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Home / PPC / How to Write Effective Facebook Ad Copy

How to Write Effective Facebook Ad Copy

July 31, 2020 By John E Lincoln

“Readers travel fast through this jungle. Your headline should telegraph what you want to say.”

How to write effective Facebook ad copy

What We’ll Cover:

  • 6 Tips for writing effective Facebook ad copy
    • Know your goal
    • Identify your targets
    • Tailor your ad copy
    • Keep the message short
    • Be specific
    • Use A/B testing
  • Great Facebook ad copy examples for all Facebook ad types

The quote above is by advertising icon David Ogilvy, talking about headlines back in 1963—but he might as well have been talking about social media in 2020.

Readers do travel fast through the jungle that is their Facebook feed, and if you don’t catch their attention, they’re gone. Plus, organic reach is down thanks to algorithm changes and updates.

That’s why you need compelling, unique, attention-grabbing Facebook ad copy.

More than 3 million businesses advertise on Facebook. But with the right understanding of copywriting best practices, Ads Manager tools, and Facebook ad copy templates, you can write ads that are worth the spend.

6 Tips for Writing Effective Facebook Ad Copy

Social media is a fast-paced world. It can seem like there’s a new Facebook ad copy template every month. But there are some best practices that you can apply to all templates—in all industries and for any audience.

Know Your Goal

To learn how to write effective Facebook ad copy, you must start with the goal and work backwards from there.

Do you want to sell more of a specific product? Get more leads for your sales team? Increase your page likes? Reach a wide audience to improve brand awareness?

Use your company’s internal insights to determine what effect you’d most like your Facebook ads to have.

If you don’t know your goal, you can’t possibly begin to write Facebook ad copy that achieves it.

Identify Your Target

Facebook is an interesting platform in that most users who see your ad aren’t actively looking for you. They’re not invested in making a purchase, and they may not have even heard of you before.

This means that the more you can customize your Facebook ad copy, the better.

Facebook has tons of tools to help you target the right people. Lifetime value and lookalike audiences can increase your conversions.

You can also target friends of people who like your page—there’s a chance they’ve heard of you through the grapevine. Or, target those who have attended an event or downloaded your app.

Tailor Your Copy

Now you have enough information to take your Facebook ad copy template and tailor it to your audience.

If you went with the “friends of people who like your page” approach, you can assume they have heard of you and use familiar, casual Facebook ad copy.

Testimonials can also be effective at targeting certain audiences.

For audiences who aren’t aware of your brand, a strong offer and value prop are must-haves. Powerful word choices like “shocking,” “instant,” and “hilarious,” will grab attention and drive interest.

Keep It Short

In today’s digital world, attention spans seem to be getting shorter and shorter. Your copy needs to grab the attention of people who are “just browsing” through their feed.

Most Facebook ad copy templates have the following specs:

  • Primary text (above image): 90 characters
  • Headline (bolded, below image): 25 characters
  • Link description (bottom): 30 characters

AdEspresso found that the best Facebook ad copy is 19 words in the primary text and five words in the headline.

Not all formats include each of these elements, but it’s always safe to assume that your Facebook ad copy should be short, sweet, and to the point.

Be Specific

At the core of all the best Facebook ad copy examples, you’ll always find a great offer. Always let the customer know: What do they get? What action should they take? What happens when they click?

The more detailed you can make your ad, the better. Add a feeling of exclusivity with phrases like “Only for first-time buyers” or “First 100 customers save.”

Include words that make your offer feel urgent, like “now,” “today,” or “limited-time.” Always use only one CTA.

Customers want to know what makes your offer different and how it benefits them. Make sure you’re fulfilling their needs.

Test, Test, Test

Conversion rate optimization is all about testing. That applies to Facebook ad copy, your website, email marketing, and anything else with words or images on it.

Luckily, Facebook Ads Manager comes with a split testing tool that’s ideal for A/B testing. You can test elements like CTAs, images or videos, ad formats, and more.

The tool will tell you who’s clicking on what, so you can determine what ads are resonating with your target audience.

Testing insights can help you tweak your copy to be even more relevant. That helps you get a better return on your ad spend. And that makes everyone happy.

The Best Facebook Ad Copy Examples for Every Format

While your Facebook ad copy will always follow certain guidelines, each type of ad is more effective for certain objectives.

The number of images, types of images—or video—and the Facebook ad copy template you’ll follow also differ for each ad format.

Here’s what you need to consider for each of the most popular Facebook ad formats.

Photo Ads

Photo ads are standard, one-frame ads with a single, static image. These are one of the most popular types of ad on Facebook—they’re easy to create, effective, and versatile.

The only problem? Standing out as your prospects scroll by.

