English for marketing agencies
Paid media and performance marketing English
The words and lines media buyers, PPC and paid social specialists use with US clients: platforms, metrics, optimization, standups and client calls. Numbers are samples.
Book a trial classPlatform vocabulary
Platforms rename features often. Use the current name in the account and ask the client which term they use.
| Term | What it means | In a sentence |
|---|---|---|
| Google Ads | Google's ad platform: search, display, video, shopping and app campaigns | We run Google Ads for the brand and non-brand terms. |
| search campaign | Text ads shown when someone types a query into Google | The search campaign covers our top ten keywords. |
| display | Image ads shown on websites and apps across a network | Display is mostly for awareness and retargeting. |
| Meta Ads | The ad platform for Facebook, Instagram and other Meta apps | Most of the budget goes to Meta Ads. |
| Ads Manager | The Meta tool where you build and check campaigns | I'll send you a screenshot from Ads Manager. |
| Advantage+ | Meta's automated campaign options that let the platform choose more of the setup | Let's test an Advantage+ shopping campaign against the manual one. |
| TikTok Ads | The ad platform for short vertical video on TikTok | TikTok Ads works best with native-looking video. |
| LinkedIn Ads | Ads targeted by job title, company and industry, common in B2B | LinkedIn Ads is pricier, but the leads are closer to our buyer. |
| YouTube ads | Video ads shown on YouTube, bought mostly through Google Ads | We use YouTube ads to warm up new audiences. |
| programmatic | Buying ad space automatically through software, often in real time | The client wants to test programmatic for reach. |
| DSP | Demand-side platform: the tool an advertiser uses to buy programmatic inventory | Which DSP does the agency use? |
| Shopping campaign | Product ads with an image and price, built from a product feed | Shopping campaigns drive most of the store's revenue. |
| product feed | A file with your products, prices and images that feeds Shopping and catalog ads | The product feed has missing images. |
| Performance Max | A Google campaign type that runs across Google's channels with one set of assets and goals | Performance Max needs strong assets and clean conversion data. |
| ad network | A company that sells ad space from many sites and apps | The display network reaches millions of sites. |
| ad platform | The tool where you set up, run and measure ads | Each ad platform reports conversions a little differently. |
Account structure and budgets
| Term | What it means | In a sentence |
|---|---|---|
| campaign | The top level of an account, where you set the objective and usually the budget | We have one campaign per product line. |
| ad set | In Meta, the level that holds audience, placements, budget and schedule | Each ad set targets a different audience. |
| ad group | In Google Ads, the level that holds keywords and the ads that go with them | Let's split this ad group by match type. |
| ad | The piece people see: creative, headline, text and link | There are four ads in each ad set. |
| audience | The group of people you want to reach | The audience is too broad for this offer. |
| custom audience | A list-based audience, like customers or site visitors | We uploaded a custom audience from the email list. |
| targeting | The settings that decide who can see your ads | We narrowed the targeting to two cities. |
| placement | Where an ad appears: feed, stories, reels, search results, and so on | Stories is our best placement for this ad. |
| bid strategy | The rule the platform uses to decide how much to bid | We switched the bid strategy to target CPA. |
| manual bidding | You set the bid yourself | We use manual bidding while the account is new. |
| automated bidding | The platform sets bids to reach a goal you choose | Automated bidding needs enough conversion data. |
| target CPA | A goal for the average cost per conversion | The target CPA is [amount] for this campaign. |
| target ROAS | A goal for the revenue you want back per dollar of ad spend | We set a target ROAS of [number]. |
| daily budget | The average amount you are willing to spend each day | The daily budget is [amount], and it may vary on some days. |
| lifetime budget | A total amount to spend over a set start and end date | We use a lifetime budget for the launch flight. |
| campaign budget | One budget set at campaign level, shared across ad sets by the platform | We moved to a campaign budget so the platform can shift spend. |
| flight | The period a campaign or a burst of ads runs | The flight runs from the 1st to the 15th. |
| keyword match type | How closely a search must match your keyword: broad, phrase or exact | Exact match keeps the traffic more relevant. |
Metrics and how to say them
Say the metric, the direction and the comparison: CPA is up 12 percent week over week (sample number). Numbers in this guide are samples.
