# How to Run Paid Ads Without an Agency: Revnu Builds, Tests and Measures Them

> Revnu runs ads on Google, LinkedIn, X, Reddit, Microsoft and TikTok from your own accounts. It tests them, measures outcomes and asks before it spends.

Canonical: https://revnu.com/use-cases/paid-ads-without-an-agency
Published October 15, 2026 by Art Freebrey, Co-founder, Revnu

Connect your ad account and Revnu writes the ads, builds them paused, and launches tests once you approve a budget. It replaces what loses, keeps what works and tells you what each booked call, trial or purchase cost. The spend goes on your own ad account, and it never moves without your yes.

## What do founders ask for?

- "Run Google search ads for people looking for an alternative to our biggest competitor."
- "Test LinkedIn ads to heads of finance with a $30 a day budget."
- "Our agency charges a retainer and sends a PDF once a month. Can you just run this?"
- "Which ad actually got us the booked calls?"

## How does Revnu run your ads?

1. **You connect an ad account.** Go to Connections > Advertise. You can connect Google Ads, LinkedIn Ads, X Ads, Reddit Ads, Microsoft Ads and TikTok Ads yourself. On Google, google may warn that it hasn't verified Revnu yet. Choose Advanced, then the link to continue to Revnu. Nothing launches or spends without your yes. LinkedIn Ads needs the person connecting to be an admin of your company page.
2. **You tell Revnu what counts.** Install the Revnu Tag and pick your outcomes in Ads > Revnu Tag: a purchase, a trial start or a booked call. Cal.com and Calendly bookings can count as booked calls.
3. **It writes and builds the ads.** Copy, targeting and keywords come from your Memory and what's already working in your other channels. Campaigns are built paused in your ad account.
4. **You approve a budget.** A monthly budget across every channel, and a test budget for experiments. Nothing spends before that.
5. **It runs tests and judges them on outcomes.** Revnu compares ads on the outcomes you chose, not on clicks alone, and replaces losing tests inside the test budget.
6. **It pauses at your budget.** When the spend the platforms report reaches your monthly budget, Revnu pauses everything.

## What waits for your approval?

- **Every budget and every budget change.** Spend always waits, whatever your settings say.
- **Launching and swapping tests,** if Ad Tests is set to Ask Me First in Settings > Agent. That is the default on Pro. Switch it to Just Do It and Revnu swaps tests inside the test budget you already approved.

## What can't Revnu do here?

- **Meta is a pilot.** Meta (Facebook and Instagram) ads are in a pilot: only accounts on the pilot list can connect them.
- **Microsoft is Search only.** No Microsoft display or audience campaigns.
- **No white label or multi-client console.** One Revnu account runs one business.
- **No landing page builder.** Revnu can suggest page changes, and open a pull request if you connect GitHub, but it doesn't build or A/B test landing pages.
- **No spend on Revnu's card.** Ad spend is always billed by the platform to your account.

## What will you see?

- **Ads > Campaigns** lists every campaign, live or paused, with its spend.
- **Ads > Analytics** shows spend and outcomes over time.
- **Ads > Revnu Tag** shows whether the tag is installed and which outcomes count.
- **Revnu's updates** in Slack, iMessage or chat say what it launched, what it paused and why.

## Next step

Read [how Revnu runs and judges your ads](/docs/how-revnu-runs-ads), [ad budgets, spend approval and who pays](/docs/ad-budgets) and [set up outcomes](/docs/set-up-outcomes). If Meta is your main channel, read [Meta ads](/docs/meta-ads) first. Then [start with your website](/sign-up).

## Frequently asked questions

### Which ad platforms does Revnu run?

Every customer can connect Google Ads, LinkedIn Ads, X Ads, Reddit Ads, Microsoft Ads and TikTok Ads in Connections > Advertise. Microsoft Ads runs Search campaigns only. Meta (Facebook and Instagram) ads are in a pilot: only accounts on the pilot list can connect them.

### Who pays for the ad spend?

You do, directly. Revnu asks before it sets or changes an ad budget, and spend is billed to your own ad account. Revnu's plan price doesn't include ad spend, and Revnu takes no percentage of it.

### Will Revnu spend money without asking?

No. Budgets always wait for your approval. You approve a monthly budget and a test budget. Inside the test budget, Revnu replaces a losing test with a new one only if Ad Tests is set to Just Do It in Settings > Agent; on the default, Ask Me First, it prepares the replacement paused and asks. Revnu pauses everything when the spend the platforms report reaches your monthly budget.

### Can an agency use Revnu for several clients?

Yes, with one Revnu account per client. Each account is one business, with its own ad accounts, budget and Memory.