Many teams already manage creative approvals, copywriting, URLs, and Google Drive assets inside spreadsheets. Stage allows you to use that existing workflow by importing launch data directly from Google Sheets and turning it into ads.
Instead of manually copying information between tools, Stage connects your spreadsheet to your advertising workflow.
1. Connect your Google Drive environment
Connect Google Drive once to authorize access to your Google Drive environment and build a centralized media library in Stage:
When connecting Google Drive, please select at least 1 folder to establish the connection:
Copy the Stage service email shown in the interface (birch-stage@revealbot-151623.iam.gserviceaccount.com)
Add it as a Viewer to the folders you want to connect
Use top-level folders if you want all subfolders to sync automatically
Paste the folder links into Stage
If you unlink one of the connected folders later, you will no longer be able to upload creatives from the associated Google Drive connection - unless it is connected again.
2. Connect Google Sheets and import launch data
Google Sheets only needs to be connected and mapped once. After the initial setup, Stage remembers your configuration and can reuse it for future imports. To get started, click Import from Google Sheets:
Connect a Google Sheet
Copy the Stage service email displayed in the interface - birch-stage@revealbot-151623.iam.gserviceaccount.com.
Grant the service email access to the spreadsheet, paste the link, and click Continue.
In Sheet settings, choose the ad platform this sheet should be connected to: Meta, TikTok, or Snapchat. Each sheet is connected to a single platform, so if you're launching on more than one, you'll set up a separate connection per platform.
Select the worksheet (tab) you want to import, and confirm whether the first row should be treated as a header.
Optionally enable Show all columns in preview to see every column from your sheet during mapping.
Choose how Stage should use this sheet. Under "How should Stage use this sheet?", pick one:
Row-by-row – each row defines its own destination (ad account) and template ad, so you can launch to multiple ad accounts, campaigns, and ad sets from a single sheet. This is the default for newly connected sheets.
Use this if:You're launching the same ads across multiple markets, languages, or accounts, and want to do it in one run instead of repeating the setup for each one.
You're launching a mixed batch – different campaigns, formats, or products – and want each ad to pull in the right template automatically, instead of forcing everything through a single source ad.
You regularly duplicate or launch ads across many campaigns and ad accounts at once.
Shared setup – all rows use the same destination and template ad. Choose this if every row in your sheet launches to the same place.
Use this if:You need to launch all ads into the same campaign, using the same ad set configuration – e.g. launching a new batch of ads to your existing scaling or testing campaign.
You can switch between modes later from Sheet settings; compatible column mappings carry over automatically.
Map your spreadsheet columns to the corresponding ad fields.
In Row-by-row mode, the columns available depend on the platform:
Type of column | Meta | TikTok | Snapchat |
Required | Ad account ID | Ad account ID | Ad account ID |
Required | Template ad ID | Template ad ID | Template ad ID |
Required | Media link | Media link | Media link |
Optional | Primary text (up to 5 variations) | Text (up to 5 variations) | Headline |
Optional | Headline (up to 5 variations) | – | – |
Optional | Description (up to 5 variations) | – | – |
Optional | Destination URL | Destination URL | Destination URL |
A row is skipped if a required column is missing or invalid. For optional columns, leave one unmapped – or leave a cell empty – and Stage uses the template ad's value instead.
In Shared setup mode, only the Media link is required – the ad account and template ad are set once for the whole sheet.
Once a platform is selected, Stage also shows you the features and ad formats currently supported for that platform, so you know what to expect before mapping your columns.
Reviewing and fixing issues before launch
Before creating anything, Stage validates your rows and flags problems in a preview table – invalid cells are marked with an error or warning icon, which you can hover for details.
You can select up to 250 rows by default (1,000 max) with a row range, or up to 1,000 rows via a filter.
Filter what to launch
Before importing data, you can define which rows Stage should process by selecting a row range or applying filters. Configure it once, and all filters or selected row ranges will be saved for the next time you use the same sheet again.
