Create or edit variants in bulk

If you need to create or edit a large number of variants, you might find it easier to download the content in your variants to spreadsheet. You can then edit the spreadsheet to add or edit variants. When you're done, you can upload up to 250 variants at once.

If you only want to create or edit variants, follow the steps below to download and edit a variant sheet for your project.

Step 1: Upload your assets

The assets you use in bulk sheets must be uploaded to the asset library. Asset URLs from other websites aren't currently supported.

After you upload your assets, copy their asset paths to use in your sheet. The easiest way to do this is to put all of the assets in a folder, then upload the folder to the asset library. Or, upload assets one at a time.

Step 2: Create your project template

Before you can download a variant sheet, you need to create a project and customize a template. If you've already created a template, skip to the next step.

If you haven't created your template yet, keep these tips in mind:

• Static elements can't be edited offline. If your template has elements that are the same across variants, you can choose assets or enter content for these elements as you set up your template. You can also edit them later. Static elements can only be edited in the template in Ads Creative Studio. They don't appear in variant sheets.
• Variants in the project might be replaced. If you're using a variant sheet, existing variants you create in Ads Creative Studio will be replaced with the variants in the sheet. If you add new variants to the project after you download the sheet, uploading the sheet will remove those variants from the project.
• (Video projects only) Give swappable elements clear names. The element name is used as the column header in the variant sheet. A clear name will make it easier to match the column name with the template element it refers to.

Step 3: Download a variant sheet

After you finish setting up your template and save it, you can download a variant sheet. Variant sheets use comma-separated values (.csv) format.

1. In the project, click Variants.
2. Click MoreDownload sheet.

Variant sheet columns

All variant sheets have the following columns:

• Variant Id: This is the unique identifier for a variant provided by Ads Creative Studio. Leave this column blank for new variants. To avoid upload problems, don't change the variant ID for existing variants.
• Variant Name: This is the unique name for each variant, and is used as the display title on YouTube if you're working with a video project.
• Swappable elements columns: The rest of the columns in the sheet are the elements in the template you set as swappable. For example, if the template has a single swappable text element named "Headline", the sheet will have 3 columns: variant ID, variant name, and headline.

Variant sheets you download for display projects also have a Dimension column. This is used to set variant content for the different display ad sizes your template supports.

Step 5: Add a row for new variants or edit existing rows

Open the variant sheet and add your variants and the content you want to use for each swappable element.

1. Open the variant sheet you downloaded in your favorite spreadsheet editor.
2. Add a row to the sheet for each new variant you want to create. You can add up to 250 variants at once.
3. For each row:
   1. Leave the "Variant Id" column blank for new variants. This value is provided by Ads Creative Studio when you upload.
   2. Enter a unique name in the "Variant Name" column. This name will also be the title of the display on YouTube.
   3. Add content for each of the swappable element columns.
      • For buttons or text elements, enter the text content to use for that variant. For example, you might enter "Buy now" for a call-to-action button. To add a line break, press Alt + Enter.
      • For images, videos, or audio files, enter the asset path from the asset library. For example, you might enter "ASSET:cBalm/cBALM_spring.mp4" for a video named cBALM_spring.mp4 that you uploaded to a folder named cBalm in the asset library.
      • For colors, enter the hexidecimal color code for the color you want to use. For example, you might enter #4285F4 for blue.
4. After you've added all of your variants, save the sheet.
   • If you're using Google Sheets, share view access with the service email provided so that Ads Creative Studio can copy the variants. The email address is unique to your Ads Creative Studio account, but will end with @partnercontent.gserviceaccount.com.
   • If you used another spreadsheet editor, save it as a .csv file.

Step 6: Upload your finished variant sheet

1. Sign in to Ads Creative Studio.
2. Open the project you want to add variants to or edit.
3. Go to the Variants tab.
4. Click MoreUpload sheet.
5. Click Variant sheet.
6. Click Start upload.
7. Select your finished variant sheet.
   • If you're using a .csv file, click Select a file from your computer, then select the file.
   • If you're using Google Sheets, click Link an existing Google Sheet, then select the sheet.
8. (Optional) If you're uploading a rule assignment sheet, select the file or Google Sheet to use.
9. Click Apply. The variants in the sheet will replace any variants you have in Ads Creative Studio. If you have trouble uploading your sheet, learn how to troubleshoot bulk variant upload errors.
10. Preview the variants to make sure everything was added correctly. If everything looks correct, click Save to save your project. The variants and rule assignments from the sheets won't be saved to the project unless you save. If you made a mistake, you can close the project without saving.