How to build a client-ready media plan with AI

Where to run this

This is an installable AI Skill (Claude Skill format) that assembles the outputs of the other three planning skills, Audience Strategy, Channel Strategy Justification, Reach Investment Planner, into one downloadable Excel workbook.

Upload first

• ☐Campaign name, market, currency, objective, flight dates, total approved budget
• ☐Approved audience strategy (from the Audience Strategy skill or a planner-approved file)
• ☐Approved channel strategy (from the Channel Strategy Justification skill or a planner-approved file)
• ☐Reach and investment evidence (from the Reach Investment Planner or a planner-approved file), where reach supports an allocation
• ☐Channel-level budgets or evidence to support a draft allocation, reconciling to the total
• ☐Sourced media metrics per plan line (CPM/CPC/CPV/CPL/CPA etc.) with source and confidence
• ☐Explicit human approval status, if the workbook is meant to go to a client

Steps

1. 01

   Read this before you start

   Do this

   A client-ready Excel media plan is only generated when every required strategy, budget, forecast, metric and approval input is complete. If information is missing, the skill will not fill the gaps with invented assumptions, it returns a Draft status with the missing inputs and planner decisions required, nothing else. If the data is complete but human approval is pending, the workbook is labelled Ready for Planner Review, Do not submit to client. It only becomes Client Ready, Approved for client submission once an authorised human planner explicitly provides that approval. The skill can build the workbook. It can never approve it.

2. 02

   What this skill does, and what it deliberately doesn't do

   Do this

   It's an assembler, not a strategist. It combines audience strategy, channel strategy, reach investment findings, channel budgets, platform/publisher/partner forecasts, and planner decisions into one consistent, downloadable Excel workbook. It does not rebuild the audience strategy, the channel strategy, or the reach strategy, and it never invents a missing CPM, CPC, CPV, CPL, CPA, reach, frequency, impression, click, view, lead, conversion, revenue or ROAS figure. Every populated metric traces to a real source: a campaign-specific platform/publisher/media-owner forecast, a campaign-specific managed-service partner forecast, an APAC Media Benchmark reference, or an explicit planner-provided assumption, in that order of confidence.

3. 03

   Install the skill in your AI platform

   Do this

   Save as .claude/skills/media-planning-architect/SKILL.md if on Claude Code, invoke with /media-planning-architect, or add to a Project's knowledge on any platform. The full installable content is in the block below.

4. 3a

   The full skill content to install

   ---
   name: media-planning-architect
   description: >
     Assembles audience, channel, budget, reach and sourced media-metric inputs into a
     standardised media plan. When all required inputs are complete and validated, creates
     a downloadable Excel workbook for planner review and client submission. When inputs
     are incomplete, does not create a client-ready workbook and instead returns only the
     missing inputs and planner decisions required. Never invents forecasts or media metrics.
   ---
   
   PURPOSE: convert approved planning inputs into a consistent media plan and, only when required information is complete, generate a downloadable .xlsx workbook. This skill is an assembler, it does not replace audience strategy, channel strategy, reach planning or human judgement.
   
   UPSTREAM INPUTS: use completed outputs from Audience Strategy and Activation Architect, Channel Strategy Justification, and Reach Investment Planner, or the user's own approved files covering the same decisions.
   
   CORE WORKFLOW: audience strategy + channel strategy + reach investment findings + sourced media metrics + planner decisions, then validation, then Excel media plan, then human approval, then client-ready status.
   
   REQUIRED INPUTS: Campaign (name, market, currency, objective, flight dates, total working/approved budget). Strategy (approved audiences, approved channels/formats, role of each channel, audience assigned to each channel/plan line, primary KPI per channel). Investment (channel-level budget or sufficient evidence for a draft allocation, allocation evidence for every channel, Reach Investment Planner findings where relevant including audience universe, reach percentage, frequency threshold, budget point, Efficient Growth Zone and diminishing-return finding). Media metrics (per plan line, the relevant buying metric and source, e.g. CPM/CPC/CPV/CPL/CPA, CTR/view rate/conversion rate when needed for a dependent calculation, reach and frequency only when supplied by an appropriate source). Approval (planner has reviewed channels/audiences/budgets/metrics/assumptions/caveats; client-ready approval is explicitly recorded before the workbook is labelled Client Ready).
   
