9 core skills for Facebook ad copywriting

Facebook has become one of the best advertising platforms for both B2B and B2C businesses. Facebook’s organic reach has declined over the past few years with the rise of new platforms like TK, but savvy merchants and pitchers have continued to advertise on Facebook to get results.

There are a lot of elements that need to be in place for Facebook ads to be successful – you need the right targeting, great images or videos, and compelling copy. Great ad copy persuades, inspires, and entertains the people you target. It connects with consumers, removes unnecessary doubt, and makes the choice to proceed obvious. Great Facebook ad copy is an important part of advertising, and here are our strategies on how to write Facebook ad copy that actually converts.

1.Narrow your audience with Facebook targeting, targeted copy

But if you want to improve advertising efficiency, the copy must be written as if it is written specifically for one person. This person is the one you need to attract and convince. As if you are a field salesperson now, you need to focus all your attention on this person and their needs.

In the settings of Facebook ad groups, you can narrow the target audience. Then write copy that communicates with all potential customers. What would it look like to implement this technique? Let’s take an example. For example, if you want to promote an ad for a weight loss product, you can target the ad to women over 30 years old who live in the United States and are interested in fitness and health. This allows you to write targeted ads for a specific audience.

2.Write different ad copy for different groups of people

Similar to the previous strategy, the strength of Facebook ads lies in its targeting ability, so don’t waste this function.

For example, let’s say you are an independent clothing seller. Sell men’s and women’s clothing, as well as shoes, accessories, sportswear, and so on. Many customers will be interested in some of the products you offer, but different customers will only be most interested in a certain area. In short, women will be interested in the products you offer for women.

A while ago, many popular products that appeared after Akira Toriyama’s death took advantage of the large number of fans of Dragon Ball animation, who are a group of people.

3.Make sure your Facebook ad copy matches your visuals

Many small companies don’t have a ton of visuals on hand. When it’s time to run a Facebook ad, they scramble to secure additional images to upload. This can result in images that don’t coordinate with the copy, which creates a jarring experience for Facebook users. If the copy and image don’t align, they won’t know what the ad is actually promoting. They’re less likely to click on it, and your ad dollars will be wasted.

For example, Starbucks stitched together three images to create a great visual for its “World’s Biggest #StarbucksDay” campaign. The copy mentions “French Verona Coffee and Chocolate Brownie,” which is then visualized in the photo. In this way, Starbucks reminded its audience what they’d get if they walked into the coffee shop, resulting in an effective Facebook ad.

4.Keep your audience focused by using a call to action

The best Facebook ads have a clear goal. Want to increase brand awareness? Get people to sign up? Or sell a product? Whatever it is, your ad should have a clear call to action. Without it, when Facebook users see your ad, they don’t know where to click or what to do, which can affect your ad’s click-through rate and effectiveness.

For example, Society6 sells iPhone cases, and they feature their products in a Facebook ad. But the ad isn’t just a picture of a cute iPhone case, it also has a call to action button (“Shop Now”) that encourages Facebook users to visit the Society6 website to browse, shop, and ultimately complete their purchase.

5.Keep it short and lead with value

When you run an ad, you may be tempted to tell your users about your product in great detail. However, to really stand out from the competition in Facebook ads, you need to keep your copy short and lead with value. What do people get from using your product? How will it help them? Why should they buy your product? These are the areas you should focus on in your copy, and you should express these points in the clearest, most concise way possible.

For example, TaskRabbit’s value lies in helping users get everything done on the go by helping people hire others to complete personal tasks. In the ad below, TaskRabbit shares its core values ​​in the copy: “It’s easier than you think to get everything done,” “Hire a task doer,” and “We’ve got the chores done.” In just three sentences, it fully explains the value of the service.

6.Use simple, easy-to-understand language

Ad copywriting is not about highbrow literature. Maybe you used to be a literary person, but overly flowery copy can muddy your message. It’s time to cut down on the verbiage. Your first priority should be writing Facebook ad copy that’s easy to understand—for anyone, even an elementary school student. When someone sees your ad, they should immediately know:

What you offer

How it helps them

What to do next

For example, take this ad from SoFi, which helps people refinance their student loans. The copy for this ad is very simple: Pay off your loans faster. SoFi explains what it offers (loan refinancing), the benefits (pay off your loans faster), and what to do next (apply now).

7.Be upfront about the sale price

If you sell a physical product, users want to know what it actually costs. If you’re running a promotion, users want to know how much they can get off. How do you write ad copy most effectively? Be upfront about the price, and lead with the numbers.

For example, this Facebook ad from Ball Honda, a San Diego car dealership, lets people know how much it will cost to buy a CRV on a lease. They share how much they can save by leasing a CRV and give the date when the promotion ends. The ad doesn’t show to everyone in San Diego—they’re targeting people who’ve already visited their website.

The ad isn’t particularly eye-catching, but it’s effective in reminding users who are ready to buy a CRV to go to the dealership.

8.Express some opinions and get resonance

You work hard to promote your website every day, doing repetitive and mechanical work. Over time, you find that it is becoming more and more difficult for your ad copy to resonate with users. At this time, you need to browse your Facebook news and view ads or go to the Facebook Ads Library. Which ads make you want to click? What content will you scroll through? Get some inspiration and resonance from other creators.

It is a good idea to get some copywriting opinions from others. You can get inspiration from other advertising practitioners or help you brainstorm. You can also ask some colleagues outside the marketing department to see if they think your ads are effective. Friends and family can also help. In 2024, when AI is prevalent, using AI to create ad copy is becoming more and more popular. Using AI tools to generate a large number of ad copy and filter out the copy that resonates with you is also a good way.

9.Test your ad copy

The only way to improve Facebook ad copy is to test it. Try running two different ads (each with the same creative but different copy) to see which one resonates best with the audience. Which version gets the most likes, comments, and conversions?