Good Facebook and Instagram ad copy can make all the difference in how successful your ad campaign is. Better copy will get you more of the results you want. What makes good copy? There are a few things that come together to make a post clickable.
1. Always, always test.
So often I’ve watched people let their assumptions about what kind of copy is “good” drive their actions in their Facebook and Instagram ad copy. In reality, what your creative brain thinks is “good” may not get you the results that you want. That’s why my first piece of advice is that you should always test your copy. Lots of people like to test short and long copy. Other people will create two pieces of long copy and test the hook at the beginning. (More about “the hook” below.) The key is that you want to put two versions in front of your audience to see how they respond and learn from their response. Don’t waste your ad dollars on a guess, or worse, your arrogant presumption about what works best. It does not “cost extra” to test words and images on Facebook. Take advantage of that and learn everything you can.
2. Pay attention to the first 3 lines.
We call the first three lines of copy “the hook.” It’s possibly the most crucial part of your ad because it is the only part of your ad copy that most people will see. When Facebook & Instagram are showing your ad, they will only show the first 3 lines of your copy. People have to click “read more” in order to see all of the ad text. This means that you want your first three lines to absolutely grab the reader. You want those first three lines to be so intriguing that people can’t help but click that “Read More” button to continue on. Good hooks are compelling often because they are shocking: shockingly honest, shockingly contrary, shockingly factual.
3. Use 4th-grade language. No jargon.
This one is tough. We spent 12-20 years in school learning how to show off our large vocabularies. “Use colorful language,” your creative writing teacher said. “Use the correct terminology,” your science instructor said. When it comes to ad copy, you have to throw all of that advice out the window. The fact is, you want your ad copy to be as understandable as possible. You do not want it to be hard to read or understand. You want your ad copy so simple that a 4th grader could read it and understand it.
This is not the place to use your fancy words to show off how much you know. It’s also not the place to talk about your unique product with a clever name. Your fancy, industry-specific words and your cleverly named product will mean nothing to the random person who may see your ad on Facebook or Instagram. Simple, understandable words make the best Facebook and Instagram ad copy. Use clear, easy-to-read words to help people understand how you can help them solve their problem when they click.
4. Short copy or long copy? Consider the purpose of the ad.
I’m not going to make too many grand, sweeping statements because I don’t want to negate my commitment to testing ad copy. I will, however, say that most Facebook ads strategists who have tested short versus long copy (myself included) have found that longer copy generally gets better results.
It’s also important to consider the purpose of the ad. Short copy might get more clicks (which is good if you’re looking for content awareness or page views) but longer copy tends to get more of the right clicks, and therefore more people who are ready to take action. For that reason, I will almost always use long copy for lead generation because I want more than just a click. I want an email address and perhaps even a purchase.
For sales/retargeting ads, I’ll sometimes use short or long copy. I usually base that decision on how warm or cold the audience I’m targeting is. The warmer they are, the more inclined I am to use short copy. When the audience is very warm, the purpose of the retargeting ad is to simply remind them to take action. You don’t need a lot of copy to do that.
5. Consider spacing.
You want your Facebook and Instagram ad copy to be super easy to read. People who are using social media are using it for relaxation and entertainment. They don’t want to work hard. If you make them work hard, they will generally ignore your content. Spacing your copy so that it is easier to read makes it more likely that people will read and engage with your ad. This is easier to do on Facebook than on Instagram. Find my tips for effective Instagram formatting here. The tips below are true for both Facebook and Instagram ad copy.
- Use bullets to highlight value and break up larger blocks of text.
- Use emojis in your writing to help break apart the text ad make it easier to read.
- Some people use emojis as bullet points.
- Create paragraphs. Shorter paragraphs are acceptable on social media.
6. Make sure the text fits in the space it’s intended for.
The main post area, the headline, and the link description are all editable on a Facebook ad. They also all have character limits (more details here.) Facebook & Instagram won’t let your break the character limits, but there are some times (especially when it comes to the headline and the link description) when Instagram and Facebook will allow you to write text that is longer than it should be. You don’t want your headline or your link description to get cut off. Always use the preview tool to make sure that all of your headline appears on the ad. If your headline is very long, it will use the space allotted for the link description. If it is even longer than that, it will be cut off.
7. Follow Facebook’s Content Guidelines
Facebook and Instagram have some very strict guidelines about what you are and are not allowed to promote with ads. If you break those rules, Facebook will not run your ad. If you break those rules too many times, Facebook will take away your ability to advertise. You could lose your ad account or your Facebook profile. Take some time to get to know the rules posted here and make sure you’re following them in your copy. When my clients have their ads declined, it is most often because Facebook believes they have broken one of these rules.
Want more tips to help you write your Facebook and Instagram Ad copy? ? Download my Ultimate Guide to Facebook & Instagram Ad copy! It’s free and you can grab it here!