   BUDGET ALLOCATION RULES: use the Reach Investment Planner to inform total investment and reach-led allocation where that output exists, but never claim it alone determines every channel split, combine it with channel roles, audience requirements, minimum viable investments, testing needs and planner input. Every suggested allocation needs specific evidence. Weak rationale: 'Primary scale driver.' Acceptable rationale: 'Selected as the primary scale driver because the supplied Reach Investment Planner forecast estimates X% reach against the stated audience at R2+ at this investment level, within the identified Efficient Growth Zone,' where X% is a real sourced number, never a placeholder, if the number isn't available, mark the evidence as missing instead. Where no quantified reach evidence exists, state the actual strategic evidence supplied and label the allocation for planner validation. Human planners may override any channel, audience or allocation, record the override and rationale. Channel budgets must reconcile to the approved total.
   
   MEDIA-METRIC GOVERNANCE: never invent CPM, CPC, CPV, CTR, CPL, CPA, reach, frequency, impressions, clicks, views, leads, conversions, revenue or ROAS. Source hierarchy: (1) campaign-specific platform/publisher/media-owner forecast, (2) campaign-specific managed-service partner forecast, (3) APAC Media Benchmark website reference supplied by the user, (4) explicit planner-provided assumption. For every populated rate or forecast, retain: source name, source date where supplied, market, channel and format, objective, metric definition, confidence. Confidence labels: HIGH (relevant campaign-specific platform/publisher/media-owner forecast), MEDIUM (relevant campaign-specific partner forecast), REFERENCE (APAC Media Benchmark or explicit planner assumption requiring validation). Never silently choose a midpoint from a benchmark range, retain the range or use a planner-approved planning point.
   
   PERMITTED CALCULATIONS, only when every required sourced input exists: Impressions = Budget / CPM x 1,000. Clicks = Impressions x CTR. Video views = Budget / CPV. Leads = Budget / CPL. Conversions = Budget / CPA. CPC = Budget / Clicks. CTR = Clicks / Impressions. CPL = Budget / Leads. CPA = Budget / Conversions. CPM = Budget / Impressions x 1,000. Budget percentage = Channel budget / Total media budget. Rules: use consistent currency and units; never calculate reach from impressions without a sourced reach/frequency model; never calculate conversions from clicks without a sourced conversion rate; never derive CPL or CPA from generic funnel assumptions; never add platform reach figures unless the supplied source explicitly provides valid deduplication; preserve source forecast ranges where provided; flag material reconciliation errors.
   
   COMPLETENESS GATE, check before creating any workbook: campaign details complete; audiences approved; channels/formats/roles approved or clearly marked for planner review; total budget supplied; channel budgets supplied or a draft allocation supported by evidence; channel budgets reconcile to the total; every allocation has evidence; reach evidence quotes the correct audience/percentage/frequency threshold; every populated media metric has an approved source; all dependent calculations have the inputs they require; forecast definitions and currencies are consistent; missing values are resolved or explicitly accepted by the planner; human review status is recorded.
   
   IF THE GATE FAILS: do not create or label a client-ready workbook. Return only: Status: Draft - Not ready for client submission; missing required inputs; calculation/reconciliation issues; planner decisions required. Keep it concise, never compensate for missing inputs by inventing assumptions.
   
   IF THE GATE PASSES BUT FINAL APPROVAL IS ABSENT: create the workbook only if all data needed for it is complete. Label it 'Ready for Planner Review - Do not submit to client.'
   
   IF THE GATE PASSES AND APPROVAL IS EXPLICIT: create the downloadable .xlsx and label it 'Client Ready - Approved for client submission.' The AI must never grant this approval itself, only apply the label when a human has explicitly given it.
   
   EXCEL WORKBOOK, three worksheets only. Worksheet 1, Media Plan (client-facing): Market, Campaign, Channel, Subchannel/format, Audience, Channel role, Flight start/end, Budget, Budget percentage, Allocation evidence, Reach and frequency evidence, Buying metric, Rate/benchmark, Projected impressions/clicks/views/leads/conversions, Sourced reach, Sourced frequency, Primary KPI, Secondary KPI, Metric source, Confidence, Planner status, Notes, only relevant columns, never padded with zeros to look complete. Worksheet 2, Assumptions & Sources: audience source, channel-strategy source, reach-planning source, metric source by plan line, source dates, forecast/benchmark definitions, market and objective match, confidence, material assumptions, caveats. Worksheet 3, Validation: workbook status, budget reconciliation, formula checks, missing fields, planner overrides and rationale, reach and deduplication checks, human reviewer, approval status, approval date if supplied, client-ready status.
   
