AXL AI Flight School · First advertising mission

Your first YouTube ad.
Know what to check.

Learn how to brief AI, check a small ad campaign, and tell a video view from a new customer.

Start lesson 1 3 lessons · About 10 minutes + practice
0 of 3 lessons marked reviewed0 of 3

Practice progress saved on this device; not official certification.

Self-check preview. Official assessment is reviewed in the course.
No sign-in, contact form, or automatic grading here. Write your short answers in the workbook.

01

Lesson 01 · 3:17

Know what you are buying

Choose the right people, the right place, and one result to measure.

Download lesson 1 · MP4, 1080p

Six useful terms for this lesson
Audience
The people you want to reach. A useful audience has a reason to care about the offer.
Placement
The place where an ad appears, such as a Google search result or the YouTube Shorts feed.
Campaign
A group of advertising settings and ads built around a goal and a budget.
Impression
One recorded appearance of an ad. It does not mean someone watched the whole video or bought anything.
TrueView view
Google Ads’ paid-view measure. For Shorts, it can qualify through watch time or a qualifying interaction. It is different from the public YouTube view count.
Lead / inquiry
Someone who has taken the agreed step to express interest, such as submitting a valid request form. A lead is not yet a paying customer.

Think first. Then check.

Check your understanding

Choose your answer in your head or workbook. Open the explanation when you are ready.

1 / Choose one answer

A plumber searches Google for answering services. Someone else watches short videos in the YouTube Shorts feed. Which statement is correct?

  1. Both are Google Ads opportunities, but they are different places and situations. Choose the campaign and message for the job.
  2. Both are video placements because Google can use video in its advertising system.
  3. Choosing Google Ads puts the same ad in both places automatically.
  4. The person watching Shorts must have searched for the service before seeing its ad.
Reveal the answer

A. Both are Google Ads opportunities, but they are different places and situations. Choose the campaign and message for the job.

Google Ads is the buying system. Search results and the Shorts feed are different placements. Their audiences may have different levels of immediate interest; a Short viewer is not necessarily searching for the service.

2 / Choose one answer

The owner wants requests for a free business guide. Which number most directly measures that result?

  1. The public view count on the YouTube video.
  2. The number of times the ad appeared.
  3. Valid, successfully submitted guide-request forms, separated from your test submissions.
  4. Clicks on the Download button, even if the form is never submitted.
Reveal the answer

C. Valid, successfully submitted guide-request forms, separated from your test submissions.

A view or click is a step toward the request. A successful, valid form submission measures the requested action. It is still an inquiry, not a paying customer.

Critical check: understand this before spending.

3 / In your own words

Your audience is owners of small plumbing businesses. Your offer is a free guide about handling missed calls with AI. An AI draft says, “Discover the future of technology.” Replace it with one clear ad opening and one next step. Then say why your version fits this audience.

Write two to four sentences in your workbook, then open the guide. Keep private client and account details out of shared work.

Compare with the rubric and example

Use these three criteria to review what you wrote. This page does not grade your answer.

  • Names or clearly addresses the business owner and a relevant problem, such as missed calls or lost jobs.
  • Offers the guide and gives one clear next step, without changing the offer into a paid service.
  • Explains the connection to the audience without claiming guaranteed leads, jobs, or revenue. Critical.
One possible answer

Own a plumbing business? A missed call can become a missed job. Get the free guide to handling customer calls with AI. This speaks to the owner’s daily problem and offers a useful next step without promising more sales.

Watch for: Describing AI without explaining the owner’s problem. Using several competing calls to action. Promising a number of new jobs that the business has not proved.

Try two fresh questions

Use these after reviewing a mistake, or to check your understanding again.

1 / Choose one answer

A salon wants more people to watch its existing vertical video. Which plan best matches that immediate goal?

  1. Buy Search text ads and assume every click will count as a paid video view.
  2. Choose a Video views campaign with the intended YouTube inventory, then measure its paid views.
  3. Choose the channel with the cheapest clicks, even if those people never watch the video.
  4. Choose all available Google placements because the video’s vertical shape restricts delivery to Shorts automatically.
Reveal the answer

B. Choose a Video views campaign with the intended YouTube inventory, then measure its paid views.

Match the campaign to the requested result. A vertical asset alone does not control every placement. A views campaign is appropriate for a views goal, but paid views do not prove appointments.

