Demand Gen (Discover/Gmail/YouTube) for physical products: setup and creatives
Lucas Ferraz · 2026-10-07
1:1 and 4:5 formats
When creating campaigns for physical products on Google, use 1:1 and 4:5 formats. The 1:1 format is ideal for mobile devices since it takes up more screen space and grabs more attention. Use high-quality images of your product, preferably on a white background or in settings that reflect how the item is used. The 4:5 format works well in the Discovery feed and Gmail. In both cases, keep the text short and direct, highlighting benefits and clear calls to action.
Audiences: similar and custom search
Similar audiences are essential for expanding your reach. Create similar audiences from your existing customers and website visitors. Combine these with custom audiences targeting people who searched for specific keywords related to your product. Use Google’s research tool to identify the keywords driving traffic and conversions so you can optimize your targeting.
Bidding
On Google, you can choose automated or manual bidding strategies. For Demand Gen campaigns, start with manual bidding to get a better understanding of your cost per acquisition (CPA) and adjust as needed. A good starting practice is to set a target CPA based on your margins. For example, if your product costs R$100 and your margin is 30%, an ideal CPA might be R$20 to R$25. This lets you stay profitable while testing different creatives and audiences.
CPA comparison with Meta
In terms of CPA, Google can be more competitive than Meta depending on your market. While Meta CPAs are usually around R$15 to R$30 for e-commerce niches, Google can offer lower CPAs starting at R$10, especially if you optimize your audiences and creatives well. Review the data from both platforms regularly and adjust your budget to maximize your return on investment.
When to scale
You should scale once you’re getting at least 3-5 conversions per day and your CPA has been stable for at least a week. That indicates your setup is working. When you scale, increase your budget by 20-30% at a time. Monitor your performance metrics and watch for any increase in CPA. If that happens, reduce your budget until you find a new balance point.
What CPAs are you getting in your Demand Gen campaigns right now? Share the numbers!