Facebook Ad Copy: 5 Steps to More Conversions

I love Facebook ads. (Surprise, surprise.)

I love spending my days putting together campaigns in the Power Editor. I seriously geek out over targeting. I even enjoy a little Photoshop action while creating images.

But I hate writing Facebook ad copy. It’s just . . . not my thing. Maybe it has to do with HOW FREAKIN’ HARD IT CAN BE.

Sadly there are no Facebook ads without some text. This isn’t a medium where you can let the image speak for itself and expect results. (Just you wait, Pinterest advertising. I’m coming for you!)

So that means that like it or not, writing ad copy is a big part of my job. A lot of people hate it just as much as I do, so they’re happy to hand that part off to someone else. And thanks to my lovely clients who depend on me and my skills to get results, I’ve gotten very good at something I hate doing. (Thanks guys!)

What’s my secret?

It’s actually pretty simple: I have a system for the actual creation of the copy, and five rules for writing great ad copy that I stick to every single time. And they’re about to become your own guidelines for writing your own ads that get quality clicks.

But first, let’s get you set up.

Here’s my system for ad writing:

1. Open up a Google Doc, a Word doc, Pages, TextEdit, or your word processor of choice. If you want to use classic tools like paper and pen, go wild.
2. If you’re like me and your attention span has been shot to hell by pretty much everything on the ol’ Internet, close everything else: tabs, windows, applications. The only thing I might leave open is my landing page for inspiration.
3. Open your favorite pomodoro timer like Tomatoes or Bolognesa. These timers are going to give you 25 minutes for you to focus, focus, focus. It may be tough to go that long, but here’s what I want you to do:
4. Write everything that comes into your head. Don’t stop until that timer goes off! If I can do it, you can do it.

“Um, write what? What should this ad copy say?”

Below you’ll find my top five rules for writing truly effective Facebook ad copy. You won’t use every single one of them in each piece of copy you write – you’ll see that it’s pretty hard to combine #4 and #5 (but not impossible). For each rule I’ll also give you an example so you can see some of these techniques in action. (Note: all of my examples aren’t necessarily from Facebook ads….but they could be because they really are that good).

1. Don’t try to be clever – just be clear.

Facebook is noisy, yo! Pictures of your friends’ kids, their vacations, Buzzfeed quizzes, Candy Crush scores, posts from the 10+ groups you’re in . . . need I say more? The landscape of Facebook is way overdeveloped. Translation? There’s no room for any messaging that I need to think about to understand.

Make sure your ad tells me what I’m going to get if I click, what problem you’re going to solve, or how I’m going to end up feeling as a result of what you’re offering. No more, no less.

2. Avoid all mention of your brand.

If you worked hard on your branding, the name of your program or service, a pithy slogan or your spirit animal, that’s awesome. They do NOT belong in your ad copy. I have never heard of you or your business before. I don’t even know your business’s name and I don’t need to right now. Focus on getting me to click, and I can get to know you and your brand later on. (The same is true for your landing page, by the way.)

3. Speak directly to the right people.

“Thinking about becoming a coach?”

“Hate your day job?”

“All day on social media without seeing real results in your biz?”

I start off a lot of my ads with a questions because it pulls the right people in and gets them to listen. If you see an ad that starts with one of those questions and your response is NOPE! then you’re going to keep scrolling right on past my ad. Thank you! That’s exactly what I was hoping you’d do. If you don’t have the problem that my business helps people solve, then I don’t want you to click on my ad because I don’t want you to bring down the conversion rate on my landing page. (Sorry! Just remember: we’re leaving people OUT of the party.)

4. Make it emotional.

Your product or service solves a problem, right? So that means that people are “suffering” in some way, and you’re there to end the suffering.

Melodramatic much?? Yes, I know. Most of us aren’t in the business of ending human suffering. People who are struggling with Facebook ads probably aren’t losing sleep over it (I hope!) – but they are losing money. So if people in my audience are “suffering” even the tiniest bit, then your peeps have GOT to be in some kind of minor emotional pain.

If you’re in the life coaching, health and nutrition, personal finance, or tons of other industries, writing emotional copy is going to be pretty simple. Think about the fears people have, the mindset issues that are holding them back, or any emotions they might be feeling that would make them your ideal customer. Then speak to those emotions.

5. Keep it ridiculously simple.

This works for any industry anywhere. No fluff, just a clear call-to-action to get their hands on your free content that will allow them to [insert the solution you provide].

A note on calls-to-action:

Don’t be afraid to include copy that may seem over-the-top obvious like “Click here to sign up” or “Grab your free guide here:.” Lots of people need step-by-step instructions – give ‘em what they need!

And there you have it: my top five tips for writing ads that not only get clicks, but the RIGHT kind of clicks. Because there’s nothing worse than spending your money on the wrong people, you know what I’m saying?

I want to do a mini ad-writing workshop right here on the blog. I had a great time with this workshop, but every party’s gotta end sometime.

Check out some of the feedback I gave people below and see if you can apply it to your own copy!