Copywriting 101: How to Write a Facebook Ad That Sells

Are you ready to learn the art of advertising copywriting? Writing a high-converting Facebook Ad copy can feel like rocket science sometimes, but using the right combination of words and visuals can draw customers in, encourage conversions and incite them to take immediate action.

In this blog post, we'll cover everything you need to know on how to write a Facebook Ad that sells, from crafting catchy headlines to building an effective ad that turns browsers into buyers! With this comprehensive guide at your side, you'll have all the tools necessary for success in no time. So, if you're ready to up your copywriting game, read on!!.

But, Does Facebook Ad Copywriting Really Matter?

Facebook is a behemoth when it comes to advertising. With over 2 billion active Facebook users, it's no wonder that businesses flock to the platform to get their products and services in front of potential customers. But with so many ads out there, how can you make sure yours stands out from the crowd? This is where copywriting for Facebook ads becomes crucial.

Copywriting is like the seasoning to your delicious meal. Sure, the main course may be savory enough, but a little sprinkle of spices can make all the difference. The same goes for your Facebook ads. A solid visual and a great offer may catch someone's eye, but it's the words that reel them in.

In this sense, the right copy can help capture the attention of potential customers and draw them in to learn more about what you have to offer. As such, creating engaging and creative copy that emphasizes the benefits and features of your product or service can have a direct impact on the success of your ad campaign. 

What Do You Need BEFORE You Write Successful Facebook Ads?

Writing successful Facebook ads requires a few key ingredients. Here are our quick tips to write Facebook ad copy before getting into the specifics: 

1. Know your target audience

Knowing your target audience before writing a Facebook ad is vital. It's like picking the right outfit for a first date; you want to make a good first impression. You wouldn't show up to a fancy dinner in sweatpants and a t-shirt, just like you wouldn't sell ice cream to someone who's lactose intolerant. 

By understanding who your audience is and what they're interested in, you can tailor your message and make sure it resonates with them. Plus, it can save you from the embarrassment of your ad being like a bad pick-up line: ignored, deleted, or even worse, reported. 

So, ask yourself:  Who am I talking to? What are their interests and pain points? Once you have a clear picture of who you're speaking to, you can craft a message that resonates with them. You can even use Facebook Audience Targeting to narrow down your audience. 

2. Understand your campaign goals

When it comes to writing a Facebook ad, knowing your campaign goals is like having a map before going on a road trip. You could just hit the gas and hope for the best, but chances are you'll end up lost, frustrated, and with a whole lot of wasted time and money. Instead, take a few extra moments to pinpoint your destination and plan your route. Are you looking to increase brand awareness, boost sales, or promote a specific product? If you're aiming to sell a product, for example, you need to showcase it in the most appealing way. On the other hand, if your goal is to increase brand awareness, you'll have to adopt a more creative approach that emphasizes your unique selling points, without being too salesy. 

Having a clear understanding of your campaign goals before writing Facebook ads will help you create a more effective ad that resonates with your target audience. Plus, it'll save you from wasting time and money on an ad that doesn't achieve your desired outcome. 

3. Think about the type of ad you’re writing for

Facebook offers various ad formats, including image ads, video ads, carousel ads, and more. Each format has its own strengths and weaknesses and can affect the effectiveness of your ad copy. For instance, video ads tend to increase engagement rates, while carousel ads are great for showcasing multiple products or services. 

So, if you're not paying attention to the type of ad you're writing for, you could be missing out on potential leads and conversions. Trust us, you don't want to be that person who writes a long copy for a video ad or doesn’t write enough in an image ad. 

Facebook Ad Copywriting: The Anatomy Of The Perfect Copy

In the world of Facebook ad copy, words aren't just words. They're gateways to the minds of potential customers, and crafting the perfect copy can mean the difference between success and failure. To start, you need to understand the different parts of a Facebook Ad so you can write a copy for each one of them. Here’s the anatomy of a Facebook Ad and how to write for each one of them: 

1. The primary text

One of the most important things to pay attention to when creating your ad is the primary text. This is the witty or informative blurb that will capture your audience's attention and encourage them to take action. It's like the opening line of a book, if it doesn't hook the reader, they're likely to move on. 

