Instacart ads: submit creative 3 days early, batch the clips

Instacart's display creative page says to submit creative at least 3 days before the launch date. For a holiday launch, count back from the start date, keep a buffer for a rejected file, and queue the product creative as one bulk run so every SKU is generated in the same pass.

Instacart's rule is from its display creative page, read 2026-10-01. Sume facts are from Bulk runs.

How do I count back from the launch date?

Three days is the minimum, not the plan. A workable order is: generate, review each file against Instacart's size and file-size limits, fix failures, then submit. If the launch is on the 20th, aim to submit on the 14th so a round of fixes still lands before the 17th.

How do I queue the batch?

One POST /v1/formats/{handle}/{slug}/bulk-runs request takes 1 to 100 items and a required concurrency of 1 to 16. You poll one GET /v1/format-run-queues/{queue_id} and branch on counts.failed, because a completed queue means every item is terminal, not that every item worked. There is no queue cancel and no queue webhook.

curl -sS -X POST "https://api.sume.com/v1/formats/YOUR_HANDLE/grocery-ad/bulk-runs" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $SUME_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -H "Idempotency-Key: $(uuidgen)" \
  -d '{
    "concurrency": 4,
    "items": [
      { "instruction": "sauce jar 16:9", "input": { "url": "https://example.com/sauce.jpg" } },
      { "instruction": "pasta box 16:9", "input": { "url": "https://example.com/pasta.jpg" } }
    ]
  }'

What still needs a human?

Compare each generated picture with the real product, since an ad that misstates the item is the part nobody can automate. Then confirm the current dates and limits on Instacart's page before you submit.