   EXCEL QUALITY: clear headers, consistent number/currency/percentage formatting, formulas for derived values where practical, frozen headers, filters enabled, no internal drafting commentary on the Media Plan sheet (that belongs in the supporting worksheets), never hide missing data with zeros, preserve blanks where a metric doesn't apply, validate totals and formulas before delivery.
   
   HUMAN AUTHORITY STATEMENT, always preserved: 'Final channel selection, audience assignment, budget allocation, KPI targets, forecast metrics, media-owner commitments and client-submission approval require human planner review and approval.'
   
   OUTPUT DISCIPLINE, do: keep validation messages concise; use the upstream planning outputs or user-supplied files; trace allocations and metrics to sources; generate Excel only when the completeness gate permits it; allow planner overrides and record their rationale. Do not: rebuild the audience, channel or reach strategy; generate long narrative sections; invent rates, forecasts or platform capabilities; label a workbook client-ready without explicit human approval; create an apparently complete plan by replacing missing values with assumptions.

   Scroll inside the block to read it all — “Copy prompt” copies the entire text.

5. 04

   Pick the invocation prompt that matches your situation

   Do this

   Nine real scenarios, not padding, each represents a genuinely different situation you might actually be in when you open this.

6. 4a

   Standard build, from the three upstream skills or your own approved files

   /media-planning-architect
   
   Create a standardised media plan from the attached inputs.
   
   Campaign:
   Market:
   Currency:
   Objective:
   Flight dates:
   Working or approved budget:
   Human reviewer:
   Human approval status: [Approved for client submission / Pending]
   Approval date, if approved:
   
   Attached or supplied:
   - Audience Strategy and Activation Architect output or planner-approved audience file
   - Channel Strategy Justification output or planner-approved channel file
   - Reach Investment Planner output or planner-approved investment file
   - Platform, publisher or partner forecasts
   - APAC Media Benchmark website references
   - Planner overrides and rationale, if any
   
   Apply the completeness gate first. Use only supplied and approved inputs. Link every allocation to specific evidence, including sourced reach percentage and frequency threshold where available. Populate only sourced media metrics, calculate dependent metrics only when all required inputs exist.
   
   If all checks pass and approval status is Approved, create one downloadable Excel workbook (Media Plan, Assumptions & Sources, Validation) labelled 'Client Ready - Approved for client submission.' If checks pass but approval is Pending, label it 'Ready for Planner Review - Do not submit to client' instead. If any critical input or approval evidence is missing, do not label anything client-ready, return only the missing inputs, issues and planner decisions required.

7. 4b

   Just check what's missing, before building anything

   /media-planning-architect
   
   Assess whether the attached planning inputs are sufficient to create a client-ready Excel media plan.
   
   Campaign:
   Market:
   Currency:
   Objective:
   Flight dates:
   Budget:
   Human approval status:
   
   Attached materials:
   [Attach available files]
   
   Apply the completeness gate. Do not build a workbook yet.
   
   Return only: current status, missing required inputs, conflicting or unreconciled values, forecast metrics or sources still required, and planner decisions required.
   
   Do not invent or recommend replacement values.

   Do this

   Use this before committing to a full build, especially the first time you're assembling a plan for a new client or market and you're not sure what's actually missing yet.

8. 4c

   You don't have the upstream skills, only your own planning files

   /media-planning-architect
   
   Create a standardised media plan from the attached planner-created files.
   
   Campaign:
   Market:
   Currency:
   Objective:
   Flight dates:
   Budget:
   Human approval status:
   
   Attached:
   - Audience file
   - Channel recommendation
   - Budget and reach rationale
   - Forecasts or proposals
   - APAC Media Benchmark references
   - Planner overrides and rationale
   
   Extract only supported inputs. Do not rebuild the upstream strategy. Trace every allocation and metric to its source. Apply the completeness gate. If information is missing, return Draft status rather than filling gaps. If complete, generate the Excel workbook with the correct approval label.

9. 4d

   The total budget is fixed, allocate within it

   /media-planning-architect
   
   Create a draft media plan using the fixed total budget and attached planning evidence.
   
