With Google Sheets, you can create a data feed in CSV format in less than 10 minutes and use it to run feed-based campaigns.

Create a Google Sheet, define the data fields and their content, and publish the feed to web from Google Drive.

You can try it out using this example feed.

Before you start

Read the information on feed files in general and on CSV and TSV formats, including the limitations you need to be aware of.

Step 1: Create the feed file and fields

Start by creating the sheet. See detailed instructions in Google's help.

1. In Google Drive, create a new Google sheet.
2. Enter a name for the sheet.
3. To define what data fields the feed contains, enter the field names in the columns on the first row.

Here's an example of a product feed named "Product Catalogue", with field names on the first row.

If you're creating a feed with product information, we suggest you use these data fields:

• id (this is the only mandatory field and it has to be unique per row)
• name
• price
• image_url
• link_url
• top seller (yes/no)
• description
• product category
• availability
• discount %

Advanced data fields:

• targeting values
• budget values
• bid values
• ad status values

Step 2: Fill in the feed data

Fill in the data in the columns in your sheet.

This what the data in our example "Product Catalogue" feed would look like.

Step 3: Publish the feed

As you will be hosting the feed on Google Drive, finish by making the feed file public to the web in CSV format.

Use one of these options:

• Publish the sheet to the web
• Enable link sharing and get a file export link

⚠️ Caution: With both options, the contents of your sheet become potentially accessible by third parties, if they get the URL to your file. If you have confidential or sensitive information in your feed, we recommend that you host the feed on your own servers and use authentication measures to restrict access to the file.

Option 1: Publish to the web

1. Go to File > Publish to the web.
2. On the Link tab:
   1. Select the correct tab or choose 'Entire Document'.
   2. Select the format Comma-separated values (.csv). (If you repeat this step later, the format might be reset to a web page, so make sure to select the CSV format every time.)
3. Click Publish.
4. Double-check these settings:
   • Under Published content & settings, make sure to select Automatically republish when changes are made. This means that when you make changes to the spreadsheet, the changes also go to Smartly.io and your campaigns.
   • If you see the option Require viewers to sign in with their account, clear it.
     • If you're unable to clear this option, you may need to ask your company's Google admin to change this setting.
     • If you don't see this option, everything is OK.

Now copy the feed URL that was generated. You need it when you connect the feed to Smartly.io.

The URL format should be similar to:

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1bqhyVgPwNSdWxHzqnpOY_7bGSCCSeqjuHvzt1vYOIS/export?format=csv&gid=1149095614

Note: If you are using and publishing multiple separate tabs from the Google Sheets file as separate Smartly feeds, make sure either "Entire Document" or all desired tabs to be published, are selected in the "Published content & settings" selection.

Option 2: Export as CSV with link sharing

You can also export a CSV file from your Google sheet without publishing it to the web. To do this, manually manipulate the document URL.

Here's what the URL in your browser's address bar usually looks like:

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/{KEY}/edit#gid={ID}

Change the end part of the URL as follows:

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/{KEY}/export?format=csv&gid={ID}

In addition to changing the URL, you must enable link sharing for the Google sheet:

1. Click Share in the top right corner.
2. Enable link sharing and set it to Anyone with the link can view.
3. Click Done.
4. Copy the URL of your Google Sheets file.
   • Example: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1bqhyVgPwNS-dWxHzqnpOY_7bGSCCSeqjuHvzt1vYOIS/edit#gid=1149095614
5. Paste the URL into any text editor and change the part after the last forward slash / to export?format=csv&gid={ID}
   • Example: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1bqhyVgPwNS-dWxHzqnpOY_7bGSCCSeqjuHvzt1vYOIS/export?format=csv&gid=1149095614

Now you can use the resulting URL to connect the feed to Smartly.io.

Next steps

Connect the CSV feed to Smartly.io to use it in campaigns and Image and Video Templates.

You can connect it to catalogs to use in dynamic ads, connect it to Smartly.io as an automation feed, or connect it as a Facebook (legacy) Automated Ads feed.

See more about how to use data feeds in campaigns and templates.