2 / Choose one answer

A guide campaign reports 800 video views, 30 website clicks, eight submitted forms, and three confirmed paying customers. The eight forms include two tests and one duplicate. How many unique, non-test inquiries does this record support?

  1. Eight: every submitted form is a new inquiry.
  2. Thirty: a website click shows interest.
  3. Three: only paying customers count as inquiries.
  4. Five: remove the two tests and the duplicate from the eight forms.
Reveal the answer

D. Five: remove the two tests and the duplicate from the eight forms.

Eight minus two test submissions minus one duplicate equals five inquiries. The three paying customers are a separate, later business outcome. The figures in this question are fictional.

Critical check: understand this before spending.

Next lesson
02

Lesson 02 · 3:21

Build the $100 test with AI

Give AI a clear brief. Check the account, permissions, and total budget.

Download lesson 2 · MP4, 1080p

Six useful terms for this lesson
Brief
A short set of instructions: the goal, audience, offer, limits, and work you authorize.
Cost per view / CPV
Ad cost divided by paid TrueView views. A target CPV guides average bidding; it is not a guaranteed price for every view.
Campaign total budget
The campaign’s advertising budget for its dated run. This is different from a daily budget or the whole account’s bill.
Average daily budget
An average daily spending setting. It is not a hard limit for the whole test, and daily spending can vary.
Account currency
The currency used for the advertising account’s billing. Check it before entering a budget.
Permission / authorization
The specific work and spending the responsible person has allowed. Account access alone is not unlimited permission.

Think first. Then check.

Check your understanding

Choose your answer in your head or workbook. Open the explanation when you are ready.

1 / Choose one answer

Your approved media budget is $100 for the whole seven-day test. Which setup matches that instruction?

  1. Average daily budget: $100, with an end date seven days later.
  2. Average daily budget: $14.29, because multiplying by seven creates a guaranteed $100 cap.
  3. Campaign total budget: $100, with verified start and end dates in the correct account currency.
  4. Target cost per view: $100, because the target controls the campaign’s overall spend.
Reveal the answer

C. Campaign total budget: $100, with verified start and end dates in the correct account currency.

A campaign total budget controls the campaign’s billed media amount over the flight. An average daily budget is not a seven-day total cap. A bid target is not a total budget. Check billing items separately before calling this a maximum card charge.

Critical check: understand this before spending.

2 / Choose one answer

You ask AI to prepare a campaign in a new client account. Which division of work is appropriate?

  1. AI chooses the billing country, accepts any terms, and activates the campaign as part of drafting it.
  2. The responsible person completes required billing, identity, and security steps. AI works within its granted access to prepare a draft; spending requires the agreed authorization.
  3. The client sends a card number and sign-in security code in the chat so AI can finish faster.
  4. Giving AI access to the account authorizes any budget that Google recommends during setup.
Reveal the answer

B. The responsible person completes required billing, identity, and security steps. AI works within its granted access to prepare a draft; spending requires the agreed authorization.

Account access is not unlimited authority. The responsible person handles required account and payment steps. The AI brief must state what it may prepare or change and whether spending is authorized. Keep payment details, passwords, and security codes out of the chat.

Critical check: understand this before spending.

3 / In your own words

Write a short AI brief for a views test of an authorized AXL Short. The approved audience is U.S. home-service business owners, the ad is in English, and the media limit is $100 over seven days. State the goal, key limits, and what AI must return before anything goes live. You may use placeholders for the exact dates and account ID.

Write two to four sentences in your workbook, then open the guide. Keep private client and account details out of shared work.

Compare with the rubric and example

Use these three criteria to review what you wrote. This page does not grade your answer.

  • States Video views, the authorized Short, the relevant U.S. owner audience, English, and intended Shorts placement.
  • States $100 campaign total in USD with exact seven-day dates to verify, rather than $100 per day; does not treat target CPV as a cap. Critical.
  • Requests a draft and evidence of budget, audience, asset, destination, and permissions; says activation requires the agreed spending authorization. Critical.
One possible answer

In account [ID], prepare a Video views draft using the authorized AXL Short QBn5k1hdffw for U.S. home-service owners in English, with Shorts selected. Use a $100 USD campaign total for [start] through [end], covering seven days, and show the target CPV separately. Return the saved settings, ad preview, and permission checks for review; do not activate until the agreed spending authorization is in place.

