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How AI generates ad copy

When you click Write ad copy on the Choose keywords and budget step of the campaign wizard, the Ad Copy Agent drafts the responsive search ad for your campaign: 15 headlines and 4 descriptions. It writes from your product context with its proof and offers, the keywords in the cluster you picked, the search type you chose, and your landing page. You review and edit every line on the Check your ad step, and you approve each tab of lines before launch. The biggest lever on the result is your product context: how specifically its sections describe your buyers, their problems, and what makes your product different.

The inputs​

The Ad Copy Agent combines six things to write the ad:

  1. Your product name and product context. The seven sections that describe who buys your product, their struggles, the problem it solves, and what makes it unique. Hero Marketer reads them from your product's website before its first campaign, or when you add the product or the account.
  2. Your proof and offers. The two lists of your product context: What proof does your website show? and What offers can visitors get?. Hero Marketer reads them from your home page and your pricing page, and you check them before you save. See Proof and offers in your ads.
  3. The keywords from the cluster you picked. What customers actually search for.
  4. The campaign's search type. Category search, Brand search, or Competitor search, chosen on the Choose what to target step. Each search type uses a different copy playbook (see below).
  5. The seed keyword you entered. This is the search term in the sentence on the Choose what to target step. In a Competitor search campaign, the agent treats the brand name in the search term as a name to keep out of the ad text.
  6. Your landing page. The page that you set on the Choose what to target step. When the search term or the landing page is about one angle of your product, Hero Marketer reads the landing page before it writes the ad. See Ads for one angle of your product.

Your extensions are not inputs. In the campaign wizard, the agent does not write the display path. Hero Marketer sets the display path from your seed keyword. A Competitor search campaign has no display path, because the seed keyword is the competitor's name and the display path is visible ad text. In Hero AI, the Ad Copy Agent writes the display path of a new ad. See Actions Hero AI can take.

The agent also works within Google's structural constraints for a responsive search ad, and within its own style rules:

  • Headlines: up to 30 characters each. The agent makes each headline only as long as its claim needs. Short headlines give Google room to show the third headline.
  • Descriptions: up to 90 characters each (the agent targets 80–90).
  • Sentence case: a capital letter only for the first word, names, and acronyms, for example "Reconciliation software for growing teams".
  • Google's content policies, no excessive caps, no unverifiable claims, no trademark misuse.

What it produces​

The Ad Copy Agent produces one responsive search ad: 15 headlines and 4 descriptions. The headlines come in three groups of five: keyword headlines, benefit headlines, and CTA headlines. On the Headlines tab of the Check your ad step, the groups show as Shown first, Shown second, and Shown third. The copy is written so that:

  • They address the search intent of the cluster's keywords. An ad for "alternative to jira" speaks to switching, not first time discovery.
  • They reflect your product's specific positioning. What is distinctive, what jobs it does, and which customer it is for.
  • They give Google room to test. When you publish, Hero Marketer pins each headline group to one position. Keyword headlines go to position 1, benefit headlines to position 2, and CTA headlines to position 3. For each search, Google picks one headline for each position that it shows, and up to two of the four descriptions. Google does not always show position 3. Google picks the combination that it predicts will perform best for the query, device, and audience.

You do not get several finished ads to choose between. You get one ad with five options for each headline position, plus four descriptions. The pins keep a keyword headline and a benefit headline in every version of the ad that Google shows. The CTA headline shows when Google shows a third headline.

On Search and Performance Max, the ad copy also comes with up to 6 callouts of 25 characters or fewer. Hero Marketer writes them only from your proof and offers. When both lists are empty, there are no callouts. See Add other extensions.

What each group of headlines says​

  • Keyword headlines (Shown first). What the searcher looks for, in the words of the cluster's keywords.
  • Benefit headlines (Shown second). Why the product is worth having.
  • CTA headlines (Shown third). A next step that any visitor can take, or an offer from your offers list. A price keeps its billing basis, for example "billed yearly".

The keywords decide when a proof or an offer goes in a headline. When a keyword asks for something specific, a headline answers it with a fact from your product. A search for pricing gets your starting price. A search for a free plan or a trial gets that offer. A search for reviews, the best tool, or security gets a rating or a certification from your proof list, for example "Rated 4.8/5 on G2". A rating always names the site that gave it. For other searches, the ad copy uses a proof or an offer only when it is the strongest reason for that searcher. No headline group must hold a proof or an offer.

The four descriptions each stand alone, because Google shows up to two of them in any order. One description says how the product does the job: what goes in, what it does, and what comes out.

Lines with a number that no input states​

Before you see the ad copy, Hero Marketer removes each line with a number that none of the inputs states. The inputs are your product context, your proof and offers, the keywords, the search term, and the product name. For example, a headline with a rating that is not in your proof list does not show. If too few lines remain for a complete ad, or if two lines are the same, Hero Marketer shows We couldn't write complete ad copy. Try again. and does not charge credits for that copy.