| Term | What it means | In a sentence |
|---|---|---|
| CPC | Cost per click: spend divided by clicks | CPC is up 20 percent (sample number) since the auction got busier. |
| CPM | Cost per mille: what you pay for 1,000 impressions | The CPM is high because the audience is narrow. |
| CTR | Click-through rate: clicks divided by impressions | The hook lifted CTR on the video ad. |
| CVR | Conversion rate: conversions divided by clicks or visits | CTR is fine, but CVR on the landing page is weak. |
| CPA | Cost per acquisition: spend divided by conversions | CPA is above target this week. |
| ROAS | Return on ad spend: revenue divided by ad spend | A ROAS of 4 (sample number) means four dollars back for each dollar spent. |
| MER | Marketing efficiency ratio: total revenue divided by total marketing spend | Platform ROAS looks good, but MER is flat. |
| CAC | Customer acquisition cost: total cost to win one new customer | Blended CAC went up after we added the new channel. |
| LTV | Lifetime value: total revenue expected from one customer | If LTV is high, we can accept a higher CAC. |
| AOV | Average order value: revenue divided by orders | The bundle raised AOV. |
| frequency | The average number of times one person saw your ad | Frequency is 5.2 (sample number), so we risk ad fatigue. |
| reach | The number of different people who saw your ad | Reach is flat, but impressions keep growing. |
| Quality Score | Google's 1 to 10 estimate of keyword, ad and landing page quality | A low Quality Score pushes our CPC up. |
| impression share | The share of possible impressions your ads actually got | Impression share is low because of budget. |
| learning phase | The period when a platform is still learning how to deliver a new or edited campaign | Please don't edit the ad set while it is in the learning phase. |
| attribution window | How long after a click or view a conversion still counts for the ad | The attribution window differs between the two platforms. |
| view-through conversion | A conversion by someone who saw the ad but did not click it | Most of the reported sales are view-through conversions. |
| incrementality | The extra results caused by ads, beyond what would have happened anyway | We need an incrementality test to prove the lift. |
Objectives and the funnel
| Term | What it means | In a sentence |
|---|---|---|
| awareness | The top of the funnel: people who do not know you yet | Awareness campaigns are measured on reach and CPM. |
| consideration | The middle of the funnel: people comparing options | Consideration ads answer the main objections. |
| conversion campaign | A campaign that optimizes for a sale, a lead or another action | We moved the budget to the conversion campaign. |
| prospecting | Ads for new people who have not interacted with the brand | Prospecting brings in new customers, but the CPA is higher. |
| retargeting | Ads for people who already visited your site or app | Retargeting converts well because the audience is warm. |
| remarketing | The same idea as retargeting. Google uses this word, and retargeting is more common elsewhere | We built remarketing lists for cart abandoners. |
| cold audience | People who do not know the brand | Cold audiences need a softer offer. |
| warm audience | People who already engaged with the brand | The warm audience is small, so we cap the frequency. |
| brand campaign | Search ads on your own brand name | The brand campaign has a very low CPA. |
| non-brand campaign | Search ads on generic terms that do not include your brand name | Non-brand is where we win new customers. |
| lead generation | Ads that collect contact details from possible customers | The lead generation campaign uses an instant form. |
| qualified lead | A lead that fits the criteria to become a customer | We optimize for qualified leads, not for every form fill. |
| upper funnel and lower funnel | Early stage (awareness) and late stage (purchase) of the buying path | Lower funnel is efficient, but it depends on upper funnel. |
Optimization language
| Term | What it means | In a sentence |
|---|---|---|
| scale | To raise the budget on what works | We can scale this ad set by about 20 percent (sample number) every few days. |
| throttle | To reduce spend without pausing | Let's throttle the budget until the tracking is fixed. |
| pause | To stop an ad, ad set or campaign for now | I paused the two ads with the weakest CTR. |
| refresh creative | To replace tired ads with new ones | We need to refresh creative every few weeks. |
| consolidate | To merge campaigns or ad sets so they get more data | Let's consolidate the three small ad sets into one. |
| split test | To run two versions against each other to see which wins | We will split test the offer, one change at a time. |
| winner | The version that performs better in a test | The video is the winner, so let's build on it. |
| exclusion | A rule that keeps certain people or placements out of a campaign | We added an exclusion for existing customers. |
| negative keyword | A word that stops your ad from showing on searches that include it | We added 'free' as a negative keyword. |
| search terms report | The list of real searches that triggered your ads | The search terms report shows a lot of irrelevant queries. |
| frequency cap | A limit on how often one person sees your ad | We set a frequency cap for the retargeting audience. |
| dayparting | Showing ads only at certain hours or days | We use dayparting to skip the overnight hours. |
| bid adjustment | A change that raises or lowers your bid for a device, location or audience | We made a negative bid adjustment on tablets. |
| budget reallocation | Moving budget from weaker campaigns to stronger ones | The budget reallocation moved money into non-brand. |
| ramp up | To increase spend gradually | We will ramp up after the first week of data. |
| wind down | To reduce spend gradually at the end of a flight | We will wind down the promo ads on the 30th. |
The media plan and budget conversation
Use [placeholders] for amounts you have not agreed yet. A media plan states the goal, the budget, the split by channel or funnel stage, the flight and the KPIs.
