Facebook and Instagram Ad Copy Tips

Not sure where to start when it comes to writing ad copy for Facebook and Instagram ads? Start here with these ad copy tips.

Keep it Positive

People come to social media to feel good, and Facebook and Instagram want to make sure the ads they are seeing support that. Your ads shouldn’t remind people of the bad things in their lives—how broke, overweight or dumb they are. 🙂 If you use a negative or “scare-tactic” approach in your ads, you will either have your ads rejected, or will see higher costs.

If you’re experiencing this, try minimizing the pain points you speak to and get creative with them instead. Or switch to a more positive approach altogether.

Visit Facebook’s Ad Library For Inspiration

The Ad Library provides advertising transparency by offering a comprehensive, searchable collection of all ads currently running from across Facebook products, including Instagram. Anyone can explore the Library, with or without a Facebook or Instagram account. You can access all active ads, even ones that may not have been shown to you because you weren’t part of an advertiser’s intended audience.

See what ad copy industry leaders are using, as well as your competition. Take inspiration from those ads and the strategies behind them, but be sure to make your ads uniquely yours.

AVOID THESE WORDS IN YOUR AD COPY

Facebook can be really picky when it comes to the language you use in your ads. If you have an ad rejected for unclear reasons, check your copy and see if you are using any of these words:

KEEP IT CONVERSATIONAL

Be yourself and write your ad copy the way you would talk to a customer or client. Ad copy that sounds like you will attract your ideal audience better and convert better.

CALL THEM TO ACTION

Always include a call to action at the end of your ad. Don’t assume your audience will know what you want them to do. Make it clear, and straightforward. Want more on what a good call to action looks like? Read this.

TEST DIFFERENT COPY LENGTHS

If you have the budget to do some testing, keep everything about an ad the same, but change the length of the ad copy you use. Test short, medium and long variations:

Short: As of today, you can only see the first 3 lines of copy in an ad before you have to click to read more. Make bold statements (try using emojis) to hook the reader in.

Medium: Medium length copy is best when kept concise and light. What’s the offer? And what’s the benefit. These should be addressed with some teaser language.

Long: These ads are designed to tell a story and are 3 or more paragraphs long. Only use long ad copy if you have something interesting and valuable to share. Don’t ramble on, and keep the reader interested.

YOUR PERFECT AD HEADLINE FORMULA

You have to grab your audience’s attention with your headline, or they won’t even make it to read your ad copy. When concepting headlines, write out as many as you can think of. Don’t just go with the first one you come up with. As you brainstorm headlines, you’ll come up with more options and can settle on the best ones.

To really knock the headline ball out of the park, your ad copy needs to have 3 key components.

Grab attention + Spark Curiosity + Make Them Want More

Some ways to accomplish this:

• Ask a question
• Create an element of surprise. Tease what is in store when they click through. “5 things I learned from…”. “The top 10….”. “The best way to get….”
• Problem + A Solution. Example: “3 Reasons Your Ads Aren’t Converting and How To Fix Them”.