This is a 125-character-limit section and it’s the longest copy you'll have to elaborate on the headline and provides further information about the benefits of your product or service. You could use emojis to make your ad stand out or ask a catchy question to grab your reader’s attention, the possibilities are endless! 

2. The creative/visuals

In today's digital world, where attention is a very precious commodity, the visual component of your Facebook ad has become an essential element of your marketing strategy. It is the first thing that catches the user's eye, and if it's not compelling enough, your entire ad might as well fade into obscurity faster than a Snapchat message. 

The creative is the element of the video ad or ad image that catches your eye, makes you laugh, or tugs at your heartstrings. It's the image or video that tells a story and encourages you to take action. In other words, it's the glue that holds the entire ad together. This is why the copy that goes inside the visual is so crucial and it’s probably the first thing that your target audience will read!

While writing copy for a Facebook ad campaign visual might seem like a cakewalk, there are some important things to consider. Firstly, you need to capture your audience's attention quickly. Think of a witty one-liner or a phrase that can grab their attention in a matter of seconds. Next, keep it short and sweet. You might be tempted to share all the features and benefits of your product, but remember, brevity is the soul of wit. Use simple and easy-to-understand language that resonates with your target audience. Lastly, don't be afraid to inject some humor or wit into your copy, as long as it aligns with your brand's tone.

Remember, the goal is to stop the scrolling thumbs and get people to take action! 

3. The ad headline

Facebook Ad headlines are located right down below your ads’ creative and it’s the big bold section that contains a one-sentence message of 40 characters. 

A good Facebook Ad headline contains an enticing CTA, adds a sense of urgency, makes a promise, and basically tries to convince the user to click on your ad! So, for example, a high-converting headline for a 30-minute coaching webinar could be “Thrive - Don’t just survive!” Or a good headline for a subscription offer could be “Limited time offer - Subscribe today!” The best headlines speak directly to the audience's needs and desires, using keywords to quickly convey the product or service being offered. 

4. News feed link description

This section sits below the headline and it’s your last chance to make the audience click on the CTA bottom. These little blurbs of 30 characters might seem small, but they can make a huge impact on the success of your ad. Think of them as your elevator pitch, a quick summary of what you're selling and why someone should care. 

So, if we keep on with the example of the coaching webinar, a good description could be “Change your life in 30 minutes.” A clever and engaging ad description can spark the interest of potential customers and drive more clicks to your website. 

5. Call to Action (CTA)

The last part of a Facebook advertising campaign is the CTA. A Facebook ad CTA or Call-To-Action is like a digital road sign that tells users what to do next after seeing your ad. It's your chance to make them take action and click the link, sign up, or purchase your product. Think of it like a virtual nudge, that one last push to get them over the finish line. 

CTAs can range from the straightforward ("Sign up here") to the more creative ("Get on the gravy train"). Whatever the wording, the goal is the same: to get you, the consumer, to click and ultimately convert into a customer.

Facebook Advertising Tips: 7 Tricks To Write Copy That Sells

1. Keep it short and sweet

Let us break it down for you: people have short attention spans. Like, really short. We're talking goldfish-level short. So if your ad is a novel-length manifesto, chances are it's gonna get lost in the shuffle. But if you can distill your message down to a few carefully crafted sentences, you'll have a much better shot at capturing your audience's interest.

So, take into account the character limit and try to narrow your copy as much as possible. Believe us, a witty one-liner or a playful pun can go a long way in making your ad stand out from the rest. Plus, a shorter copy means more room for eye-catching visuals

2. Write different copies and test them

Facebook allows you to test multiple copies in one campaign, giving you the chance to see which message resonates best with your custom audiences. Mix and match your ad copy, experiment with different calls to action, and see which one converts the most. It's like a game of trial and error but with the potential for better results than ever before. 

Our tip when writing effective Facebook Ad copy is to create at least 3 of each: 3 primary texts, 3 headlines, 3 descriptions, 3 creatives, and 3 different CTAs. 

