diff --git a/lib/ads/campaigns.ts b/lib/ads/campaigns.ts
index 04eea18..f14841c 100644
--- a/lib/ads/campaigns.ts
+++ b/lib/ads/campaigns.ts
@@ -16,7 +16,8 @@ import { parseCampaignRequest, domainOf, type CampaignRequest, type CampaignStat
 
 export { parseCampaignRequest, domainOf, type CampaignRequest, type CampaignStatus };
 import { getOrCreateDefaultOrg } from "@/lib/orgs";
-import { generateAdCreatives, cleanSummary, type AdCreative, type AdSummary } from "@/lib/ads/creative";
+import { generateAdCreatives, cleanSummary, creativesFromCopy, templateCopy, summaryDomain, type AdCreative, type AdSummary } from "@/lib/ads/creative";
+import { extractSiteBrand, type SiteBrand } from "@/lib/ads/brand";
 import { DEFAULT_BID_CREDITS } from "@/lib/ads/pricing";
 
 export type CampaignSummary = {
@@ -116,11 +117,24 @@ export async function createCampaignForUrl(input: {
     };
   }
 
-  let generated: Awaited<ReturnType<typeof generateAdCreatives>>;
+  let generated: { brand: SiteBrand; creatives: AdCreative[]; summary: AdSummary | null; provider: string };
   try {
     generated = await generateAdCreatives(request.url, { supabase: sb });
   } catch (err) {
-    return { ok: false, status: 502, error: err instanceof Error ? `Could not write ads for that URL: ${err.message}` : "Could not write ads for that URL." };
+    // No model with credit, or one that failed: the page's own words are the
+    // copy. A campaign that could not open would mean a post with no ad.
+    try {
+      const brand = await extractSiteBrand(request.url);
+      const copy = templateCopy(brand);
+      generated = {
+        brand,
+        creatives: creativesFromCopy(brand, copy, brand.ogImage),
+        summary: copy.summaryShort ? { short: cleanSummary(copy.summaryShort, 400), long: "", domain: summaryDomain(brand.url || request.url) } : null,
+        provider: `template (${err instanceof Error ? err.message.slice(0, 80) : "generator failed"})`,
+      };
+    } catch (inner) {
+      return { ok: false, status: 502, error: inner instanceof Error ? `Could not read that URL: ${inner.message}` : "Could not read that URL." };
+    }
   }
   if (!generated.creatives.length) return { ok: false, status: 502, error: "No creatives could be written for that URL." };
 
diff --git a/lib/ads/creative.ts b/lib/ads/creative.ts
index 872d57e..795475a 100644
--- a/lib/ads/creative.ts
+++ b/lib/ads/creative.ts
@@ -186,6 +186,49 @@ function buildUserPrompt(brand: SiteBrand): string {
     .join("\n");
 }
 
