In talking with one of my clients today about her ads, I wanted to share a few helpful tips on crafting good Facebook ad copy. When it comes to creating your copy for an ad, the first thing to keep in mind is to keep it short and sweet. Not only do you have limited time to catch and maintain someone’s attention on social media, but Facebook has preferences and best practices designed for their platform.
Here is a super helpful graphic I found showing how an ad will look once it’s running that we will use to discuss our ad copy.
Now that we have a basic understanding of a Facebook ad’s anatomy let’s break it down further. Starting with the “Text” section, you will see there is a short, catchy sentence. This section should contain no more than 14 words to perform best on Facebook. This statement should catch the attention of the viewer and elicit a response. Most often, it will cause curiosity to draw the eyes down through the rest of the ad. This statement should also be helping to solve the consumer’s problem. In this case, it is to help customers save money while shopping in one place.
Moving down the ad sample, let’s touch on the ad image. When deciding whether to include text or graphics in your image, remember that less is more. Just like the text section discussed above, there is a threshold of acceptable text recommended on an image. A good rule to follow would be to use your logo only on the image or a 4-5 word call to action (CTA) with a CTA button graphic on the image.
Next, let’s discuss the headline and description section. The headline is a CTA or short statement moving them to engage with the ad. You should use no more than five words in this section. The description is your longest section but should still reiterate the problem you are solving for the consumer and what action to take to solve said problem. Use no more than 18 words here. If you include too many words, you will not be able to read it all as it will be cut off on the ad.
Lastly, you have your CTA button. While this is not a copy thing per se, it is essential for people to have a button to click on and that you select the most appropriate one for your ad.
As you craft your copy for your ads, you may feel like you are repeating yourself throughout this ad copy creation, and in a way, you are. However, saying your message in a couple of different ways ensures that your intended message is being received. Some people may only see the image, some may only see the headline, while others may read the entire ad. The point is to provide adequate information for your audience despite their various social media viewing habits. As mentioned, the goal is to get people to take action on your ad. Therefore, leaving a little mystery and reason to act on your ads will be vital to their success.
