An action is blocked
You have credits, but Hero AI, the campaign wizard, or an export does not start. Find the message that you see. Each section tells you what the message means and what to do.
"Not enough credits for this"
Each AI action needs a minimum balance before it starts. The minimum is not the charge, and the action usually costs less. Below the minimum, the dialog says Not enough credits for this and This needs about X. You have Y.
| AI action | Minimum balance to start |
|---|---|
| Send a Hero AI message | 1 credit |
| Keyword research in the campaign wizard | 1 credit |
| Ad copy in the campaign wizard | 0.5 credits |
| Read your product website | 0.5 credits |
| Write sitelinks with AI in the campaign wizard | 0.3 credits |
| Write a dashboard AI summary or a report brief | 0.1 credits |
| Build ad styles in Create images | 1.2 credits. The styles step starts after the website read, so this minimum includes the two steps. |
| Change your ad styles | 0.9 credits, plus 0.15 credits for each look that you tried |
| Make a batch of ad images | 0.55 credits, plus 0.05 credits for each idea, plus 0.2 credits for each image |
| Make the images for Meta ads in the campaign wizard | 2.6 credits for 3 ads. The images start after the ad copy, which needs its own 0.5 credits. |
| Try one more look on your brand in Create images | 0.15 credits |
| Change an ad image | 0.15 credits |
For example, with 0.4 credits you can open Hero AI and the campaign wizard. But you cannot send a Hero AI message or run keyword research. Your first dashboard AI summary for each Google Ads account is free and needs no balance.
To fix it:
- Click Buy 20 credits in the dialog.
- Complete the Paddle checkout.
- Run the action again.
"You have unpaid AI usage from a previous session"
The full message is You have unpaid AI usage from a previous session. Add credits to continue. An earlier AI action cost more than your balance. Your balance does not go below 0, so Hero Marketer records the full cost of that action as unpaid usage, and your balance does not change. The next AI action cannot start until your balance covers the unpaid usage and the new action.
To fix it, buy a pack of 20 credits. Hero Marketer takes the unpaid usage from the new credits. Then run the action again.
"This message could be pricey"
Hero AI shows this dialog before it sends a message that will probably cost 2 credits or more. It shows the dialog only when that cost is also at least 25% of your balance. The dialog shows an estimate. The final charge depends on the AI work.
- Click Send anyway to send the message.
- Click Keep editing to change the message first.
A short, specific question usually costs less. Long chats cost more as they grow, so start a new chat for a new question.
"Wait for the response in your other chat to finish"
Hero AI writes one answer at a time for each user. While an answer is in progress in one chat, you cannot send a message in another chat. Wait for the first answer to finish, then send your message. A deep dive takes about 3 minutes.
You also cannot switch businesses or platforms while an answer is in progress. The message is Wait for the response to finish before switching businesses.
"Another AI request is still running"
Hero Marketer runs one AI request at a time for each credit balance. In a shared business, a teammate's request uses the owner's balance, so it also counts. For example, a Hero AI answer, an AI step in the campaign wizard, or a batch of images in Create images. When another AI request still runs, Hero Marketer refuses the new request. It does not keep the request to run later. Wait for the first request to finish, then try again. If no AI request runs, try again after 15 minutes.
"Too many requests"
Some actions have a limit for each user. Above the limit, you see Too many requests. Try again in N seconds. or Too many requests. Wait a moment and try again. Wait until the time in the message ends, then try again.
| Action | Limit for each user |
|---|---|
| Publish a campaign from the wizard | 5 an hour, one at a time |
| Pause or enable a campaign, revert an automation action, or undo a Hero AI change | 20 in 10 minutes, one at a time |
| Account scans, keyword ideas in the wizard, and alert or automation previews | 12 in 10 minutes, one at a time |
| Upload files to Hero AI, Create images, or the Images tab of a campaign | 60 in 10 minutes, all together |
| Upload images on the Images tab of a campaign | 20 uploads in 10 minutes. One upload can hold up to 20 files. |
| Download a dashboard or report PDF, or a chart image | 20 in 10 minutes, one at a time |
| Download a PDF from a share link | 10 in 10 minutes for each business, one at a time |
| Download a landing page wireframe PDF | 3 in 10 minutes, one at a time |
Dashboard and report PDFs, chart images, and share links are free, even with a balance of 0. With no credits, they show the Hero Marketer mark. A landing page wireframe PDF does not use credits, but you must have a balance above 0 to download it.