How to Write Facebook Ad Copy That Converts

Why Does Writing Good Facebook Copy Matter?

In the digital marketing space, Facebook has quickly become an advertising monster because of its rich user base and wide variety of ad types and advanced targeting. Not only does it have amazing targeting tactics, but it opened up a whole new world of advertising by creating a platform in which users can connect with advertisements similar to how they connect with their friends’ posts. In fact, a study shows that 17% of all of Facebook’s users solely use it for following brands and companies. Writing copy that speaks your audience’s language is extremely important to creating a successful campaign, and when utilized correctly, can increase your results ten fold. So let’s jump into the world of how to write amazing Facebook copy for your business.

It’s time to start writing copy for your ad, where do you start?

Speak Your Audiences Language

The success of your ad copy comes down to how effectively you can get your offer across while speaking the language of your target audience. So what do you do first? Figure out who you are speaking to! If you are writing for an older audience, speak well put together and straight to the point. If your audience is younger, use more emojis, exclamation marks and even add in some hip lingo. People will trust your ad if they relate to it, and that starts with how you are delivering your message.

Fit In With Facebook

The last thing you want to do is stick out like a sore thumb as a run of the mill advertisement. Think about how many times you actually paid attention to a blatantly obvious advertisement on a website. We are trained to block out the ads, so what is the best way to get the users actual attention? Don’t look like an advertisement! This goes in line with speaking your audience’s language but in general you want it to sound like a post from a friend. Using more casual language works much better than professional language on Facebook ads.

Be Authoritative & Talk To The User

In order to drive action out of your target audience, you need to point them in that direction directly with no fluff. Once you capture the users attention you need to quickly peak their interest and drive action as fast as possible. So never use a passive voice, and talk directly to them to get your point across in the shortest amount of space possible. Otherwise, your audience will lose interest and keep scrolling even if your product is perfect for them. So make sure you get personal with them and drive them to the next step quickly. Here is an example of a headline that talks to the user and is authoritative.

Now that you know the basics on how to approach writing your copy, let’s get into some specifics on how to hone in your copywriting skills. There are 3 different parts of Facebook copy that all serve different purposes. There is the “Body Text,” the “Headline,” and the “Description.”

Each part serves a different purpose and has its own unique way of bringing the user to the end goal of clicking on your website and buying your product.

The Headline

The headline is the most important part of your ad, it is the Call To Action (or CTA). This part tells the user what to do and what they are getting if they click on your ad. This needs to be the most authoritative line in your ad copy because it is the final piece the user will read before deciding to click or not. So here are our best tips on putting together a kickass headline.

Focus On What THEY Get

What is your offer? What value will the user get by clicking on the ad? This needs to be extraordinarily clear in your headline because this tells them what they are getting! Boil down everything to what the value is of what you are offering, and then make that the absolute main theme of the headline. If you are vague or confusing, your potential customer is way less likely to click on the ad.

Keep It Short

If your headline surpasses the limit to what a user can see in a mobile placement, then you have already lost before the game even started. You need to make sure that you are directing the user effectively in the shortest amount of space possible so they can easily get the point.

Use Emojis Or Eye Catchers

Using external characters is a great way to have your headline stand out and not be missed. Using an emoji can help catch the eye of the user and make sure that they read the full headline. You can also use them to point towards the next step. Here is an example of using the emojis to draw attention and drive action out of the user.

Things To Keep In Mind

You always want to test different kinds of headlines to see which connects with your audience the best, but here are some quick tips to try out when writing your headlines!

• Use Empathy
• Make A Promise
• Use Urgency
• Make A Statement

The Body Text

The body text is the poster child of Facebook copy, it is the text that appears first above your media and it has the most customization and options out of any other part of your copy. It’s sole purpose is to lead people down to the headline, and it is also the first thing people read when looking at your ad. It needs to capture the users attention and it needs to connect with them. There are three types of body text, long copy, medium copy, and short copy. Which one you use comes down to what works the best with your audience through testing. But regardless of these three styles the first sentence is ALWAYS the Hook.

What Is The Hook?

The hook is the very first thing people read, so it needs to do exactly what it sounds like… hook them in. There are different ways to do this but here are some examples of hooks and why they work

Callout Your Audience

A great way to do this is by proposing a question. Here is an example: “Looking for a sweet new SUV?

Kill Something Off

The strategy of this is to make a statement that catches people off guard and brings them in to learn more. Here is an example: “Long gone are the days of high monthly payments.”

Paint A Picture

Visualizations work great for creating a scenario in which the user gets excited about the idea of getting your product. Here is an example: “Imagine riding down the highway in your powerful new Mercedes on a beautiful summer day.”

Be Bold

This one explains itself, you want to assert power in your statement by saying big things about your product. Here is an example: “Luxury. Power. Performance. Show off your presence in the new 2021 Cadillac Escalade”

How To Pick A Hook

The first thing you want to do is figure out what problem your ad is solving and who your audience is, and then connect that to people by focusing on the things you deem important. For example, for this Patterson Nissan “Trade Event”, we used the first sentence to paint a picture of a perfect scenario for our customer: “What if you could pay less for the newer, better version of your car?” – This solved the problem of high monthly payments, and also includes the benefit of getting a new car – while also calling out the target audience and utilizing the visualization strategy.

(Side Tip: Notice how the copy all fits the top part BEFORE the “…see more” cutoff? Just like with Headlines, the Hook needs to be seen before it gets cut off. You can also use the “…see more” as an enticer so they can read what comes next!)

Okay, you’ve made the perfect Hook. What comes next?

Now that you have them enticed, it’s time to show them the true value of what they are getting. Some will go straight to the Headline after they read your hook, but others want more information before getting convinced. The next step is to lay out the details or offer points that enhance your overall message. A good way to lay out your benefits is with the use of emojis. Here is an example:

You can see here how the emojis clearly communicate what exactly the user is going to get from the offer. This is a good way to be concise and clear while also utilizing social media type language.

Testing Is Key!

Everything we have laid out so far is the foundation, but your data is your guidebook. If you have your hook locked in, testing out different ways to get your message across is the best way to find out what connects with your audience the most. So get creative and try things out!

The Description

The description is very similar to the ad text, but it appears under the headline and only in some placements. It is the least valuable part of your copy because it doesn’t appear on Mobile placements which will be 90% of your traffic. But regardless, you can use it in a number of ways to boost your message. In some cases, you can use it as a sub headline that intertwines with your headline. See example below:

You can also use the description simply just to “describe” your business, or place-hold your slogan. Or you can use it to explain what your offer is on a more broad level. For example if your headline states “Get $500 Dollars Off 2021 Nissan Rogue” then the description could state “Spring Sales Event is Now Live!” In general, the description is a little bonus you can use to add some spice to your ad, so experiment with it and test new things!

Practice Makes Perfect

Nobody becomes an expert copywriter overnight, but the more you test your ideas and see the results, the better you will become! Now that you have a solid foundation on how to approach copywriting and how to translate that to the different elements of the Facebook ad, it’s time to try testing things out for yourself. If there is one thing to take away from this post, it’s that you need to connect with your audience, so do the research to make sure you know who you are speaking to!