6 Top Tips for Writing Compelling Social Ad Copy That Converts
Writing compelling social advertising copy can be tough, as you need to find the right balance between informing your audience about your services or products, while also keeping them engaged to click through and convert – and preferably do it in a couple hundred characters or less. Here are our top 6 best practices for writing engaging social ad copy that converts.
- Tailor your copy for specific channels
Every channel is different and, as such, needs different ad copy. You need to adapt your tone of voice depending on which platform your ads are appearing on. For example if you’re running ads on LinkedIn, aim to be informative and opt for a slightly more formal tone of voice as you’ll be targeting professionals and big decision makers. On the other hand, if your ads are appearing on Instagram, your ad copy can be more relaxed and fun. So, remember to tailor your copy to the specific channel your ads are appearing on, especially if you’re repurposing content across different channels.
- Know what your audience is looking for
We cannot emphasise the importance of understanding your audience enough. Learn and understand what your target audience are looking for and ensure that your ad copy reflects this. Try to offer solutions to the problems your audiences are experiencing as this helps to catch their attention and engage them. This doesn’t have to be as serious as it sounds. For instance, if your audience is looking for entertainment, keep your content light-hearted and relatable to captivate and entertain them.
- Focus on the headline
Despite being the second part of text that appears on your audience’s screen, the headline is arguably the most important portion of ad copy since it’s usually the first thing that your consumers read (right after looking at the image). That’s why you need to make sure your headline is punchy and includes a strong call to action that’ll entice the user to click. Yet, remember there’s a fine line here – you don’t want to give too much information away in your ads!
- Test what works best
Test, test, test. Testing is one of the most important things you can do. Sure, your copy can sound great and follow all the best practices but a/b testing different variations ensures that you’re truly using the best performing copy in your campaigns. It also gives you a good idea about what style of copy resonates most with your audience, and which style of copy doesn’t. And, you can keep this in mind for any future campaigns you’re planning and not waste any marketing budget on copy that doesn’t generate results. If you’re unsure about what to test try including one of the following in each copy variation, questions, testimonials and accolades.
- Be mindful of character limits
When drafting your ad copy, stay mindful of platform character limits. Facebook allows you to include a small paragraph in the primary text field but that doesn’t mean that you should as text will appear truncated. It offers poor user experience if someone has to expand your ad via the ‘see more’ button to get all the information they need to decide whether to carry on their journey via your ad. Users should have all the information they need readily available to them for the smoothest user journey possible.
Below you’ll find ad copy specs to avoid truncation:
Facebook Ads
Primary Text – 125 characters
Headline – 40 characters
Description – 30 characters
Facebook Carousel Ads
Primary Text – 125 characters
Carousel Headline – 40 characters
Description – 20 characters
LinkedIn Ads
Introductory Text – 150 characters
Headline – 70 characters
Description – 100 characters *approx
Instagram Ads
Headline – 125 characters
- Choose complimentary visuals
Bonus Tip! Your visual assets matter just as much (if not more) than your ad copy, after all, the image is the first thing the user notices when looking at your ad – especially if your ad is appearing in a mobile first placement, like Instagram Stories or on TikTok. So, it’s important to ensure that the image you’re selecting conveys the same message as your copy to keep your ad cohesive and relevant. Consider things like brand colours and their meanings, the placement and the platform your ad will be appearing on and the overall aesthetic of your image. For example, if you’re using text make sure that your image doesn’t appear cluttered and is digestible for the user.
Stay tuned for a part two where we’ll give you our top tips for creative best practices.
If you need support building and managing a creative and effective social media advertising campaign, reach out to our team to discuss your options.
