Creative Refresh Handoffs

Creative Refresh Handoffs: Who Does What and When

Overview

The Creative Refresh process involves four parties:

1. Account Manager (AM)

2. Social Ad Specialist (SAS)

3. Creative Team (Copywriter and Graphic Designer)

4. Client

Work moves between them through a series of defined handoffs, each triggered by a specific action or date. This article summarizes each handoff so every team member knows what they are receiving, what they are responsible for, and what they need to do to pass work forward.

The central tool for most handoffs is the Creative Refresh Status field on the Creative Portfolio. Moving this field forward typically signals that your part is done and the next party can take over.

Handoff 1: Automation to AM — Kickoff

Trigger: Creative Refresh Date is 15 or fewer days away.

• The AM receives a task on the Creative Portfolio and an email notification prompting them to reach out to the client.

• The AM contacts the client, confirms whether they want a refresh, and collects any new assets or direction.

• If new requirements are provided, the AM logs them as a Note on the Creative Portfolio. This Note becomes the SAS's source of truth for the upcoming submission.

Handoff 2a: AM to System — No Refresh Path

Trigger: Client declines the refresh.

• The AM moves Creative Refresh Status to "No Refresh Requested." This terminates the current cycle, bypasses all downstream workflows, and automatically reschedules the next refresh date based on the configured cadence.

• No action is required from the SAS or Creative Team.

Handoff 2b: AM to SAS — Refresh Confirmed

Trigger: Client confirms they want a refresh and the AM has documented their requirements.

• The AM moves Creative Refresh Status to "Refresh Request Submitted." This is a notation only and does not send the SAS a task or notification.

• The actual handoff is the Note the AM logged on the Creative Portfolio. The SAS will be formally cued in Handoff 3.

Handoff 3: Automation to SAS — Refresh Date Arrives

Trigger: Creative Refresh Date equals today.

• The SAS receives a task and an email notification to create deliverable tickets.

• The SAS opens the Creative Portfolio, reviews the AM's Note, and creates one ticket per deliverable in the Ad Set.

• Once all tickets are created, the SAS marks their task complete and moves Creative Refresh Status to "Deliverables Submitted."

Handoff 4: SAS to Creative Team — Tickets Submitted

Trigger: SAS creates the deliverable tickets.

• The creation of the tickets themselves is the handoff. When tickets are submitted, tasks are automatically assigned to the Copywriter and Graphic Designer.

• The "Deliverables Submitted" status that follows is notation only. The Creative Team knows work exists because new tickets and tasks appear in their queue.

Handoff 5: Creative Team to AM — Ad Set Ready for Client Review

Trigger: All deliverable tickets sharing the same Deliverable Folder Name reach Pending Approval.

• This is the most important handoff in the process. When the full Ad Set is complete, Creative Refresh Status automatically advances to "Creatives Pending Approval".

• The AM receives a task to share the deliverables with the client, and both the AM and SAS receive email notifications.

• The Creative Team's responsibility at this point is to ensure the Most Recent Ad Lab Link on the Creative Portfolio is up to date so the AM has what they need to share with the client.

Handoff 6 (Conditional): AM to Creative Team — Client Revisions

Trigger: Client requests changes on one or more deliverables.

• The AM leaves a Note on the affected ticket(s) documenting the client's feedback, then sets the Needs Revisions field to "Copy Revisions Only," "Graphic Revisions Only," or "Copy and Graphic Revisions."

• This automatically kicks the ticket back to In Progress, resets the relevant approval fields, and creates new tasks for the Copywriter and/or Designer.

• The Creative Team makes the changes and moves their approval field directly to "Approved," skipping Team Lead QA.

• The revision loop repeats until the client signs off.

Handoff 7: AM to SAS — Client Approves

Trigger: Client gives final approval with no further revisions.

• The AM moves Creative Refresh Status to "Creatives Completed & Approved."

• This sends the SAS an email notification and creates an "Implement New Creatives for Refresh" task.

• The SAS pulls the approved assets from the deliverable tickets or Ad Lab and implements them in Meta.

Handoff 8: SAS to System — Cycle Close

Trigger: SAS completes implementation.

• The SAS either marks the implementation task complete (which automatically advances the status) or manually moves Creative Refresh Status to "Creatives Implemented."

  • Either path works, but the status must reach "Creatives Implemented" or the cycle will not reset.

• Once it does, the system recalculates the next Creative Refresh Date, clears the status field, and notifies the AM.

Handoff 9: System to AM — Confirmation

Trigger: Creative Refresh Status reaches "Creatives Implemented."

• The AM receives an email notification confirming the new creatives are live.

• The AM's only required action left is to reach out to the client and confirm the new ads are running. No status change is required.

Quick Reference