Performance Max (PMax) is Google’s all-in-one campaign type. One campaign, every channel — Search, Display, YouTube, Gmail, Discover, and Maps. You give Google your assets, set a goal, and the AI decides where, when, and how to show your ads.
It sounds easy. And it is — if you set it up right.
How to make the best content for Performance Max
The more assets you provide, the more combinations Google can test. Holding back on assets is the single biggest mistake advertisers make with PMax.
Headlines — Upload all 15 (30 characters each). Include your primary keyword in at least one. Write at least three with a clear call-to-action like “Get a Free Quote” or “Shop Now.” Vary the angles: benefit-led, urgency-led, and feature-led.
Descriptions — Use all four slots (90 characters each). Explain what makes you different. Don’t repeat the same message — use each description to cover a different benefit or audience concern.
Images — Provide 15 images across three aspect ratios: landscape (1.91:1), square (1:1), and portrait (4:5). Use real product or lifestyle photography. Avoid text overlays — Google’s systems don’t handle them well and they often get cropped.
Video — This is non-negotiable. If you don’t upload a video, Google will auto-generate one from your images, and it will look exactly like what it is. Upload at least one video in each orientation: horizontal (16:9), square (1:1), and vertical (9:16). Hook your viewer in the first five seconds and make sure your brand logo is visible throughout.
Audience signals — Add your customer lists, remarketing audiences, and custom intent audiences. These are suggestions to Google’s AI, not hard targeting restrictions. They help the algorithm find the right people faster.
Product feed — If you’re in e-commerce, connect your Merchant Center feed. This dramatically improves performance on Shopping placements.
Key principle: PMax rewards completeness. Fill every asset slot and let the AI mix and match. The campaigns that underperform are usually the ones with three headlines and one image.
Demand Gen: Win Audiences Before They’re Searching
Demand Gen is Google’s answer to Meta and TikTok advertising. It runs on YouTube (including Shorts), Gmail, and Discover — channels where people are browsing, not actively searching for something to buy.
That’s what makes Demand Gen different. You’re not catching someone at the moment of intent. You’re reaching them earlier, creating the desire before it exists. That requires a fundamentally different approach to content.
How to make the best content for Demand Gen
Lead with emotion or curiosity, not a product pitch. Nobody on YouTube is waiting to see your ad. You have about three seconds to earn their attention. Open with a question, a bold statement, a surprising visual, or a relatable problem — then introduce your solution.
Video ads — Skippable ads between 15 and 60 seconds work best. Pair them with 6-second bumper ads for broader reach and frequency. Your video should follow a simple arc: problem → solution → proof → call to action.
Image carousels — Demand Gen supports up to 10 image cards per ad. Use them to tell a story across cards, show multiple products, or highlight different features. Include all three aspect ratios: landscape (1.91:1), square (1:1), and vertical (9:16).
Headlines and descriptions — You get five headlines (40 characters each) and five descriptions (90 characters each). Write for a scrolling audience — native, conversational, and benefit-focused. Avoid ad-speak. Sound like content, not a commercial.
CTA buttons — Google gives you eight call-to-action options. Pick the one that matches your funnel stage. “Learn More” works for top-of-funnel. “Get a Quote” or “Shop Now” works for warmer audiences.
Audience strategy — Use lookalike audiences built from your customer lists. This is where Demand Gen really earns its value. Target people who look like your best customers but haven’t found you yet.
Key principle: Demand Gen is a mid-funnel tool. Your job isn’t to close a sale in one ad — it’s to make someone curious enough to want to know more. Measure success by view-through conversions and assisted conversions, not just direct clicks.
Discovery Campaigns: The Foundation Demand Gen Was Built On
Discovery campaigns were Google’s original native advertising format — showing up in the Gmail Promotions tab and the Google Discover feed. If you’re running Discovery campaigns today, you should know that Google is gradually migrating them into Demand Gen, which offers more placements and better controls.
If you’re starting fresh, go straight to Demand Gen. If you have existing Discovery campaigns that are working, here’s what makes the content strong.
How to make the best content for Discovery
Visuals — Upload one landscape image and at least three square images. Quality matters more than quantity here. Use high-resolution lifestyle photography that looks native to a news feed. No text overlays, no borders, no stock photo clichés.
Headlines — Up to five, 40 characters each. Write them like editorial content, not ad copy. Curiosity-driven headlines outperform product-feature headlines in Discovery placements because users are in a browsing mindset.
Descriptions — Up to five, 90 characters each. Keep the tone conversational. State your value proposition in the first sentence — don’t build up to it.
Key principle: Discovery lives or dies on visual quality and headline relevance. If your image doesn’t stop someone mid-scroll and your headline doesn’t reward the click, nothing else matters.
Content Rules That Apply to All Three
Regardless of which campaign type you’re running, these principles hold across the board:
Provide multiple formats and aspect ratios. Google’s AI can only serve the right ad in the right placement if it has the right creative format available. Missing a ratio means missing placements.
Use audience signals. Even in automated campaigns, telling Google who your customers are gives the algorithm a head start. Use customer lists, in-market audiences, and custom intent segments.
Check your asset strength score. Google rates each asset group as Poor, Good, or Best. Any asset rated below Best should be a target for improvement. A strong score means more auction eligibility and better delivery.
Refresh your creative every four to six weeks. Ad fatigue is real across all three campaign types. If your creative hasn’t changed in two months, your performance will start to decline even if your budget stays the same.
Let campaigns learn before judging them. PMax and Demand Gen both have a learning period of one to two weeks after launch or major changes. Avoid making significant edits during this window — it resets the learning and delays results.
Which Campaign Should You Run?
The short answer: all three serve different purposes, and most advertisers benefit from running PMax alongside Demand Gen rather than choosing between them.
Use Performance Max if your primary goal is conversions — sales, leads, bookings. It’s designed to capture demand across every touchpoint.
Use Demand Gen if you want to reach new audiences who don’t know you yet, or if you want to compete with the kind of social media advertising that Meta and TikTok are known for.
Use Discovery if you’re already running it and it’s performing well — but plan for the migration to Demand Gen and start testing that format now.
The businesses that win on Google aren’t the ones who spend the most. They’re the ones who give the algorithm the best possible creative to work with — and that starts with understanding what each campaign type actually needs.