Why the search type changes the copy​

The same product, the same keywords, and the same product context produce different ad copy depending on the campaign's search type, because the searcher's intent differs. A branded search ("linear pricing") wants confirmation. A competitor search ("jira alternative") wants a credible alternative. A non branded search ("project management for engineers") wants a fitting solution. Copy that is right for one is wrong for the others. There are three search types, each with its own playbook:

  • Brand search. Lead with the brand name and reinforce trust and officialness. The brand name is in every first headline, so the CTA headlines do not repeat it ("See how it works", "Get started today"). The searcher already considers you. The ad's job is to confirm and close, not to introduce.
  • Competitor search. Lead with comparative angles, but never name the competitor in headlines or descriptions. CTAs lean on a lower switching cost ("See how we compare", "Import your old data"). The searcher compares options. The ad's job is to position you as the credible alternative.
  • Category search. Lead with category language and value props. CTAs are next steps that any visitor can take ("Get started today", "See how it works"). The searcher solves a problem. The ad's job is to present you as a fitting solution and earn the click.

The biggest practical difference is in competitor campaigns, covered next.

Competitor campaigns and Google's trademark policy​

For a competitor campaign, Hero Marketer never puts the competitor's name in any headline or description. Google's policy allows a trademark in ad text only if you are the trademark owner, an authorized reseller, or an informational site about the trademarked product. None of that applies to a competitive campaign. Comparative phrases, for example "[Competitor] Alternative" or "Switch from [Competitor]," are common and often pass automated approval. But the trademark owner can file a complaint with Google. When that happens:

  • Google disapproves the ads.
  • The restriction applies on an ongoing basis to any ad on the same domain.
  • You generally cannot appeal without permission from the trademark owner.

The keyword side is different. You can bid on a competitor's brand as a keyword. That is how your ad shows up on those queries in the first place. So the wizard targets the competitor's terms as bid keywords and writes copy that positions you as the alternative without naming the competitor in the visible text. The wizard keeps the competitor's name only in keywords with a buying word, for example pricing, alternative, or vs. See Competitor names in the keywords. A typical competitor ad might include headlines, for example:

  • "Choose Linear instead" (instead of "[Competitor] alternative")
  • "Built for engineering teams" (a differentiator)
  • "See how we compare" (a switching CTA)
  • "Free migration" (an offer, only when your offers list names it)

The competitor's name appears in your bid keywords, where it is allowed, but not in your ad text, where it is not. Your ads still serve on competitor queries. If you have written authorization from a competitor to use their trademark in ad text, you can edit the headlines manually after generation. That is an unusual situation, and it generally does not apply.

Proof and offers in your ads (ratings, free trial, demo)​

The ad copy states a rating, an award, a certification, a customer count, or a result only as your proof list states it, with its figure and its source. The proof list is What proof does your website show?. The ad copy promises an offer only when your offers list (What offers can visitors get?) names it. An offer is a free plan, a free trial, a demo, a call, a discount, or a guarantee. If your offers list is empty, the CTA headlines use a step that any visitor can take, such as "See how it works" or "Get started today".

Hero Marketer fills both lists from your home page and your pricing page when it reads your website. You check them on the Check what we found step. To change them later, open Settings > Products, click the product, and click Edit. Type each proof or offer in the empty row at the end of its list, then click Save changes. In the campaign wizard, the info icon next to Shown third also points to Settings > Products. See Update a product.

Your ads quote the lines word for word, so check that each line is true today. Hero Marketer does not read G2, Capterra, or other review sites, and it does not read a badge that your site shows only as an image. Add those yourself.

Ads for one angle of your product​

An angle is one platform, one audience, one use case, or one problem of your product. Examples are "WordPress sites" and "agencies". Your product context comes from your homepage and your pricing page. So your product context holds the general pitch of your product.

Ad copy from the general pitch alone does not fit an angle well. For example, an SEO tool has a homepage about AI search. Its campaign for "wordpress seo automation" then gets headlines about AI search, with the word "WordPress" added. The problems of WordPress site owners do not show.

When the search term or the landing page is about one angle, Hero Marketer does these steps before it writes the ad:

  1. It reads your landing page. When the landing page is your product website, it searches your website for a page about the angle.
  2. It writes a version of your product context for that angle. The buyer sections describe the buyer of that angle, for example the SEO plugins that WordPress site owners use and the limits of those plugins.
  3. It writes the ad from that version. The benefit headlines and the descriptions speak to the problems of that angle.

Hero Marketer reads only your website and your landing page. In the version for the angle, What makes your solution unique? contains only facts from your pages or your product context. Hero Marketer does not add a feature, an integration, a platform, a customer, or a result. The competitor names in your product context stay out of your ad text, and your proof and offers do not change.

When the search term is about your product in general, Hero Marketer uses your product context as it is. A Brand search campaign and a retargeting campaign always use your product context as it is.