Watch for: Saying only “run a $100 ad” without a total-budget label or dates. Treating an estimated cost per view as a guaranteed price. Asking AI to activate a client campaign without a defined scope of authority.

Try two fresh questions

Use these after reviewing a mistake, or to check your understanding again.

1 / Choose one answer

An AI summary says, “$15 per day for seven days means you cannot spend more than $105.” What is the right response?

  1. Accept it because an end date turns the daily field into a campaign total.
  2. Accept it if the target cost per view is low enough.
  3. Change the account’s time zone so each advertising day is shorter.
  4. Correct the claim: an average daily budget is not that overall cap. Use and verify the supported campaign total budget for the approved amount.
Reveal the answer

D. Correct the claim: an average daily budget is not that overall cap. Use and verify the supported campaign total budget for the approved amount.

The multiplication gives a planning average, not the promised hard total. Use the budget type that matches the authorization; do not change unrelated account settings to compensate.

Critical check: understand this before spending.

2 / Choose one answer

A client granted AI access to prepare an ad, but has not completed a required identity check. Google also recommends a higher budget. What should happen next?

  1. Keep the preparation within scope, let the responsible person complete the identity step, and retain the authorized budget unless a change is approved.
  2. Ask AI to reuse the identity details of another business already in the account.
  3. Apply the recommended budget because Google’s recommendation is part of the approved draft work.
  4. Move the campaign to a different paying account so the original identity step no longer matters.
Reveal the answer

A. Keep the preparation within scope, let the responsible person complete the identity step, and retain the authorized budget unless a change is approved.

Required identity and billing steps belong to the responsible account holder. Preparation access does not authorize identity substitutions, another payment account, or a larger budget.

Critical check: understand this before spending.

Next lesson
03

Lesson 03 · 3:25

Launch, check, and learn

Separate a working setup from real results in AXL’s recorded campaign.

Download lesson 3 · MP4, 1080p

Six useful terms for this lesson
Demand Gen
A Google campaign type that can use video and other visual ads to encourage actions such as inquiries.
Target CPA
The average cost per chosen action you ask Google’s bidding system to aim for. It is not a hard price cap or a promise of a lead.
Conversion tracking
A way to record an agreed action, such as a successful form submission. Test activity must stay separate from real business results.
Impression
One recorded appearance of an ad. It does not mean someone watched the whole video or bought anything.
Lead / inquiry
Someone who has taken the agreed step to express interest, such as submitting a valid request form. A lead is not yet a paying customer.
Learning status
A bidding system status while it adjusts. The label does not prove ads have appeared or explain every delivery problem.

Think first. Then check.

Check your understanding

Choose your answer in your head or workbook. Open the explanation when you are ready.

1 / Choose one answer

The real case used a $15 target CPA and a $250 campaign total for each video. What does the $15 setting mean?

  1. Google must stop the campaign once it has spent $15 without a form submission.
  2. The campaign is guaranteed to produce at least sixteen leads for $250.
  3. Every individual form submission must cost $15 or less.
  4. It is an average bidding target for the chosen conversion. It is not a hard per-lead price limit or a promise that a lead will arrive.
Reveal the answer

D. It is an average bidding target for the chosen conversion. It is not a hard per-lead price limit or a promise that a lead will arrive.

Target CPA guides bidding toward an average conversion cost. The campaign total is the separate spending control. Neither setting guarantees a valid inquiry or a paying customer.

Critical check: understand this before spending.

2 / Choose one answer

The form test sent a conversion signal after a successful submission. Direct thank-you visits and refreshes did not send another signal. Ads still showed zero impressions and zero attributed conversions. What has been demonstrated?

  1. The tested form-tracking behavior worked; paid delivery and paid lead acquisition have not yet been demonstrated.
  2. The first paid lead arrived because the testing tool received a conversion signal.
  3. Every future visitor will be tracked correctly because one controlled test worked.
  4. The video failed to convince viewers because no attributed conversions appeared.
Reveal the answer

A. The tested form-tracking behavior worked; paid delivery and paid lead acquisition have not yet been demonstrated.

A controlled technical test is useful evidence of the tested path. It is not proof of an attributed paid lead, all future tracking, or creative performance. There were no reported ad impressions in this observation.

Critical check: understand this before spending.

