Edit creatives
Last updated: May 19, 2026
Edit creatives
Ad row → action menu → Edit creative. Replace image/video, change copy, change CTA, change destination URL. Async via SQS edit worker. Caveat: any creative change sends the ad back to platform review (4-24h) AND resets the ad's learning. Often better: create a NEW ad with new creative (preserves old's data for comparison).
Who is this for
Mediabuyers refreshing fatigued creative. Anyone fixing a typo in ad copy. Updating destination URL after landing page redesign.
When to edit vs create new
Scenario | Edit existing? | Create new ad? |
|---|---|---|
Typo in copy (one character) | Yes (minor edit, less reset risk) | No |
Swap image entirely | No | Yes (new ad, preserve old's data) |
Refresh video for new season | No | Yes (create new) |
Change CTA only | Yes | Maybe (CTA only = small change) |
Update destination URL after redesign | Yes (URL change has less learning impact) | No |
Replace creative due to platform rejection | Yes | No (use Edit, or use relaunch flow) |
Default: when in doubt, create new ad. Preserves old's performance for analysis + isolates impact of the new creative.
How to edit a creative
Step 1: Find the ad
Drill into the ad set, find the specific ad.
Step 2: Action menu → Edit creative
Right-click ad row OR action menu (⋮) → Edit creative. Modal / drawer opens.
Step 3: Modify fields
Creative: upload new OR pick from Creative Hub OR generate with AI
Primary text: edit
Headline: edit
Description: edit
CTA: change from dropdown
Destination URL: change
Live preview updates as you edit.
Step 4: Save & Update
Click Save & Update. Async via SQS edit worker.
Step 5: Platform review
If you changed the creative (image/video) or significantly changed copy: ad goes to platform review (4-24h typical).
During review:
Ad status: "In Review"
Ad doesn't deliver
Wait for platform's decision (approved or rejected)
If approved: resumes delivery
If rejected: see error reason; fix + resubmit
Step 6: Learning reset
Even if approved: the ad's learning resets. Algorithm starts from scratch (~3-7 days to stabilize).
What triggers review
Change | Review triggered? |
|---|---|
Image/video swap | Yes |
Copy substantive change | Yes |
Copy typo fix (1-2 chars) | Maybe (smaller change less likely to re-review) |
CTA change | Yes (platform may re-check policy fit) |
Destination URL change | Maybe (especially if new domain) |
UTM-only change | No (URL params not the actual link) |
Better: create a new ad instead
For most creative changes, the better workflow is:
Add new ad in same ad set with the new creative (see am-109)
Pause old ad (preserve its data + history)
Let new ad run alongside other ads in the set
Compare: new ad's performance vs old (paused) baseline
Benefits:
Old ad's data preserved for analysis (vs lost on edit)
Cleaner A/B testing (run side-by-side if old still active)
Easier to revert (just unpause old) if new underperforms
Cross-platform considerations
Platform | Creative edit behavior |
|---|---|
Meta | Always triggers re-review |
RSA edits: review case-by-case | |
TikTok | Always triggers review |
Taboola | Re-review |
Snapchat | Re-review |
Plan for the review window when changing creative.
Bulk edit creative
You can't truly bulk-edit creatives (each ad has unique creative). What you can do:
Bulk add new ads to multiple ad sets via Bulk Launch
Then bulk-pause the old ads via am-105 bulk actions
This is the agency-scale workflow for creative refresh waves.
Async via SQS worker
Verified apps/backend/src/sqs/workers/edit/. Edit jobs queued, processed in order. Status visible per-row.
RBAC + audit
Mediabuyer+ to edit. Audit log: action: ad_creative_change, metadata with old/new field-level diff.
What you'll see
During edit:
Modal with current creative + copy
Live preview updates
Warning: "Changing creative triggers platform review + learning reset"
Save & Update button
Status: "Updating..." → "In Review" → "Active" (or "Rejected" if denied)
Common issues
"Edit blocked: special category restriction": changes can't introduce restricted content (housing/credit/employment/politics).
"Image upload fails — wrong aspect": same constraints as Campaign Creator. Re-crop.
"Ad rejected after edit": platform's policy violation in new creative or copy. Read rejection reason; fix.
"Edit reverted after 5 min": platform rejected the change (silently in some cases). Check status.
"Cannot edit ad in archived campaign": archived = read-only. Restore campaign first OR create new ad in new campaign.
Best practices
Default to new ad over edit
Per "create new" reasoning above. Edits should be exception (typo fix, URL update), not the default.
Schedule edits for low-traffic windows
If you must edit a high-spend ad: do it during low-traffic window (night/weekend) so the re-review window has less missed delivery impact.
Pre-approve creative variations in Creative Hub
Upload multiple variants to Hub up-front. Then "edit" by picking a different Hub asset (still triggers review but the variant is pre-approved-quality).
Document the change
For substantive edits: note WHY + when (post-rejection fix, A/B test variant, etc.) in audit log notes if supported.
Related
Create ad in Ads Manager — recommended alternative to edit
Creative — images — creative specs
Use Creative Hub files — Hub picker