A template collection is how your Hunch templates reach Meta. Each collection takes the products from your Hunch catalog, applies your image templates (and video templates, if you have CPV) to them, and syncs the result to Meta, either as a new catalog or into an existing Meta catalog you've claimed. You then use that catalog in your campaigns and add ads to it with Connect Ads.

In Hunch Light, template collections are available for Meta only.

You don't need a plan to build templates. Anyone can create and edit image and video templates, and the plan only applies once you put them in a collection.

A Hunch catalog can have any number of template collections. If the Hunch catalog was claimed, only one of its collections can be assigned to the claimed Meta catalog.

A collection belongs to the Hunch catalog it was created in. It only uses that catalog's products, and it's only offered in Connect Ads when you open Connect Ads from that catalog.

Give every template all three artboards. When an artboard is missing, Meta fills the gap with automatic cropping, which can zoom in on your products. For Story artboards, keep prices, logos and other key elements away from the top and bottom edges, where Meta places its own interface.

There's no draft stage. As soon as you create a collection, it's published and starts syncing to Meta. If your Hunch catalog is claimed: the first time you publish a template, and at least one template collection exists, a pop-up appears that lets you assign the published template to your output.

Each ad uses one image template (and one video template, with CPV) from the collection. To test templates against each other, create one ad per template in the same ad set.

Collections sync to Meta in two stages:

How much is sent depends on what changed:

Syncing runs on the schedule you set: hourly, daily or weekly. You can change the schedule in your catalog's Settings. You can also run a manual sync whenever you need one.

After a full update, Meta needs time to fetch all the new images and videos, so ads can show the previous design for a while. With large catalogs, avoid editing templates just before or during important sales periods, and make template changes early enough for Meta to catch up.

With CPV, Hunch creates each video when it's needed, not for the whole catalog upfront. See Video ads with CPV.

Product sets are published to Meta from Hunch.

Manage your product sets in Hunch only. Product sets created directly in Meta on the collection's catalog are left alone, but you can't reach them from Hunch. When you claim a catalog, its eligible product sets are brought into Hunch, and from then on Hunch keeps them updated the same way: changes made to them in Meta are overwritten. Product sets created in Meta after the claim aren't brought into Hunch. To add a new set, create it in Hunch. For more on creating product sets, see Product sets and Smart sets.

You can delete a collection once none of its templates are used in a delivering ad. Pause those ads first.

When you delete a collection:

If your collection created its own catalog, a new collection means a new catalog. The same applies to claimed catalogs: once you delete the collection assigned to a claimed catalog, a new collection can't be assigned to it. Hunch also stops syncing the claimed catalog, so replace its data source in Meta to keep it up to date. See Claiming an existing Meta catalog.

Catalog sales campaigns can't switch catalogs, because Meta sets their catalog at campaign level. To keep using Hunch templates in a catalog sales campaign after deleting a collection, create a new collection and a new campaign that uses its catalog.

If you switch from Template Collections to Enriched Feeds or cancel, your collections stop syncing at the end of your billing period. If a payment fails, they stop once payment retries run out. They aren't deleted in Hunch or Meta, and your ads stay in Meta, but product data such as prices and availability is no longer updated and can go out of date. Paused collections can't be edited, but you can still delete them.

If CPV ends but you stay on Template Collections, your collections keep syncing without their videos. See Video ads with CPV.

See How downgrades work, Turning off add-ons, Cancelling your subscription and Why is syncing paused?.

Can I use one collection for several campaigns? Yes. You can add Hunch ads to any catalog sales campaign that uses the collection's catalog, and to campaigns with other objectives or without a catalog set at campaign level.

Can I mix image and video templates in one ad? Yes, with CPV. Connect Ads puts the image and video template you choose into a single ad.

Can I use a template collection on Snapchat or TikTok? No. Template collections are available for Meta only. For Snapchat, TikTok, Pinterest and Reddit, use enriched feeds, which apply one template across your whole catalog. If you're interested in other advanced features, email us at [email protected] to hear more about what Hunch can do.

Does editing a template change my ads in Meta? The ads aren't edited, but they show the new design once the collection has synced, because they read their creative from the catalog. Since the ad itself doesn't change, updating a template doesn't send it back into the learning phase, so you keep the full benefit of Meta's delivery optimisation.