| Speaker | Line |
|---|---|
| Account manager | Let's go over the media plan for next quarter. The total budget is [amount]. |
| Media buyer | Thanks. I'd split it by funnel stage: prospecting, retargeting and brand search. |
| Account manager | What split do you suggest? |
| Media buyer | As a starting point, 60 percent prospecting, 30 percent retargeting, 10 percent brand (sample split). We adjust after the first month. |
| Account manager | What if the client wants to spend more? |
| Media buyer | We can scale, but gradually. Raising the budget too fast can hurt performance. |
| Account manager | And if performance drops? |
| Media buyer | We reallocate to the campaigns with the best CPA and pause the rest. We review every week. |
| Account manager | Which KPI do we commit to? |
| Media buyer | I'd commit to CPA and ROAS as targets, and I'd report MER to show the full picture. |
| Account manager | Is the budget flexible across platforms? |
| Media buyer | Yes, within the plan. I'd like some room to move budget without asking each time. |
Daily standup with an account manager
Keep it short: yesterday, today, blockers. Give the number, the reason and the next step.
| Speaker | Line |
|---|---|
| Account manager | Morning, Sofia. Thanks for joining. Let's start with yesterday. How did spend look? |
| Media buyer | Spend is on pace. We used about 96 percent (sample number) of the daily budget across both platforms. |
| Account manager | Good. And performance? The client asked about CPA this morning. |
| Media buyer | CPA is slightly above target on Meta, but ROAS on Google search is holding. |
| Account manager | What's driving the Meta CPA? |
| Media buyer | Frequency is climbing in the retargeting ad set, so I think it's creative fatigue. |
| Account manager | Makes sense. What's the plan? |
| Media buyer | I'll pause the two oldest ads today and launch the new UGC variations tomorrow. |
| Account manager | Do we have the new assets yet? |
| Media buyer | Not yet. I'm waiting on the final cuts in 9:16. Could you chase the creative team? |
| Account manager | Sure. I'll ask for them by noon ET. Anything else blocking you? |
| Media buyer | One thing. The pixel isn't firing on the new thank-you page, so purchases are under-reported. |
| Account manager | Ok. Who owns the fix? |
| Media buyer | The client's developer. I sent the ticket yesterday. I'll follow up today. |
| Account manager | Please do. Let me know if it isn't fixed by tomorrow, and I'll escalate. |
| Media buyer | Will do. Meanwhile, I'd like to shift a little budget from prospecting to non-brand search. |
| Account manager | How much, and why? |
| Media buyer | About 10 percent (sample number). Non-brand is limited by budget, and impression share is low. |
| Account manager | Ok, go ahead, but keep an eye on CPA. Can you send a quick recap in the channel? |
| Media buyer | Yes. I'll post it by end of day with the numbers and the next steps. |
Client call about underperforming ads
Name what you see, give a likely cause, propose a plan and agree on owners and dates. Do not promise a result you cannot control.
| Speaker | Line |
|---|---|
| Client | Hi, Sofia. Honestly, I'm worried. The ads aren't performing like last month. |
| Media buyer | Thanks for raising it. Let me share what I see. Sales are down, and CPA is higher than target. |
| Client | Is it something you changed? |
| Media buyer | No major changes on our side. Two things stand out: creative fatigue and a drop in landing page conversion. |
| Client | What does that mean in plain words? |
| Media buyer | People have seen the same ads many times, and fewer visitors are buying once they land on the page. |
| Client | Can you fix that quickly? |
| Media buyer | I can start today. First, we refresh the creative with new hooks and a UGC video. |
| Client | And the landing page? |
| Media buyer | That needs your team. Page speed on mobile is slow, and the checkout has one extra step. |
| Client | Ok. What results should I expect? |
| Media buyer | I can't promise a number, but I expect CTR to recover first. CPA should follow within about two weeks. |
| Client | Two weeks is a long time. Should we cut the budget? |
| Media buyer | I'd rather not cut it all. I suggest we throttle the weakest campaigns and keep the ones that still work. |
| Client | Ok. What do you need from me? |
| Media buyer | Approval for the new creative and a decision on the checkout by Thursday. |
| Client | Fine. Send me a short summary. |
| Media buyer | Of course. I'll send a written recap today with the plan, the owners and the dates. |
Troubleshooting: what to say
When something breaks, say what happened, the impact, what you are doing and when you will update.
