How to run an ad campaign with Otto

Marketing → Campaigns. Describe what you want and how it should look, add pictures or videos if you like, approve a budget, and Otto plans, makes and runs the ads — then pauses them on the last day.

Updated 2026-10-28

Campaigns turns a few sentences into a whole ad campaign. You say what you want to promote and how the videos should feel. Otto works out who to show it to, which platforms to use and why, makes the videos, writes every ad and suggests a budget. You change anything you like, then approve one total. Nothing is created on any platform and nothing is spent until you do.

Only an owner or admin whose position sees money can plan and approve campaigns.

Steps

Open Marketing → Campaigns. Describe what you want, for example "a spring offer on interior detailing for people near us, calm premium videos of clean leather", and press Plan it with Otto.
Otto may ask a question or two. Answer in the same box.
Press Add pictures or videos to show Otto what you mean:
- A video you like. Otto watches it: it takes frames through the video and, where speech-to-text is switched on, what is said at each moment, so the plan matches its look, pace and words.
- Your own photos. A video can start from one of them instead of a picture Otto makes.
- Your own footage. It can run as an ad just as it is.
Read the plan: who sees it (ages, women, men or everyone, and where), which platforms get what share and why, the videos, and the ads' words. Press Change it by hand to edit any of it, or tell Otto in the box ("only Instagram", "more for people over 40").
Press Make the videos. Otto makes each picture and the video over it, from this month's picture and video allowance. Videos you uploaded to run as they are need nothing made.
Under Budget, type the total and choose 7, 14 or 30 days, then press See how it is split. Otto shows exactly what each platform gets a day, and the total.
Press the approve button. One Review shows the whole campaign: the money, the days, who sees it, where and the ads. Approving it launches every part at once.

What happens next

On the last day Otto pauses every part of the campaign it launched, so the approved total is the most it runs for. You get a notice when it does.
The free posts in the plan are waiting in your Social & ads drafts with the videos. Post them too: they cost nothing.
Results, pausing and budget changes are on Social & ads, like any campaign.

Good to know

The budget split is worked out in code, not guessed. A platform whose share would be under its daily minimum (TikTok's is $20 a day) gives its share to the others, and the page says so.
Ads only run on platforms you have connected and that are switched on for your account. Connect them on Social & ads; the budget step says which are missing.
Ages run from 18 to 65 and over. Housing, employment and financial ads are always shown to everyone 18 and over, as the platforms require.
Otto plans only from what you wrote about your business, your price list and your products. It does not invent prices, discounts or promises.
Prefer to do it all yourself? Social & ads has the full ad form, and Outreach the email campaigns.

If it doesn't work

"Make the videos first": Facebook, Instagram and TikTok ads need the pictures and videos. Google Search ads are words only.
"Choose the budget, and connect a platform": no connected platform can take this campaign yet. Connect one on Social & ads.
A video shows Not made, with its reason (for example, the month's video allowance is used): upload your own picture or video, or try again next month.
A video you uploaded says No transcript: speech-to-text is not set up on this server: Otto still uses its frames; only the words are missing.