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Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsFix Now →Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →In Google Ads, “promotion asset” is the current name for the customer-facing ad content that highlights a sale or special offer. “Promotion extension” is older terminology for the same general feature—not a separate type of promotion you need to set up. Google also offers automated promotions, which work differently, and promotional offers, which are advertiser credits rather than shopper discounts.
What is a Google Ads promotion asset?
A promotion asset highlights an advertiser’s sale alongside eligible ads, with offer details and a link to the offer page. Google describes promotion assets as a way to highlight sales and promotions in Search Network text ads, YouTube Shorts and in-stream video ads. They may also appear in other eligible inventory; for example, Google specifically mentions Maps on mobile for Performance Max campaigns with shop goals. Showing an asset is not guaranteed: Google selects assets for particular circumstances.
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The name change is mainly a terminology distinction: current Google Ads Help uses “promotion asset,” while “promotion extension” is the older term for this kind of customer-facing offer content. Google Ads Help: About promotion assets and Google Ads Help: About promotion extensions.
How do manual and automated promotions differ?
| Question | Manual promotion asset | Automated promotion |
|---|---|---|
| Who supplies the offer? | The advertiser enters offer details in Google Ads. | Google identifies and sources offers from the advertiser’s website landing pages. |
| Where can it apply? | At account, campaign or ad-group level. When settings overlap, the most specific level takes precedence. | Google says eligible Search and Performance Max campaigns need location assets and must not already be running manual promotions. |
| How much control does the advertiser have? | The advertiser specifies the offer, URL, optional requirements and dates. | Google sources offer information from the site. Google advises using manually uploaded promotions when exact control over what appears is needed. |
| What does the source say about cost? | Free to add; clicks are billed like headline clicks. | The cited Google guidance describes eligibility and serving, but does not state a separate automated-promotion fee. |
Google says automated promotions bypass campaigns already running manual promotions. See Google Ads Help: About automated promotions.
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What can a manual promotion asset include?
When creating one, the advertiser chooses the offer type, names the product or service and enters a final URL. Depending on the offer, the asset can also include a promo code or a spend requirement, plus offer dates. Google’s documented setup path is Campaigns > Assets, then add a Promotion and choose whether it applies at the account, campaign or ad-group level. The advertiser also selects a language and currency and chooses a monetary or percentage discount type. The available controls can depend on the campaign and interface.
Promotion dates and asset scheduling are separate controls: dates describe when the offer is available, while scheduling determines when the asset may be served. Google’s App campaigns guidance notes that an asset may continue serving outside the displayed offer dates if it is not separately scheduled. That timing detail is documented for App campaigns and should not be assumed to apply identically to every campaign type. Google Ads Help: Create promotion assets.
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For occasion-specific promotions, Google says the asset must be created or edited within six months of the occasion’s start date to be eligible to serve. In the Promo code field, enter a promo code—not a product description, phone number or general promotional statement. See Google’s promotion asset setup guidance and Google Ads policy on promotion assets.
How are promotion assets billed?
Google says adding a promotion asset is free. A click on it costs the same as a click on the headline in the same ad, and Google says it will not charge for more than two clicks per ad impression. This describes Google’s billing rule; it is not a promise about campaign results. Google Ads Help: About promotion assets.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What does “Google Ads promotional offer” mean?
A Google Ads promotional offer is an advertising credit an advertiser may receive under specific eligibility and offer terms. It is different from a promotion asset: the credit is for the advertiser’s account, while a promotion asset tells potential customers about the advertiser’s deal. Google Ads Help: Promotional offers.
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