MARKETING STUDIO SETUP GUIDE
Set up Google Gemini (AI Studio) for Marketing Studio
Create an account, add credit, make a key, set a spending limit and paste the key into your site.
1. What it does in Marketing Studio
Text captions: yes. AI photos: yes, needs billing. Product scenes (Pro): yes, needs billing. Video through Veo (Pro): yes, needs billing. Text and images are in the free plugin. In Marketing Studio choose the preset “Google Gemini”; the same key is used for Veo video. One key does everything once billing is switched on. In AIPF’s own tests on 17 October 2026 on a new account, the default model gemini-flash-latest worked, image generation and editing (gemini-2.5-flash-image) worked with billing on, and Veo 3.1 Lite video (Pro) worked with billing on. The older text models gemini-2.5-flash and gemini-2.5-pro answered “no longer available to new users”, so leave the model on the default.
2. Create an account
Sign in to Google AI Studio with a Google account. AI Studio creates a default Google Cloud project for you after you accept the terms.
Google AI Studio ↗3. Billing, credit and free tier
There is a free tier. It covers text only. Images, image edits and Veo video need billing. Gemini API billing is prepay: in AI Studio open the Billing page and choose Buy credits (the minimum purchase is $5 per Google’s documentation). Setting up billing links a Google Cloud billing account to your project. When the credit balance reaches zero, requests fail with an HTTP 402 error and the keys stop working until you add credits. Google Cloud’s USD 300 free trial does not pay for the Gemini API: Google’s billing FAQ says the Google Cloud free trial and welcome credit cannot be used towards the Gemini API or AI Studio. In AIPF’s test, calls failed with 402 “prepayment credits are depleted” until credits were bought. Activating Gemini billing upgrades a trial billing account to a paid account (Google’s dialog says so); the trial credit still applies to other Google Cloud products, but not to the Gemini API. Prompts and responses on the free tier may be used to improve Google products; Google says paid usage is not.
Gemini API billing ↗ Google Cloud free trial ↗4. Create an API key
Open the API key page in AI Studio and create a key. New keys for the Gemini API are bound to a Google Cloud service account: if you create the key in the Google Cloud console instead, go to Credentials, choose Create credentials > API key, restrict the key to the Gemini API, and choose or create a service account. Such a key may start with “AQ.” instead of “AIza”; both forms are normal. Google says keys created in AI Studio since 28 May 2026 are authorization keys, restricted to the Generative Language (Gemini) API by default. Copy the key and keep it private.
Get an API key ↗ Using Gemini API keys ↗5. Set a hard spending limit at the provider
Google offers two ways to cap spending. In Google Cloud Billing, open Budgets & caps and create a budget with Spend cap enforcement: choose one project and the Gemini API service, with a monthly time range. When the cap is enforced, new requests to that service are paused until you lift the cap. Google warns that enforcement is not instant and works from estimated costs, so set the cap a little lower than the amount you can afford. AI Studio also has a project Monthly spend cap on its Spend page (Edit spend cap), which Google labels experimental, with about ten minutes of delay. Also turn off auto-reload in the AI Studio Billing page, so the prepaid balance cannot refill itself; the balance is then a second hard limit. Alert-only budgets do not stop spending.
Spend caps in Google Cloud Billing ↗ Gemini API billing and spend caps ↗6. Paste the key into Marketing Studio
In WordPress go to Marketing Studio > Settings > AI, turn on AI captions, choose the provider preset named above, paste the key into the API key field and save. Marketing Studio stores the key on your own website and sends requests straight from your site to the provider. Nothing is sent to us. You can also change settings from inside the Studio: choose the gear “Settings” in the left rail, or the ••• menu and then Settings.
7. Where your data is processed
Google operates worldwide and the Gemini API terms do not commit to a particular processing location. On the free tier Google may use your content to improve its products; paid services are treated differently. Read the terms for the details that apply to you.
Gemini API additional terms ↗ Google privacy policy ↗8. What it costs
Prices depend on the model, and image and video generation cost more than text. See Google’s pricing page.
Gemini API pricing ↗Checked against the provider’s own documentation on 17 October 2026. Provider pages and labels change; if a label differs, look for the nearest equivalent.
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