3 / In your own words

The two approved campaigns are enabled, but the recorded report shows $0 spend and zero impressions. One detailed bidding screen says Inactive while the campaign says Eligible (Learning). What would you tell the owner, and what would you check next?

Write two to four sentences in your workbook, then open the guide. Keep private client and account details out of shared work.

Compare with the rubric and example

Use these three criteria to review what you wrote. This page does not grade your answer.

  • Reports no demonstrated delivery or paid results yet; does not label the creative successful or unsuccessful. Critical.
  • Checks the report date range and account time zone, campaign dates, and the conflicting campaign/ad/bidding statuses; investigates rather than inventing a cause.
  • Keeps the approved budget and permission limits; reports unresolved issues and a next review instead of automatically raising spend or fabricating results. Critical.
One possible answer

The ads were approved and enabled, but this report does not show delivery yet, so we cannot judge the creative or cost per lead. I would confirm the date range, time zone, start dates, and campaign, ad, and bidding statuses, then investigate the conflicting Inactive message. I would keep the approved budget and report what remains unresolved, with a time for the next check.

Watch for: Calling zero impressions a failed creative test. Calling the $15 target the measured cost per lead. Increasing the budget simply because a recommendation suggests it. Claiming that approval or a tracking test proves live delivery.

Try two fresh questions

Use these after reviewing a mistake, or to check your understanding again.

1 / Choose one answer

In a fictional later test, $45 in ad spend produces three valid form submissions. The target CPA is $15. Which statement is supported?

  1. Each of the three submissions cost exactly $15.
  2. The observed average cost per valid inquiry is $15 for this small sample; future costs may differ.
  3. The campaign will keep producing three inquiries for every additional $45.
  4. Customer acquisition cost is $15 because each form submission is a customer.
Reveal the answer

B. The observed average cost per valid inquiry is $15 for this small sample; future costs may differ.

$45 divided by three inquiries is $15 per inquiry on average. It does not establish each inquiry’s individual cost, future performance, or customer acquisition cost. These figures are fictional, not later AXL results.

Critical check: understand this before spending.

2 / Choose one answer

A real test submission works. The ad remains under review and has no impressions. Which report is accurate?

  1. The ad has a 0% conversion rate, so replace it now.
  2. The successful test submission proves the campaign has produced a lead.
  3. The tested form path works; the ad is awaiting review, so paid performance is not established. Submit the available evidence and report the delay.
  4. The campaign should be marked complete because the conversion tool received a signal.
Reveal the answer

C. The tested form path works; the ad is awaiting review, so paid performance is not established. Submit the available evidence and report the delay.

Report the technical test and the delivery status separately. A review delay is not a creative result. You can submit honest draft and diagnostic evidence without inventing live performance.

Critical check: understand this before spending.

Start your practice

Your mission

Prepare one ad.
Show your checks.

Use your own project, an authorized friendly business, or the AXL training Short with your instructor’s permission. Start with a draft. Keep the real results separate from the numbers you hoped for.

01 / PLAN

One clear brief

Audience, offer, video, goal, total budget, dates, and the work AI is allowed to do.

02 / VERIFY

Check before activation

Review the saved settings, permissions, creative, and destination. The account owner handles required billing and security steps.

03 / REPORT

Show what happened

Record actual spend, paid views, and available results. If nothing ran, report the status and your next check.

What to submit — and what is not required
  • brief.md: your goal, approved limits, creative rights, and permission scope.
  • evidence.zip: redacted screenshots of your draft, checks, status, and any actual results.
  • result-report.md: dates, real numbers or an honest hold, your calculation, and one next action.

You do not need to spend the entire $100, receive a minimum number of views, or get a customer to pass the preparation and judgment checks.

If review, access, authorization, or zero delivery delays the campaign, submit your verified draft and current status. Mark live observation as pending or not authorized. A draft does not prove a live campaign.

This practice does not grant permission to spend in client accounts or replace the accelerator’s additional paid-ad service clearance.

Read the AI working brief
Help me prepare one beginner YouTube advertising test. Use plain American English. Start in DRAFT ONLY mode; this prompt does not authorize spending.

MY BRIEF
Business and responsible owner: [___]
Goal and why the audience would care: [___]
Correct existing Google Ads account reference: [___]
Approved video URL and permission to advertise it: [___]
Final destination and CTA: [___]
Audience / geography / language: [___]
Account currency and time zone: [___]
Start and end dates: [___]; seven calendar dates.
Campaign-total advertising budget: $100 USD maximum, or lower approved amount [___].
Proposed target CPV and owner-approved setting: [___].
Person checking results and check times: [___].

