All guides, by feature
Create a media plan
Start a new plan, fill in the overview, add a line for each placement, and save.
Before you start
- Who can do this
- Agency Owner, Admin, Manager or Specialist
- You need
- The client the plan is for, already added in Clients.
- Where in Orbit
- Sidebar › Workspace › Media plans
Steps
Tick a step’s number when it’s done. We’ll remember where you were.
In the sidebar, open Media plans and choose New Plan.
On Plan Overview, choose the Client, enter a Campaign Name and the dates, and check the , then press Next.
On , fill in the first line, then press Add Line for each one after it. Every line needs a Media Type and a Channel.
Add creative specs, pixels and UTMs if you need them, then press Save Media Plan.
When it worked
Orbit confirms “Media plan saved”.
If something goes wrong
Orbit showsRequired fields missing: Media Type and Channel are required for each line
On Plan Details, choose a Media Type and Channel for every line. If you chose Other, type a value in Specify….
Orbit showsRequired fields missing: Each shared budget needs a name, an amount, and at least one line
Give each shared budget a name and an amount above zero, and pick it on at least one line. Or remove it.
Orbit showsFailed to save media plan
Check your connection and press Save Media Plan again. Your unsaved plan is still kept in this browser.
You left the page before saving.
Orbit keeps one unsaved new plan in this browser only. Press Continue Editing on the Local Draft banner on Media plans, or Restore Draft on the New Plan page.
Creative specs changed after you picked a channel.
Changing a line’s Channel fills in that channel’s default ad format, sizes and specs. Edit them on the Creative Specs tab after choosing the channel.
How it works
Explainer: Plan and line fields: what’s required
A plan needs a Client, a Campaign Name, a Status and at least one line. Each line needs a Media Type and a Channel. Everything else is optional.
The Plan Details grid has one row per line, with these columns: Line Name, Media Type, Channel, Funnel Stage, Campaign Objective, KPI Metric, KPI Goal, Audience, Tactic, Geo, Flight Start, Flight End, Budget ($), CPM ($) and Impressions.
Ad formats and sizes, creative specs, pixel strategy, metadata and UTMs are on the Creative Specs, Pixel Strategy and UTMs tabs, with one card per line.
| Field | Required | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Client | Yes | Carries through to the campaign and to The Trade Desk routing. |
| Campaign Name | Yes | The plan’s title. |
| Status | Yes | Starts as Draft. |
| Start Date, End Date | No | A duplicated plan starts with these empty. |
| MSA ID, Invoice ID | No | Your own references. |
| Notes | No | Shown on the plan’s page. |
| Media Type and Channel, on each line | Yes | Choose Other to type your own. |
| Every other line field | No | Such as Budget ($), CPM ($), Audience and Geo. |
- Media Type options: Programmatic, Social, Search and Other. Channel options: Display, Video, Social, CTV, Audio, OOH, Search, Native and Other. Other opens a Specify… box.
- Funnel Stage: Awareness, Consideration, Conversion or Retention. KPI Metric: CTR, CPA, CPL, ROAS, CPM or CPC.
- Changing a line’s Channel replaces its Ad Format, Ad Sizes and Creative Specs with that channel’s defaults. Display, for example, fills in 300x250, 728x90, 160x600, 300x600, 320x50 and 320x480.
- Each plan gets a number such as MP-2026-014, counted per agency and year. You can’t change it.
- Press Enter to move to the next field. Duplicate line puts a copy right below a line, and Remove line deletes one. The last line can’t be removed, and lines can’t be reordered.
Explainer: Media plan statuses
A plan’s status says where it is in its life. You pick Draft, Planning, Pending Approval, Live, Completed or Paused yourself. Approved and Changes Requested are set only by an approval.
| Status | How it’s set | What it changes |
|---|---|---|
| Draft | The default for new, duplicated and imported plans. | The only status where Delete shows on a plan that isn’t archived. |
| Planning | You pick it. | Nothing else. |
| Pending Approval | You pick it. | Counts in Pending Approval on the Media plans page, and raises a pending-approval alert on the Dashboard. |
| Approved | Approve Plan, or a client approving it in their portal. | Creates the plan’s campaign in Command Center. The button reads Plan Approved. |
| Changes Requested | A client presses Request Changes in their portal. | Approve Plan is still available. |
| Live | You pick it. | Counts in Live Now and shows in the Dashboard’s Active campaigns. Plan Launched replaces Approve Plan. |
| Paused | You pick it. | Plan Launched replaces Approve Plan. |
| Completed | You pick it. | Plan Launched replaces Approve Plan. |
- Pick a status under Status on the Plan Overview tab.
- Approved and Changes Requested aren’t in the Status list, so you can’t choose them yourself.
- Approve a plan before you set it to Live, Paused or Completed. Only approving creates its campaign, and those three statuses hide Approve Plan.
- Restoring an earlier version brings back that version’s status too.
Explainer: Shared budgets and how plan figures are worked out
A shared budget is one amount that funds several lines without splitting it between them. A plan’s total budget adds each line’s own budget to each shared budget, counted once.
Use a shared budget when a plan gives one figure for several placements with no split, such as “Meta — all tactics”. Add it on Plan Details with Add shared budget, then switch each line it funds from Own budget to the shared budget. Those lines show “Funded by” and its name, and have no budget of their own.
| Figure | How it’s worked out |
|---|---|
| Total budget | Each line’s own budget, plus each shared budget once. |
| Forecast imps. | Every line’s impressions added up. |
| Forecast CPM | Total budget ÷ forecast impressions × 1,000. |
| Flight | The number of days from the plan’s start date to its end date. |
| A line’s Impressions | Budget ÷ CPM × 1,000, until you type your own number. |
| Total Budget on the Media plans page | The budgets of all active plans added up. |
- A shared budget must be more than zero and fund at least one line.
- A line on a shared budget can’t have its own budget too. Picking the shared budget clears it.
- A shared budget can’t be split between its lines. To split an amount, give each line its own budget.
- Lines on a shared budget don’t work out impressions from budget and CPM. Type them in.
- Removing a shared budget puts its lines back on their own budgets, which start empty.