Hero Marketer does not show or save the version for the angle. Your product context in Settings > Products does not change. The step adds about 15 seconds and about 0.1 to 0.15 credits to the ad copy. When there is no angle, the check adds about 0.02 credits.

To get the best ad copy for an angle, set the landing page to your page about that angle on the Choose what to target step. When your website has no page about the angle, the ad uses the facts of your product context that fit the angle.

Why product context quality matters most​

The biggest lever on copy quality is your product context: the seven sections that Hero Marketer builds from your website. Examples are Who benefits most from your product? and What makes your solution unique?. The agent can only write specifically about your product when those sections say specifically what your product does. Edit the sections in Settings > Products. To open Settings, click your profile picture at the bottom of the sidebar, then click Settings.

Hero Marketer builds product context only from your website: the page that you enter and your pricing page. Products have no separate description field. To change the ad copy, edit the product context sections and the proof and offer lists.

Thin product context:

What makes your solution unique? Easy to use and fast.

produces generic copy that could apply to any project management tool, for example "Powerful project management" or "Manage your work better."

Sharp product context:

Who benefits most from your product? Engineers, designers, and product managers at series A through D startups, typically 20 to 200 people.

What are your customers' biggest struggles? Their current tools are slow, cluttered, and full of fields no one fills in.

What problem does your product solve? It helps software teams ship faster without bureaucracy.

What makes your solution unique? Speed, opinionated workflows, and a keyboard first interface that makes triage and status updates near friction free.

produces copy that names actual jobs ("Ship software faster"), names the pain of the current tool ("Faster than your current tracker"), and reflects positioning ("Keyboard first, built for engineering"). Sharper context does not just produce more accurate copy. It produces copy that converts, because it speaks to what real customers care about. For what makes a good source page and what Hero Marketer extracts from it, see Add your website and What product context is.

Why the agent generates keywords first, then copy​

The order matters. Keywords define intent, and the agent writes copy to match that intent. If you wrote copy first and chose keywords later, you would end up with copy that does not speak to the queries that trigger it. Hero Marketer goes keywords → copy, because that is the order Google's auction works in. Someone types a query. Then Google picks an ad.

What the agent is weak at​

A few things the Ad Copy Agent does not do well, where you will want to edit:

  • Distinctive brand voice. The agent's defaults do not capture a very specific voice (Wendy's Twitter, Innocent Drinks tone). Edit headlines to inject brand voice where it matters.
  • In jokes and inside references. The agent writes general best practice prose. If your audience expects a specific cultural reference, add it yourself.
  • Aggressive claims. The agent defaults to defensible language. If your strategy is bold, policy compliant hyperbole, you will likely rewrite.
  • Compliance specific copy. Legal disclaimers and regulated category language need a human review.

For all of these, edit. The wizard supports inline edits to every headline and description. Treat the output as a strong first draft, not a final.

Get a new set of ad copy (no regenerate button)​

There is no regenerate button. Hero Marketer writes new copy when the keywords of the selected cluster change, or when you pick a cluster that has no ad copy yet. A change of campaign type can also write new copy, which uses credits: a change from Search to Performance Max (Search copy has no long headlines), a change to or from Demand Gen, and a switch between Demand Gen and Demand Gen retargeting. After a change from Search to Performance Max, Hero Marketer adds to the Search ad. If the keywords of the cluster did not change, Hero Marketer keeps the saved Search ad and your edits. Then Hero Marketer writes only the 5 long headlines. If no call to action headline has 15 characters or fewer, Hero Marketer makes the shortest one shorter. If no description has 60 characters or fewer, Hero Marketer makes the shortest one shorter. This uses fewer credits than new ad copy. It is true only for a Search ad with Category search, because Performance Max uses Category search only. A change of product, country, search type, or search term drops the copy too, and saved copy loads again only when the keywords of its cluster did not change. A change of the landing page alone keeps the copy. To write the ad again for a new landing page, archive a keyword of the cluster or add one from the Archive. To get new copy:

  1. Go back to the Choose keywords and budget step.
  2. Archive keywords of the cluster, or add keywords from the Archive. You can also pick another cluster.
  3. Click Write ad copy. If your draft still holds the ad copy of the selected cluster, the button says Continue. Hero Marketer writes a new set. This uses credits.

Your draft holds the ad copy of one cluster at a time. On Search and Performance Max, if you pick a cluster that already has saved ad copy and you removed no keyword from it, Hero Marketer loads that copy, with your edits, and shows Loaded your saved ad copy at no credit cost. On Demand Gen, the copy of an earlier cluster is gone after you write copy for another cluster, so Hero Marketer writes new copy, which uses credits. Removing a keyword drops the ad copy of the cluster and your edits to it, and Undo does not bring them back.

Before you get new copy, decide whether the problem is the input or the output. If the product context or the keywords are wrong, fix them first. Weak inputs produce weak copy each time. To change a few lines, edit them in place. Edits are free. See How credits work.

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