3. Add a sense of urgency

When it comes to writing a Facebook ad, adding a sense of urgency can make all the difference. Not only does it catch the viewer's attention, but it also creates a fear of missing out. 

People don't want to miss out on a good deal or opportunity, so when you emphasize that your offer is only available for a limited time, it encourages them to act fast. It's like telling someone they only have 10 minutes left to grab that last slice of pizza, suddenly, it becomes more enticing. 

Good examples of copy that creates urgency are “Limited time offer”, “24 hours left”, “One day only”

4. Storytelling is key

Picture this: You're scrolling through your Facebook news feed and suddenly, a colorful ad catches your eye. It's not just the image that pulls you in, but the words that accompany it. You're hooked. That's the power of storytelling in Facebook ads. As much as we love a catchy headline or a flashy image, it's the story behind the product or service that truly resonates with us. It humanizes the brand and creates a connection with the audience. 

So, create a relation between the copy and the visual and create a story with it. 

5. Use Facebook Advertising formulas

Creating the best Facebook ads requires selecting the right elements and combining them in a way that resonates with your target audience. Here are 5 formulas to help you craft the perfect ad:

• The Call-to-Action Formula – Use an actionable verb in the headline and clearly state what the user needs to do.

• The Benefit-Driven Formula – Highlight an exciting benefit of what you’re offering in your headline or copy, making sure to explain why this is beneficial to them.

• The Emotional Trigger Formula – Choose visuals and words that evoke an emotional response from your target audience and make sure to use language they understand.

• The Problem-Focused Formula – Identify common problems your customers have and craft a copy that talks directly about this problem.

• The Urgency Formula – Create urgency by adding limited-time offers or exclusive discounts for those who take action now.

6. Avoid words that could make Facebook reject your ad

Facebook can reject your ad if it contains any of the following: discriminatory language, inappropriate images or videos, false claims about products or services, excessive use of language like caps lock, or too many exclamation marks. 

Additionally, any ads that promote alcoholic or tobacco-related products as well as those that encourage gambling are not allowed. Use caution when including links to external websites and make sure to use proper grammar in your copy. It’s important you understand how Facebook Advertising works so you can write better copies. 

7. Relate your Facebook Ad copy to your landing page

Imagine you're scrolling through your newsfeed and you see an ad for a pair of shoes that catch your eye. You click on the ad, excited to see more, but the landing page has nothing to do with the shoes you saw in the ad. Talk about a bait and switch. Not only are you disappointed, but you're probably going to bounce from that page pretty quickly. See where we're going? 

Great Facebook ads have consistency between the ad copy and the landing page because it ensures that potential customers aren't left feeling confused or misled. It's like match-making for your marketing. So, take the time to craft a cohesive message that compliments both your ad and landing page 

8. Measure your leads

If you're investing time and money into Facebook Ads for your service, you want to make sure they're actually working, right? That's where measuring your leads comes in. It's more than just checking off a box on your to-do list, it's an essential part of optimizing your ad performance and copy, if necessary. 

Think of it like this: if you went on a first date and didn't ask for their number, how would you know if they were interested in a second date? The same goes for your Facebook Ads,  without measuring your leads, you're left guessing if they're really catching the attention of potential customers. 

At Dologale we specialize in tracking your leads and helping you get in touch with them faster and more efficiently. This means not sending them to Google Sheets, emails, or CRMs, but contacting your prospects in a more convenient way while also keeping tabs on your Facebook advertising campaign. Check out our website and start getting in touch with your leads!

Facebook Ad Best Practices: Final Thoughts

In today’s digital age, Facebook ads have become a crucial tool for businesses to market their products and services. And when it comes to Facebook ads, copywriting plays a vital role. Unlike traditional advertising, Facebook ads require copywriting that is succinct, eye-catching, and engaging enough to capture the attention of potential customers in just a few seconds. Whether it’s a witty tagline or a compelling call to action, a well-crafted copy can persuade people to click, like, and even buy! In short, copywriting can make or break the success of your Facebook ads. 

So, if you want to stand out in a sea of ads, start leveraging your Facebook Ad copy!