| Say | When | Full sentence |
|---|---|---|
| Tracking broke. | Say this when conversions stopped being recorded or numbers look wrong | Tracking broke on Tuesday. I'm checking the tags now and will update you by 3 pm ET. |
| The pixel isn't firing. | The tag on the site is not sending events to the platform | The pixel isn't firing on the thank-you page. I'll ask the developer to check. |
| a discrepancy between platforms | The numbers differ between the ad platform and analytics or the store | There's a discrepancy between Meta and the store. It's likely an attribution difference. |
| The ad was disapproved. | The platform rejected an ad for a policy reason | Two ads were disapproved. I'm editing them and will request a review. |
| request a review | Ask the platform to check a rejected ad again | I requested a review, and we're waiting for the result. |
| limited delivery | Ads are running, but the platform is not spending the full budget | The ad set has limited delivery, so I'm widening the audience. |
| The account was suspended. | The platform blocked the account, often for a policy or payment reason | The account was suspended this morning. I've filed an appeal and I'll keep you posted. |
| file an appeal | Formally ask the platform to reverse a decision | We filed an appeal, but we don't have an answer yet. |
| billing issue | A problem with the payment method or the invoice on the ad account | There's a billing issue. The card was declined, so the ads paused. |
| The payment failed. | The platform could not charge the payment method | The payment failed. Could you update the card by end of day? |
| a spending limit | A cap on how much an account can spend | We hit the account spending limit, so delivery stopped. |
| The site is down. | The landing page or the store is not loading | The site is down. I paused the ads so we don't waste spend. |
Creative brief terms for ads
| Term | What it means | In a sentence |
|---|---|---|
| hook | The first seconds of a video, built to stop the scroll | The hook is a question in the first two seconds. |
| thumbnail | The still image shown before a video plays | The thumbnail needs a clearer face and less text. |
| UGC ad | An ad in the style of user-generated content, often made by a creator | The UGC ad beat the studio video. |
| creator | A person who makes content and is paid to make or post ads | We need three creators for the launch. |
| static ad | A single image ad | Static ads are cheap to test. |
| carousel | An ad with several cards that people swipe through | The carousel shows one product per card. |
| 9:16 | Vertical video ratio for stories, reels and TikTok, said 'nine by sixteen' | Please deliver every video in 9:16. |
| 1:1 and 4:5 | Square and portrait image ratios, common for feed ads | We need the static in 1:1 and 4:5. |
| safe zone | The area of a vertical video not covered by buttons or captions | Keep the text inside the safe zone. |
| primary text | The main caption above or below an ad on Meta | The primary text is too long for mobile. |
| headline | The bold line of an ad | Let's test two headlines. |
| call to action (CTA) | The button or line that tells people what to do next | The CTA button says Shop Now. |
| creative brief | A short document that tells the team what ads to make and why | The creative brief includes the angle, the audience and the formats. |
| angle | The main reason or idea an ad uses to persuade | This angle focuses on saving time. |
| variation | A version of an ad with one element changed | Please make three variations of the hook. |
| disclaimer | Small legal or clarifying text shown in an ad | The disclaimer has to stay on screen. |
Weak wording vs strong wording
| Weak | Strong |
|---|---|
| The ads are bad. | The ads are underperforming. CTR is below our baseline. |
| I raised the budget a lot. | I scaled the budget by 20 percent (sample number) to stay in the learning phase. |
| The sales are down because of the ads. | Sales are down. I'm checking whether it's the ads, the site or the tracking. |
| We spent all the money. | We fully spent the daily budget. Pacing is on track. |
| I don't know why it dropped. | I don't have the cause yet. I'm checking the tracking and the creative, and I'll update you by 3 pm ET. |
| The pixel is broken. | The pixel isn't firing on the thank-you page. I've asked the developer to fix it. |
| The client didn't send the creative. | We're waiting on the creative. Could you share it by Wednesday? |
| Facebook says my ad is not approved. | Meta disapproved the ad. I'm editing it and requesting a review. |
| The campaign is not working. | The campaign isn't hitting its target CPA. Here is what I suggest we test. |
| We will improve the results. | I expect CTR to improve first. I'll report on it every week. |
| The budget ended. | The budget ran out early. We'll adjust the pacing. |
| We need more money. | We can scale this campaign further if we raise the budget. |
Spanish speaker traps in paid media
These words look familiar and shift meaning in a report or on a call.