This allows teams to manage planning and approvals directly in Google Sheets while keeping Stage focused on launch-ready assets.
3. Choose your action
Upload media
It lets you bulk upload creatives from a Google Sheet file directly to the Meta, TikTok, or Snapchat Media Library, without manually uploading each file in Ads Manager. Paste file or folder links from your spreadsheet or directly from Google Drive, and select Upload to Meta/TikTok/Snapchat depending on what platform you selected when setting up your spreadsheet:
Select the destination ad account, check the limitations and requirements, and click Review and upload.
For Meta uploads, you can filter out by creative ratio and create a Launcher media folder available in the media browser:
Stage will upload everything in the background, and your assets will be available in Meta, TikTok, or Snapchat Media Library.
Turn media into ads
Create ads action is designed for teams that want to launch or test creatives quickly using existing campaign configurations - available for Meta, TikTok, and Snapchat.
Common use cases include:
Launching new creatives into test using the existing configuration
Scaling new creatives into business-as-usual campaigns
Stage duplicates your selected source ad set/ad group/ad squad and ad, retaining all source parameters, and places it under the destination campaign you select.
Ad format support currently varies by platform - see Stage: supported ad formats and limitations for the full breakdown, including media specs (file size, duration, resolution, format) per platform.
⚙️ Group media by placement (Shared setup)
When enabled, Stage automatically groups files that differ only by a supported aspect ratio or keyword suffix at the end of the file name (such as _1x1, _vertical, or _4x5).
For example:
creative_A_1x1.jpg
creative_A_vertical.jpg
Since only the suffix differs, Stage combines them into a single ad. Grouping works for any supported suffix combination and can include up to 3 variations of the same creative.
⚙️ Duplication options (Shared setup):
1. Duplicate ad set
Creates a new ad set for the entire media batch. Use this when you need to create one ad set with multiple new creatives.
2. Duplicate ad set for each media
Creates a separate ad set per individual media file. Use this when testing each creative in a separate ad set with granular control per creative.
3. Add to ad set
Creates new ads inside the existing ad set instead of duplicating it. Use this when adding new creative variations to a live ad set.
Creating ads (Row-by-row mode)
The Row-by-row "Create ads" screen is simpler than Shared setup's: pick how to group new ads, then go straight to Review & create – there's no ad set selector, no ad content preview, and no Group media by placement toggle.
How to create ads:
Duplicate ad set – group new ads using the same template into one new ad set.
Duplicate ad set for each media – create a separate new ad set for each ad.
Either way, new ad sets are based on the ad set/ad group/ad squad that contains the corresponding template ad, and Stage replaces the mapped content in each.
Before you review, Stage shows a one-line summary, e.g. "Creates 20 ads in 5 new ad sets across 5 campaigns and 5 ad accounts."
Preview ads
Click Preview ads to review the ads that will be created before launching the process.
This helps confirm that everything is set up correctly before creating the ads.
4. Review results
After clicking Review & Create, you can turn on the newly created ads and ad sets, as well as set the start date.
Scheduling across multiple ad accounts: if your rows span accounts in different timezones, your start time applies in each account's local timezone, so ads may go live at different absolute times. The Review step shows one timezone if all accounts match, or a breakdown by timezone group if they don't.
Track your activity
Stage's Tasks tab groups results by ad account, showing processing status, how many ads completed, a link to that account's Ads Manager, and a View errors action if anything failed.
View errors opens a modal grouping failures by Campaign → Ad set → Ad.
Summary
Stage transforms Google Sheets from a planning tool into a launch engine.
By connecting and mapping a spreadsheet once, teams can reuse existing planning workflows, automate ad creation, reduce manual work, and launch campaigns to multiple destinations faster.
Have questions or need help getting set up? Reach out to our Community Care team anytime at support@bir.ch, or use the chat bubble in your Bïrch dashboard.
We're here to help you get the most out of Stage - happy creating!