don’t overspend if automation ramps early.

Suggested allocation (example):

• Search (high intent) — $1,800 total (30%). Use Total Campaign Budget and start ASAP; set bidding to Target CPA or Maximize conversions with a conservative target.
• Performance Max — $2,400 total (40%). Use exclusions and add asset groups optimized for the primary CTA.
• YouTube + Video Discovery — $1,200 total (20%). Run short, high-impact product teasers and tutorials.
• Discovery/Display retargeting — $600 total (10%). Tight audiences only — site visitors and engaged viewers.

How to set a total campaign budget:

1. Create/edit campaign > Budget section > Choose Total campaign budget > Enter amount and date range for the 7-day launch.
2. Pick a bid strategy aligned to your KPI (Target CPA usually preferred for launches where you know your acceptable CPA).
3. Apply the account-level exclusion list to all eligible campaigns.

Step 3 — Creative + landing page mapping

Map two creative buckets to conversion intent:

• Conversion creatives — Direct CTA (Shop now / Enroll), short 12–15s videos optimized for purchase intent, clear price/offer.
• Awareness creatives — Longer product story, creator testimonial, used mainly for YouTube and upper-funnel PMax asset groups.

Each ad asset should include a dedicated link with the UTM template above and, where possible, a tracking parameter to identify the creative (e.g., utm_content).

Step 4 — Launch day setup and first 24 hours

The first 24 hours are critical — automation may frontload spend. Use these rules:

• Enable total campaign budgets immediately so each campaign uses only its allotted total.
• Turn on extended conversion tracking and modelled conversions (2026 privacy norms make modeling important).
• Run a high-frequency placement & search term check at T+6 hours and T+24 hours to catch obvious issues.

“I paused two Performance Max asset groups after 12 hours when I saw spend on a low-intent in-app placement. The account-level exclusion list prevented repeated waste elsewhere — that saved me nearly $300 in the first day.” — Ava Rivera (hypothetical)

Step 5 — In-flight optimizations (days 1–7)

Use a combination of automated rules and manual checks. Daily checklist:

• Check placement report for worst-performing placements (CTR high, conv rate < 10% of average) and add them to the account-level exclusion list.
• Watch pacing vs. total budget. If Search is underspending but converting, you can reallocate mid-campaign by adjusting total budgets before the end date. (Note: changes affect pacing predictions.)
• Keep creatives fresh. Swap low-converting creatives with new variants every 48 hours to combat ad fatigue in small windows.
• Retarget recent visitors aggressively in the final 48 hours — increase bids for retargeting audiences in your discovery/display campaigns.

Step 6 — Measurement and attribution

Link conversions back to your paid channels with precise naming and server-side tagging where possible. Key steps:

1. Ensure GA4 receives the UTM-tagged hits and that purchase/signup events are imported into Google Ads as conversions.
2. Implement a server-side conversion endpoint or Ads API conversion import if you use third-party checkout to bypass potential cross-domain loss.
3. Use a shortlink provider or your link manager (e.g., linking.live) to centralize bio links and record click-level data. Forward to final UTM'd landing page to preserve source data.

Recommended conversion events and windows for a seven-day launch:

• Primary conversion: purchase or paid enrollment (7-day conversion window).
• Secondary conversion: email capture + add-to-cart (1–3 day windows).

Case results (hypothetical, realistic metrics)

Using the steps above, Ava saw the following outcomes compared to a prior launch without account-level exclusions or total budgets:

• Link conversions: +32% (1,200 vs. 910)
• Average CPA: $12.30 (target $15) — 18% better than prior launch
• Wasted spend (estimated on low-quality placements): -24%
• Spend predictability: 100% of $6,000 planned budget used — no overspend

Why this worked:

• Account-level exclusions stopped repeat waste across all automated channels.
• Total campaign budgets prevented automation from overshooting early in the launch.
• Clear UTM discipline and server-side conversions improved attribution and allowed confident bid strategy choices.

Common pitfalls and how to avoid them

• Over-blocking placements: Removing too many placements can starve automation. Start narrow and expand exclusions from placement performance data.
• Late conversion import: If conversions aren’t imported quickly into Google Ads, automated bidding will underperform. Use server-side upload or fast event pipelines.
• Incorrect budget splits: Don’t allocate everything to performance formats; keep a portion for direct-response Search to capture high intent.

Templates you can copy

Account-level exclusion starter list (copy/paste)

• All domains flagged previously with conversion rate < 0.5% and CTR > 5%.
• App placements: reward-based video placements (hyper-casual games folder).
• YouTube channels: channels with avg. view duration < 10s and 1:1000 views-to-conversions ratio.
• Content categories: piracy/streaming aggregators, adult, politically sensitive topics.

UTM naming convention (example)

utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=creator_launch_2026&utm_term={keyword}_or_placement&utm_content={creative_id}

Budget calculator (quick math)

1. Target conversions = 1,200
2. Target CPA = $15
3. Total budget = 1,200 * $15 = $18,000 (if that’s unrealistic, scale conversions or CPA)
4. For constrained budgets, reverse engineer: Budget $6,000 / Target CPA $15 = 400 conversions expected — allocate channels accordingly.

Trends and predictions for creators in 2026

Looking ahead, creators should expect:

• More automation with stronger guardrails: Platforms will add account-level controls (like exclusions) as default to maintain advertiser trust.
• Better spend pacing tools: Total campaign budgets will expand to more campaign types and include pacing controls to frontload or evenly distribute spend.
• First-party data and server-side tracking: As privacy evolves, creators who centralize first-party link analytics and conversion APIs will win on accurate attribution and lower CPAs — see our notes on deliverability and privacy tooling.

Final checklist — launch-control quick reference

• Create account-level exclusion list and apply across campaigns.
• Set total campaign budgets for each campaign with start/end dates.
• Implement UTM templates and server-side conversion imports.
• Map creatives to landing pages and use targeted retargeting in the final 48 hours.
• Run daily placement reviews and expand exclusions only when data supports it.

Closing — what to measure in your post-mortem

After the launch, run a structured post-mortem focusing on:

• Conversions by placement and creative.
• Spend by placement and % of spend blocked by account-level exclusions.
• Pacing vs. predicted spend from total budgets.
• Attribution gaps (use server logs to reconcile any missing conversions).

Document every learn and bake it into your next exclusion list and campaign budget plan.

Call to action — get the launch kit

Ready to run a protected, high-ROI launch? Download our free Launch Exclusion List, UTM & Tracking Template, and a Total Budget Calculator to plan your next product drop. If you’re centralizing bio links and need link-level analytics that sync to your ad platforms, try linking.live’s creator plan to track every paid click to its conversion.