First state which connected tools you actually have and what they can do. Read the correct account where permitted. If you cannot operate it, give me the steps to perform; do not pretend settings were saved. The owner handles sign-in, identity verification and billing directly in Google’s protected interface. Never request passwords or card details in chat, buy subscriptions or create another account.

Prepare ONE Video views campaign, ONE ad group and ONE approved video. Keep multi-format enabled, then select Shorts only using campaign-level format controls. If these controls differ, explain the mismatch before proceeding. Use Campaign TOTAL budget, never $100 average daily. Verify USD and both dates. Account charges, taxes or fees need a separate billing check. Never raise the $100 limit, add campaigns or expand scope to satisfy a recommendation.

Explain the proposed target CPV: it is an average bidding target, not a guaranteed maximum for each view. Check the actual video, mobile preview, destination, audience and unapproved generated variants. Prepare a non-delivering draft where authorized; stop before any action that activates delivery. Return the exact settings and saved-state evidence, or clearly mark unsaved items.

Only after actual authorization identifies this account, campaign, assets, budget, dates and bid, launch once through available permitted tools. Read back the saved settings and campaign/ad statuses. Do not change other campaigns. A draft, approval or Enabled label does not prove delivery.

Optional leads route: replace Video views with Demand Gen only when the goal is inquiries and successful form submission, owner notification and duplicate prevention are tested. Keep the same single-campaign $100 total limit. Do not count views or clicks as leads.

Return a short configuration, redacted evidence and dated result note. Separate paid TrueView views, public views, valid inquiries and customers. A zero denominator means “not established.” Name the human monitoring the campaign; no automatic monitoring is implied. Spending the full budget is unnecessary.

Keep the words simple

Your pilot glossary

One place to revisit the terms from all three lessons.

Audience
The people you want to reach. A useful audience has a reason to care about the offer.
Placement
The place where an ad appears, such as a Google search result or the YouTube Shorts feed.
Campaign
A group of advertising settings and ads built around a goal and a budget.
Impression
One recorded appearance of an ad. It does not mean someone watched the whole video or bought anything.
TrueView view
Google Ads’ paid-view measure. For Shorts, it can qualify through watch time or a qualifying interaction. It is different from the public YouTube view count.
Lead / inquiry
Someone who has taken the agreed step to express interest, such as submitting a valid request form. A lead is not yet a paying customer.
Brief
A short set of instructions: the goal, audience, offer, limits, and work you authorize.
Cost per view / CPV
Ad cost divided by paid TrueView views. A target CPV guides average bidding; it is not a guaranteed price for every view.
Campaign total budget
The campaign’s advertising budget for its dated run. This is different from a daily budget or the whole account’s bill.
Average daily budget
An average daily spending setting. It is not a hard limit for the whole test, and daily spending can vary.
Account currency
The currency used for the advertising account’s billing. Check it before entering a budget.
Permission / authorization
The specific work and spending the responsible person has allowed. Account access alone is not unlimited permission.
Demand Gen
A Google campaign type that can use video and other visual ads to encourage actions such as inquiries.
Target CPA
The average cost per chosen action you ask Google’s bidding system to aim for. It is not a hard price cap or a promise of a lead.
Conversion tracking
A way to record an agreed action, such as a successful form submission. Test activity must stay separate from real business results.
Learning status
A bidding system status while it adjusts. The label does not prove ads have appeared or explain every delivery problem.
Sources and the real AXL case

Platform guidance checked September 13, 2026. Google’s interface can vary by account. Use current settings and actual account evidence when they differ from a screenshot.

Documentation caveat: an older Demand Gen guide says Shorts-only targeting is unavailable, while the channel-controls guide explicitly supports it. Check the actual controls. Paid-view definitions also include qualifying interactions; not every TrueView view proves ten seconds of watching.

The historical AXL case: two Demand Gen campaigns, $250 total each, promoted a free guide to U.S. home-service owners. The primary action was a successful form submission. At the recovered September 13 morning check, both had zero reported impressions and spend. Tests verified form behavior, not paid lead acquisition. One bidding-status discrepancy remained unresolved. No later result is implied here.