+/**
+ * Copy written from the page alone, with no model in the loop.
+ *
+ * The generator needs an AI provider with credit, and when both providers are
+ * out (a spend cap, an empty balance) every campaign created from the API or
+ * the CLI would fail — which for a campaign that opens itself the moment a
+ * blog post is published means the post runs no ad at all. A page's own title
+ * and description are honest copy: they are what the page says about itself.
+ * Not as sharp as generated copy, and editable in the dashboard like any
+ * other creative.
+ */
+export function templateCopy(brand: SiteBrand): AdCopy {
+  const clean = (s: string) => (s ?? "").replace(/\s+/g, " ").trim();
+  // "NicheDB — sources in, feeds out" → "NicheDB"; the tail is usually the site name or a tagline.
+  const title = clean(brand.title).split(/\s+[—–|·]\s+/)[0] || clean(brand.title) || brand.domain;
+  const headline = title.length > 48 ? `${title.slice(0, 47).replace(/\s+\S*$/, "")}` : title;
+  const shortWords = headline.split(" ").slice(0, 4).join(" ");
+  const shortHeadline = shortWords.length > 28 ? shortWords.slice(0, 28).replace(/\s+\S*$/, "") : shortWords;
+  const description = clean(brand.description) || clean(brand.text).split(/(?<=[.!?])\s+/)[0] || `Read more on ${brand.domain}.`;
+  const body = description.length > 130 ? `${description.slice(0, 129).replace(/\s+\S*$/, "")}…` : description;
+  const bgColor = brand.themeColor && HEX.test(brand.themeColor) ? brand.themeColor.toLowerCase() : "#0b0d10";
+  const accentColor = brand.palette.find((c) => HEX.test(c) && c.toLowerCase() !== bgColor) ?? "#6ee7b7";
+  return {
+    headline: headline || brand.domain,
+    shortHeadline: shortHeadline || headline.slice(0, 28) || brand.domain,
+    body,
+    ctaText: "Learn more",
+    bgColor,
+    fgColor: "#e7e9ee",
+    accentColor,
+    lightBgColor: null,
+    lightFgColor: null,
+    lightAccentColor: null,
+    summaryShort: clean(brand.description).slice(0, 400),
+    summaryLong: "",
+  } as unknown as AdCopy;
+}
+
+/** The generator's creative set from a copy set; exported for the template path. */
+export function creativesFromCopy(brand: SiteBrand, copy: AdCopy, heroUrl: string | null): AdCreative[] {
+  return copyToCreatives(brand, copy, heroUrl);
+}
+
 function copyToCreatives(brand: SiteBrand, copy: AdCopy, heroUrl: string | null): AdCreative[] {
   const bg = safeHex(copy.bgColor, brand.themeColor && HEX.test(brand.themeColor) ? brand.themeColor : "#0b0d10");
   const fg = safeHex(copy.fgColor, "#e7e9ee");
diff --git a/tests/ads-template-copy.test.ts b/tests/ads-template-copy.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..b027bf1
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/ads-template-copy.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,51 @@
+import { describe, expect, it } from "vitest";
+import { templateCopy, creativesFromCopy, AD_FORMAT_IDS } from "@/lib/ads/creative";
+import type { SiteBrand } from "@/lib/ads/brand";
+
+const brand: SiteBrand = {
+  url: "https://nichedb.dev/",
+  domain: "nichedb.dev",
+  title: "NicheDB — sources in, feeds out",
+  description: "An open, ever-growing database of real-time data. Follow a feed, get told. Web, RSS, API, CLI and MCP.",
+  text: "NicheDB is a platform for databases that only ever grow.",
+  logoUrl: null,
+  ogImage: "https://nichedb.dev/icons/icon-512x512.png",
+  themeColor: "#12161f",
+  palette: ["#12161f", "#6ee7b7", "#ffffff"],
+};
+
+describe("template copy, for when no model has credit", () => {
+  it("is the page's own words, within the creative limits", () => {
+    const copy = templateCopy(brand);
+    expect(copy.headline).toBe("NicheDB");
+    expect(copy.shortHeadline).toBe("NicheDB");
+    expect(copy.body.length).toBeLessThanOrEqual(130);
+    expect(copy.body.startsWith("An open, ever-growing database")).toBe(true);
+    expect(copy.ctaText).toBe("Learn more");
+    expect(copy.bgColor).toBe("#12161f");
+    // The accent is the first palette colour that is not the background.
+    expect(copy.accentColor).toBe("#6ee7b7");
+    expect(copy.summaryShort).toBe(brand.description);
+  });
+
+  it("clips a long title on a word and falls back to the domain", () => {
+    const long = templateCopy({ ...brand, title: "A very long page title that keeps going well past the headline limit for banners" });
+    expect(long.headline.length).toBeLessThanOrEqual(48);
+    expect(long.headline.endsWith(" ")).toBe(false);
+    expect(long.shortHeadline.split(" ").length).toBeLessThanOrEqual(4);
+    const bare = templateCopy({ ...brand, title: "", description: "", text: "", themeColor: null, palette: [] });
+    expect(bare.headline).toBe("nichedb.dev");
+    expect(bare.body).toBe("Read more on nichedb.dev.");
+    expect(bare.bgColor).toBe("#0b0d10");
+  });
+
+  it("yields one creative per format, with the page image as the hero", () => {
+    const creatives = creativesFromCopy(brand, templateCopy(brand), brand.ogImage);
+    expect(creatives.map((c) => c.format)).toEqual(AD_FORMAT_IDS);
+    for (const creative of creatives) {
+      expect(creative.imageUrl).toBe(brand.ogImage);
+      expect(creative.headline.length).toBeGreaterThan(0);
+      expect(creative.lightBgColor).toBeTruthy();
+    }
+  });
+});