Drafts let you propose changes to your existing Search and Display campaigns and apply those changes to create a new campaign. You can use drafts to prepare multiple changes to a campaign. From there, you can either apply your draft’s changes back to the original campaign or create a new campaign.
This article explains how campaign drafts work, and how they can benefit your advertising strategy. When you’re ready, you can set up a campaign draft.
Example:
Anthony helps run advertising for his company, and his boss asks him to design a revised strategy for their search ads. Anthony creates a draft from an existing campaign and is able to show his boss exactly how the campaign would change. He receives approval and applies the draft back to the original campaign.
How campaign drafts work
Drafts let you create new campaigns or prepare multiple changes to an existing campaign without impacting its performance. When you create a draft, you’re mirroring your campaign’s setup. From there, you can make updates to your draft just as you would in a normal campaign. At any point, you can leave and return to your draft to make additional changes to it, or discard the draft altogether.
For a draft created from a partially completed new campaign, you can go to the Campaigns page and delete your draft, or enable it by creating a new campaign and selecting Resume campaign draft. Learn how to Find and edit your campaign drafts.
For a draft created to edit an existing campaign, you can apply your draft to the original campaign.
Note: Creatives in campaigns that are in draft status will not go through the review process. As a result, the creative status will stay “Under Review” until the draft is applied to the original campaign.
About campaign draft statuses
For existing campaigns you draft edits for, your draft status tells you if your drafts have been applied to the campaign yet, or whether there are any issues applying your draft.
To see your drafts table, click Drafts from the page menu on the left. Each draft in the table should have a corresponding status attached to it, which can be found in the “Status” column.
Here's what each status means:
- Drafted: Your draft has been created.
- Applying: Your draft is being applied to the original campaign.
- Applied: Your draft has been applied to the original campaign.
- Unable to apply: Your draft can’t be applied to the original campaign. Click this status to see why and to try applying your draft changes again.
- Removed: Your draft has been removed and can no longer be applied to a campaign.
Keep in mind
Drafts are only available for Search and Display campaigns. You won’t be able to create a draft for Video, App, or Shopping campaigns.
Features and reports that aren't available for drafts
- Ad schedule report
- Category & search terms
- Auction Insights
- Display Placements report
- Scheduled email reports
- Bid landscapes
- Ad customizers that use "Target campaign" or "Target ad group"
- Keyword diagnosis
- Shared budgets
Learn more about Things to note about custom experiments.