   Campaign:
   Market:
   Currency:
   Objective:
   Flight dates:
   Fixed total budget:
   Human approval status:
   
   Use the supplied audience, channel and Reach Investment Planner outputs to recommend a draft channel allocation. Cite specific allocation evidence. Where available, include the forecast reach percentage at the stated frequency threshold and whether the budget sits in the Efficient Growth Zone.
   
   Ensure channel budgets reconcile to the fixed total. Flag if the budget is below the Minimum Viable Investment or outside the tested reach curve. Populate only sourced media metrics. Apply the completeness gate and assign the correct output status.

10. 4e

    Refresh or validate the media metrics in an existing plan

    /media-planning-architect
    
    Populate and validate media metrics in the attached plan using only the supplied sources.
    
    Market:
    Currency:
    Objective:
    Flight dates:
    
    Attached:
    - Current media plan
    - Platform or publisher forecasts
    - Managed-service partner forecasts
    - APAC Media Benchmark website references
    - Planner-provided assumptions
    
    Use the source hierarchy defined in the skill. Show the source and confidence for every populated metric. Calculate dependent values only when all inputs exist. Do not force every metric into every channel, leave unsupported fields blank and identify them as missing. Reconcile formulas and budgets before assigning a status.

11. 4f

    Review an existing Excel media plan someone else built

    /media-planning-architect
    
    Validate the attached Excel media plan against the supplied planning evidence.
    
    Attached:
    - Existing media plan
    - Audience strategy
    - Channel strategy
    - Reach Investment Planner output
    - Forecast and benchmark sources
    
    Check audience and channel alignment, allocation evidence, quoted reach and frequency, budget reconciliation, formula consistency, metric sources, deduplication treatment and approval status.
    
    Return only: current status, critical issues, a corrected workbook if sufficient inputs exist, missing inputs, and planner decisions required.
    
    Do not label the workbook Client Ready without explicit human approval.

12. 4g

    Revise a plan after a human planner's changes

    /media-planning-architect
    
    Revise the attached media plan using the human planner changes below.
    
    Current workbook:
    [Attach]
    
    Planner changes:
    - Channels to add or remove:
    - Revised audiences:
    - Revised total budget:
    - Revised channel allocations:
    - Revised flight dates:
    - Revised rates or forecasts:
    - Source of revised metrics:
    - Planner rationale:
    - Human approval status:
    
    Apply the changes, preserve unaffected inputs, and recalculate only where sufficient sourced inputs exist. Update Allocation Evidence and Validation. Flag any unsupported role, minimum investment or diminishing-return issue supported by the supplied reach output. Generate the revised workbook with the correct status label.

13. 4h

    Managed-service partner plan, mapping their proposal to your strategy

    /media-planning-architect
    
    Assemble and validate a managed-service media plan.
    
    Campaign:
    Market:
    Currency:
    Objective:
    Flight dates:
    Budget:
    Partner:
    Human approval status:
    
    Attached:
    - Audience strategy
    - Channel strategy
    - Reach Investment Planner output
    - Partner proposal and forecast
    - APAC Media Benchmark references used
    
    Map the partner's proposal to the approved audience and channel strategy. Separate media, data, technology and fee components where supplied. Show the source of every metric. Link allocations to reach and role evidence. Do not invent missing partner inputs. Apply the completeness and approval gates before creating or labelling the workbook.

14. 4i

    Fast version, when everything is already attached

    /media-planning-architect
    
    Create a standardised media plan from the attached approved audience, channel, reach, budget and forecast inputs.
    
    Campaign:
    Market:
    Currency:
    Objective:
    Flight:
    Budget:
    Human approval status:
    
    Apply the completeness gate. Populate only sourced metrics, show the source for each value, link allocations to specific reach and channel evidence, and retain planner overrides. If incomplete, return Draft status and missing inputs only. If complete but not approved, create a downloadable Excel workbook labelled Ready for Planner Review. If complete and explicitly approved, create a downloadable Excel workbook labelled Client Ready. Use only the Media Plan, Assumptions & Sources, and Validation worksheets.

15. 05

    Before this goes anywhere near a client

    Do this

    Confirm yourself: channels, audiences, budgets and allocations are actually approved, not just present; rates and forecast metrics have been checked against their real source, not taken on faith; formulas and totals genuinely reconcile; assumptions and caveats have been read and accepted, not skipped; and explicit approval for client submission has actually been given by name, not implied. The skill will never label its own output Client Ready, if you see that label, a human put it there, make sure that human was actually you or someone authorised, not a default the tool defaulted to.