Creating ads

In campaign setup you see a small preview set first (a few images and a short video for your primary buyer type), give feedback if you want, and continue without waiting for everything to finish. Launch starts on image ads; the rest of the set, including TV spots, builds in the background. If your account reviews new ads first, you approve them before they run; otherwise they go live automatically. Creatives ready does not by itself mean your ads are already on streaming; delivery still follows your budget and inventory rules. You can also choose Create everything now to generate the full set up front for a quoted price. Extra generation in the business Ad Library (variations, new batches) is metered from your wallet. Chat copy edits stay included; billed image or video regenerations use the published creation prices.

Prefer finished creatives you already have? In the campaign Ads step you can choose Upload your ads instead of the preview pack. Drop in video (up to 250MB) or image files; we check each one against the formats each channel needs. Matches serve as you uploaded them. Missing formats can be filled from your upload (quoted before anything is charged). Filling starts generation; those ads are not finished on the click, and launch waits until picture and video formats are ready. Google Search ads are headlines and descriptions drafted on this step; they are not picture ads and do not fill mobile, TV, or follow. Uploads that already fit are free to attach. After launch, Freeze creatives keeps Autopilot from minting or replacing ads while budget and persona targeting still run. You can unfreeze anytime if performance softens.

After an ad renders, Waverunner runs a Viewer check: it reviews the creative as that persona, using their Mindset (how they think and what they care about). You see a simple score and a first-person reaction on the ad; open the check for a score breakdown and suggested fixes when something needs a tweak. When an ad falls short, the platform can clean it up automatically within fair limits (you'll see "Applying suggested fixes…" while that runs). Quality checks can also escalate leftovers as Needs your attention.

On the ad preview, use Fix all issues to apply every remaining quality finding and Viewer suggestion in place (no editor hop). Use Fix this for one Viewer suggestion, or Edit with AI for a freeform change. Chat copy edits stay included. Billed image or video regenerations use the published creation prices.

Static ads are generated from your business profile and each persona, then quality-checked automatically before they reach your gallery. Every ad is produced in the aspect ratios each platform needs (square and portrait for Meta feeds and reels, landscape for display), so one creative covers every placement.

Two video formats are generated per persona:

• TV spot: a broadcast-ready H.264 commercial that runs on streaming TV inventory.
• Vertical short-form: a 9:16 social video built for feeds and reels.

Every generation run can be steered, or left on autopilot. The "Generate ads" dialog takes:

• Creative brief: free-text instructions for the ad writer and art director ("Emphasize same-day service. Playful tone. Real people, not stock-photo vibes."). The brief applies to every ad in the run.
• Story structure, visual style, and angle: pin any of these and every ad in the run uses it. Left on Auto, each run deliberately spreads across different structures, styles, and angles and learns from delivery which ones work for each persona, favoring winners in later runs.

On any ad, generate variations spawns siblings that change exactly one thing (a new visual style, a new angle, or a new hook), which is the fastest way to iterate on something that is already working. Each ad also shows why it looks the way it does: the structure, style, and angle it was built from, plus the Viewer check when one exists.

Every creative has a chat editor. Tell it what to change in plain language. Before launch, the creative updates directly. On a live campaign, unlock Autopilot, give a reason, and a refresh creates a new serving version (the previous one stays under Previously served with the media that actually ran):

• "Make the headline about free shipping."
• "Use a photo with people in it."
• "Try a more premium, minimal style."

Media history on an ad keeps earlier images and videos so you can restore one for free (no creation charge). Restoring on a live campaign creates a new serving version. Serving history (version numbers on Previously served) is separate from that media timeline. Edits regenerate the affected variants; Autopilot also creates challengers when ads fatigue and pauses underperformers. Choosing Don't serve records a reason and stops live campaigns from serving that ad (allowing it again does not auto-resume). Old ads are never deleted after they have served.

For businesses, campaign ads are included with the campaign: the preview and the post-launch set do not charge your wallet. Chat copy edits stay included. New ads and billed image or video regenerations use the published creation prices. Agency license customers get landing pages and chat edits included in the license. If you choose Create everything now, or generate extras in the Ad Library, units are priced up front: image ads $0.38, social video $6, TV spots $12, paid from your wallet. Direct business signups start with $60 of starter credit in the wallet for media and extra ads. Agency workspaces skip that credit and pay published unit prices for generations, including the first sample. You always see the exact price before a paid batch starts, and failed paid renders refund their units automatically.

For product catalogs, Catalog Video generates per-SKU videos from one approved look (separate from persona Launch packs). It is metered with its own unit prices and fair-use caps.

Per-organization daily caps apply in every billing mode:

• 20 generation runs per day.
• 100 chat messages per day across assistants and editors.
• 2000 Catalog Video units per day (with Catalog Video).

Caps reset daily.

Ads ready? Launch a campaign. Selling products? Catalog Video.