| Word | Sounds like | It really means |
|---|---|---|
| campaign | campaña | A planned set of ads with one goal. Spelled with g, not campaña |
| audience | audiencia | the group of people you target. An audience is not a hearing |
| target | objetivo | a number to hit or a group you aim at. Use target CPA or target audience |
| conversion | conversión | in ads, a completed action such as a purchase or a sign-up |
| impression | impresión | one time an ad is shown. It is not a print or an opinion here |
| media | media (a word) | channels for ads. Paid media means ads you pay for |
| spend | gasto (noun) | money spent on ads. Ad spend is the noun. To spend is the verb |
| ad | ad (a word) | short for advertisement. It is a noun, and you say an ad, not an add |
| prospect | prospecto (a leaflet) | a possible customer. In ads, prospecting means reaching new people |
| engagement | compromiso | interactions with an ad or post, like likes, comments and shares |
| budget | presupuesto | the amount you plan to spend. It is a noun: the budget is [amount] |
| scale | escala (a scale) | as a verb, to grow what works. Say we can scale this campaign |
Pronunciation notes
| Term | Say it like | Tip |
|---|---|---|
| ROAS | ro-as | Most people say it as a word. Say 'return on ad spend' if unsure |
| CPM | see-pee-em | Letters. Stress the last one |
| CTR | see-tee-ar | Letters. Say click-through rate in full if needed |
| CVR | see-vee-ar | Letters. Or say conversion rate |
| CAC | kak | Often said as a word, rhymes with 'back'. Letters are fine too |
| LTV | el-tee-vee | Letters. Or say lifetime value |
| MER | em-ee-ar | Letters. Or say marketing efficiency ratio |
| 9:16 | nine by sixteen | Do not say 'nueve dieciséis' |
| DSP | dee-es-pee | Letters |
| programmatic | pro-gra-MAT-ik | Stress the third syllable |
| Quality Score | KWOL-i-tee skor | Not 'cuality' |
| retargeting | ree-TAR-get-ing | Stress the second syllable |
| impression | im-PRESH-un | The 'ss' sounds like 'sh' |
| campaign | kam-PAYN | The g is silent |
Questions
- What is the difference between CPC and CPM?
- CPC is what you pay per click. CPM is what you pay for 1,000 impressions, whether or not anyone clicks.
- What is the difference between ROAS and MER?
- ROAS is revenue from ads divided by ad spend, as a platform reports it. MER is total revenue divided by total marketing spend, so it shows the whole business.
- What is the difference between CAC and CPA?
- CPA is the cost of one conversion, such as a lead or a sale. CAC is the total cost to win one new customer.
- What is the learning phase?
- A period after you launch or change a campaign when the platform is still learning how to deliver. Big edits can restart it, so change things carefully.
- What is the difference between retargeting and remarketing?
- They mean almost the same: ads for people who already visited your site or app. Google says remarketing, and retargeting is more common elsewhere.
- What is a brand vs non-brand campaign?
- Brand campaigns bid on your own name. Non-brand campaigns bid on generic terms to reach people who do not know you yet.
- What does 'scale' mean in paid media?
- To raise the budget on what already works, usually gradually, to get more results.
- What is frequency and why does it matter?
- The average number of times one person saw your ad. When it climbs too high, results often drop because of ad fatigue.
- What is a negative keyword?
- A word you exclude so your ad does not appear on searches that include it. It cuts wasted spend.
- How do I say 9:16?
- Say 'nine by sixteen'. It is the vertical ratio for stories, reels and TikTok.
- What do I say when the pixel is not firing?
- Say what is wrong, the impact and the next step: 'The pixel isn't firing on the thank-you page. Purchases are under-reported. I've asked the developer to check and I'll update you by 3 pm ET.'
- What do I say when an ad is disapproved?
- Say what happened and what you are doing: 'Meta disapproved two ads. I'm editing them and requesting a review.'
- How do I report a drop in results without sounding alarmed?
- State the number, the comparison, the likely cause and the plan: 'CPA is up 15 percent (sample number) week over week. I think it's creative fatigue. I'm launching new variations tomorrow.'
- Should I say ad spend or spending?
- Say ad spend for the money invested in ads. Say spending only as a general word, as in 'we are spending too much'.
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