Campaign Builder
6 min read
Step 9 of 9 · Setting up Buzzscribed

Building Your First Campaign

Read time 6 min Level Beginner to Intermediate Prerequisites A Client record exists in Clients & Brands (covered in the previous article)
In a nutshell: Campaigns (the platform calls them Stories) are not created from a button in Campaign Builder. A Story is created when an Engagement -- the commercial agreement -- is set up on Account Management, or when a Story is planned directly in Engagement Hub. From a fresh tenant: add the Client, create an Engagement on Account Management with at least one Story, then open Campaign Builder to find the Story ready to work on.

The four objects you need

Buzzscribed splits the work into four objects. Each one is created in a specific place:

Client
The organisation PR work is for. Created in Clients & Brands (covered in the previous article).
Engagement
The commercial agreement with the Client (dates, fees, scope, line items, e-signature). Lives on Account Management. A retainer is one shape an Engagement takes; a one-off project is another.
Story
The unit of PR work, one media moment. Created out of an Engagement (or planned in Engagement Hub). Appears in Campaign Builder for the team to work on.
Pitch
An outbound email or phone-pitch wave targeting journalists. Created on Email Pitching or Telephone Pitching for a given Story.

The order on a fresh tenant: Client first, then Engagement, then Story, then Pitch.

Step 1: Confirm the Client exists

From the previous article: BUSINESS > Clients & Brands. The Client (and any Sub-Brands) should already be in place. Sample for this walkthrough: an agency working with Globex Industries on the Globex Wellbeing Index 2026.

Step 2: Create the Engagement on Account Management

  1. Open BUSINESS > Account Management.
  2. The AGREEMENTS tab shows a four-lane kanban: Forward Planning, Draft, Pending Signature, Active.
  3. Click New Agreement (top-right) to create the first Engagement manually on a new tenant.
  4. Pick the Client and fill the basic terms: dates, term length, payment terms, service shape (retainer or project).
  5. On the Quote section, add line items (Description, Detail, Unit Cost, Qty, Total). The line items drive the client-facing quote and the formal agreement.
  6. The Engagement starts in Forward Planning. Click Set Up Agreement to move it to Draft and generate the document.

Once an Engagement is set up, the platform creates a Story from it -- the one that appears in Campaign Builder.

For tenants that prefer to plan ahead of the contract, the Engagement Hub page can also create a Story directly via "Go Live - Create Campaign", independent of an Engagement.

Step 3: Sign the agreement

From the agreement modal in Account Management:

  • PDF Quote and PDF SOW produce the early-stage PDFs to send to the Client.
  • PDF Agreement produces the formal contract document.
  • Send for E-Signature opens the e-sign modal; the Client receives an email link to sign in the e-signature portal. The card moves to Pending Signature.
  • Once signed, Upload Signed Copy records the signed agreement. The card moves to Active.

An Active Engagement means the Story behind it is ready to work on. Pipeline Sales Pipeline cards covering this Engagement (if it originated as a prospect) flip to Won automatically once the agreement is signed.

Step 4: Open the Story in Campaign Builder

  1. Open CAMPAIGN > Campaign Builder.
  2. The ACTIVITY tab shows the Stories available to work on. Search for the Story by title or Client name and pick it.
  3. The rest of the tab strip unlocks: BRIEF, SMART, OUTCOMES, STRATEGY, MEDIA RELEASES, TALENT, MEDIA PACK, NEWSWIRE.

From here the Campaign Builder article (Course 2) covers each tab in detail. Brief order: BRIEF first (objectives, key messages, target audience), SMART (the framework check), OUTCOMES (set Delivery KPIs and Business Outcome KPIs), STRATEGY (the pitching strategy), MEDIA RELEASES (write the release in the inline editor, then Approve), TALENT (add spokespeople), MEDIA PACK (assemble the branded PDF), NEWSWIRE (set the public NewsWire post live).

Step 5: Pitch it

With an approved release on the Story:

  • Email Pitching (PITCH menu) walks the six-step wizard for outbound journalist pitches.
  • Telephone Pitching (PITCH menu) handles follow-up calls and tracks outcomes.
  • Bookings & Coverage (TRACK menu) locks in interview slots and records the coverage that lands.
  • Story Performance (TRACK menu) shows the analytics as coverage accrues -- CQI, Success Score, KPI progress.

The Pitch Craft and Email Pitching articles in Course 2 cover the pitch wave in detail.

Frequently asked

Is there a "New Story" button in Campaign Builder?
Stories are created from Account Management (out of an Engagement) or from Engagement Hub. Campaign Builder picks up Stories that already exist.
Can a Story exist without an Engagement?
Yes, via Engagement Hub's "Go Live - Create Campaign" path. Useful for planning ahead of the commercial agreement, or for tenants where Account Management features are not enabled.
What if the Engagement does not have all its details yet?
Forward Planning is the lane for that. The Engagement sits in Forward Planning while details are confirmed; Set Up Agreement moves it to Draft when ready.
How long does the first Campaign take to set up?
From a fresh tenant with the Client in place: about 30-60 minutes to set up the Engagement, draft the agreement and open the Story. The bulk of the work then happens inside Campaign Builder over days or weeks depending on the campaign.
Key takeaways
  • Four objects in order: Client → Engagement → Story → Pitch.
  • Engagements live on Account Management; Stories appear in Campaign Builder once an Engagement is set up.
  • The four-lane kanban on AGREEMENTS: Forward Planning, Draft, Pending Signature, Active.
  • Once Active, the Story is ready for the Campaign Builder workflow.
  • From there, Email Pitching / Telephone Pitching / Bookings & Coverage / Story Performance run the pitch and the measurement.

What to read next

Course 0 ends here. The new tenant is now set up: mode chosen, branded, email-authenticated, team invited, templates ready, contacts imported, first Client created, first Story in flight. From this point the rest of the Learning Centre covers daily usage:

  • Course 1: Getting Started with Buzzscribed -- vocabulary, navigation, user roles.
  • Course 2: Campaign Essentials -- the seven articles covering Campaign Builder, pitch craft, Email Pitching, Phone Pitching, Bookings & Coverage, Reporting and Story Performance.
  • Course 3: Advanced Pitching Techniques -- Barcelona Principles, KPI Scorecard, Story Activity tracking and more.
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