Best for: Reach, traffic, lead generation, conversions

Top tip: Respect the scroll by making your value proposition and offer as clear as possible. Include copy in your image as well as your primary text to reinforce your message.

Source: Karola Karlson

 

Video Ads

Video ads follow the same format as photo ads, but use video instead of a static image. They’re all the rage, and for good reason: 67% of consumers worldwide watch video content on Facebook, and 54% say they’d like to see more videos from brands they like. Time to deliver.

Best for: Brand awareness, reach, engagement, traffic

Top tip: Up to 85% of Facebook video is watched without sound. Create a video with short, catchy copy so that sound isn’t needed.

Cubcoats-facebook-video-ad-copy

Source: AdEspresso

Slideshow Ads

Slideshow ads are like video ads, but instead of a continuous video, they use a series of static images.

They’re cost-effective and easier to create than video ads. There’s a slideshow creation tool in Ads Manager, and Facebook makes it simple to add text, music, and branded formats.

Best for: Brand awareness, reach, engagement, traffic

Top tip: Keep your primary text short and let your slides do the talking. Follow up with a catchy and clear CTA.

Source: Instapage

Carousel Ads

Want to showcase the variety of products your brand has available? Carousel ads show a series of up to 10 images or videos that users can scroll through.

They offer the opportunity to promote your value props through high-quality photos that perfectly capture your brand.

Best for: Product sales, lead generation, conversions

Top tip: Each image gets its own CTA and button. You can make them the same or different. They’re a great way to highlight different value props.

Floyd-facebook-carousel-ad

Source: HubSpot

Collection Ads

Collection ads have a photo or video at the top with a carousel-style feature showcasing various products. When a user clicks, they’re taken to a more immersive brand experience.

In one Facebook case study, a company saw more than 6X increase in daily purchases using collection ads.

Best for: Catalog sales, traffic, conversions

Top tip: Your image can’t include more than 20% text, and your headline should be 25 characters or less. Facebook ad copywriters take that as a challenge.

Dollar-Shave-Club-facebook-collection-ad

Source: HelloSocial

Lead Ads

Like other standard Facebook ads, lead ads use an image, video, or carousel, followed by a CTA. What sets them apart is that when a user clicks, it opens a form where businesses can collect information. You can use a Facebook template or customize your own fields.

Best for: Lead generation

Top tip: Build authority by using your Facebook ad copy to offer a thought leadership piece—and always include the word “free.”

Source: AdEspresso

Offer Ads

Offer ads are mobile-only and provide options to claim offers in-store and online. You can choose from a photo, video, or carousel format.

When a user clicks, they receive an offer code to redeem online or in-store. The best part? Facebook automatically reminds people to use their offers.

Best for: In-store and online product sales, remarketing

Top tip: Make sure your Facebook ad copy is both personalized and urgent. Offer plenty of details and add an expiration date or limited time for the offer.

James-Allen-Rings-facebook-offer-ad

Source: WebFX

 

Final Thoughts

There are so many Facebook ad copy templates available to businesses, it can sometimes seem overwhelming. To understand how to write effective Facebook ad copy, you need a solid foundation of best practices, detailed knowledge of your audience, and a good grasp of your overall goals. That will inform which ad format you choose.

From there, testing and refining your ads will provide the insights you need to consistently create Facebook ad copy that works for your brand.

About John E Lincoln

John Lincoln (MBA) is CEO of Ignite Visibility (a 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2020 Inc. 5000 company) a highly sought-after digital marketing strategist, industry speaker and author of two books, "The Forecaster Method" and "Digital Influencer." Over the course of his career, Lincoln has worked with over 1,000 online businesses ranging from small startups to amazing clients such as Office Depot, Tony Robbins, Morgan Stanley, Fox, USA Today, COX and The Knot World Wide. John Lincoln is the editor of the Ignite Visibility blog. While he is a contributor, he does not write all of the articles and in many cases he is supported to ensure timely content.

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About The Editor

John E Lincoln, CEO

John Lincoln is CEO of Ignite Visibility, one of the top digital marketing agencies in the nation and a 6x Inc. 5,000 company. Lincoln is consistently named one of the top marketing experts in the industry. He has been recipient of the Search Engine Land "Search Marketer of the Year" award, named the #1 SEO consultant in the USA by Clutch.co, most admired CEO and 40 under 40. Lincoln has written two books (The Forecaster Method and Digital Influencer) and made two movies (SEO: The Movie and Social Media Marketing: The Movie) on digital marketing. He is a digital marketing strategy adviser to some of the biggest names in business. John Lincoln is the editor of the Ignite Visibility blog. While he is a major contributor, he does not write all of the articles.

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