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How to Export Your Ad Data for an Audit (Meta, Google, TikTok)

6 min read

Before Sturnix can audit your ad spend, it needs a performance export from your ad platform. Every platform exports a little differently, so this guide walks through Meta, Google Ads, and TikTok one at a time. Pick yours, pull the file, then run your free audit.

A few rules apply everywhere. Export the raw performance table — not a campaign summary, a creative library, or a billing export. Use at least a 14-day date range (30 days is better), and where the platform offers it, export at the ad level rather than the campaign level so creative-fatigue analysis can run.

Meta

Download an ad-level performance report with daily breakdown for the last 30 days.

Open Meta Ads Manager and follow the steps below.

Steps

  1. Go to Meta Ads Manager.
  2. Click the Ads tab at the top (not Campaigns, not Ad Sets — the Ads tab).
  3. Set the date range to Last 30 days using the date picker in the top right.
  4. Click Columns → Customize columns.
  5. Add these columns (search for each by name): Performance — Impressions, Reach, Frequency, Amount spent, CPM, CPC (cost per link click), CTR (link click-through rate), Link clicks. Conversions — Results, Website purchases, Website purchase conversion value, Purchase ROAS. Video (if running video ads) — Video plays.
  6. Click Apply.
  7. Click the Export button (download icon) → Export table data.
  8. Select CSV format.
  9. Make sure 'Include summary row' is unchecked.
  10. Click Export.

Required columns

These column headers must appear in your file. If any are missing, the audit will fail.

  • Campaign name
  • Campaign ID
  • Ad Set Name
  • Ad Set ID
  • Ad name
  • Ad ID
  • Reporting starts
  • Amount spent
  • Impressions
  • Link clicks

Common mistakes

  • Exporting from the Campaigns tab instead of the Ads tab. You'll get campaign-level data, not ad-level, and creative fatigue analysis won't run.
  • Leaving the summary row on. It causes a parsing error. Uncheck 'Include summary row'.
  • Exporting a formatted Excel file. Use 'Raw data table' if you stay in Excel, or pick CSV.
  • Date range under 14 days. We need at least 14. Thirty is better.

What a good file looks like

Campaign name,Campaign ID,Ad Set Name,Ad Set ID,Ad name,Ad ID,Reporting starts,...
Summer Sale,123456789,Lookalike 1%,987654321,Creative A,111222333,2026-03-01,...

Google Ads

Download a campaign report with daily breakdown for the last 30 days.

Open Google Ads and follow the steps below.

For ad-level data — recommended for richer analysis — click 'Ads & assets' in the left navigation in step 2 instead of 'Campaigns'. The remaining steps are the same.

Steps

  1. Go to Google Ads.
  2. In the left navigation, click Campaigns.
  3. Set the date range to Last 30 days (date picker, top right).
  4. Click the Columns icon → Modify columns.
  5. Select these columns: Performance — Impressions, Clicks, Cost, CTR, Avg. CPC, Avg. CPM. Conversions — Conversions, Conv. value, Cost / conv. If available — Search Impr. share.
  6. Click Apply.
  7. Click the Download button (arrow icon, top right of table).
  8. Select CSV.
  9. Click Download.

Required columns

These column headers must appear in your file. If any are missing, the audit will fail.

  • Campaign
  • Campaign ID
  • Day
  • Impr.
  • Clicks
  • Cost

Common mistakes

  • The file has 2-3 metadata rows at the top before the data. That's normal. Our parser handles it.
  • The last row says 'Total'. Also normal. Handled automatically.
  • Impr. has a period at the end. That's Google's column name. Don't rename it.
  • The date column is called Day, not Date.

What a good file looks like

Google Ads account: My Business
Campaign,Campaign ID,Day,Impr.,Clicks,Cost,...
Brand Search,111,2026-03-01,5000,200,300.00,...

TikTok

Download an ad-level custom report for the last 30 days.

Open TikTok Ads Manager and follow the steps below.

TikTok Ads Manager must be set to English before exporting. If your interface is in another language, change it in Settings → Language first.

Steps

  1. Go to TikTok Ads Manager.
  2. Click Reporting in the top navigation.
  3. Click Custom reports → Create report.
  4. Set Report type to Basic.
  5. Set the date range to Last 30 days.
  6. Under Dimensions, add: Campaign name, Campaign ID, Ad Group name, Ad Group ID, Ad name, Ad ID, Date.
  7. Under Metrics, add: Basic — Cost, Impressions, Reach, Frequency, Clicks (destination), CTR, CPC (destination), CPM. Conversion — Conversions, Conversion rate, Cost per conversion, Complete payment, Complete payment ROAS. Video — Video plays, Video watched at 100%.
  8. Click Run.
  9. Click Export → Download as CSV.

Required columns

These column headers must appear in your file. If any are missing, the audit will fail.

  • Campaign name
  • Campaign ID
  • Ad Group name
  • Ad Group ID
  • Date
  • Cost
  • Impressions
  • Clicks (destination) or Clicks (all)

Common mistakes

  • Interface set to a non-English language. The column headers come through in that language and the file won't parse. Switch to English first.
  • Using the quick export from the Ads table instead of Custom Reports. The column layout may differ.
  • Cost column showing 0 for very recent data. TikTok finalizes attribution a few hours later.

What a good file looks like

Campaign name,Campaign ID,Ad Group name,Ad Group ID,Ad name,Ad ID,Date,Cost,...
Spring Launch,aaa111,Interest 18-34,bbb222,Video Ad 1,ccc333,2026-03-01,200.00,...

Once you have the file

Head back to the uploader and drop it in. Every finding in your report is computed from the raw numbers in this file and re-checked by our validator before it reaches you.

Upload your export and run the audit.