Most Facebook ad copy gets written last, in a hurry, after the image is done.

That's backwards. The image stops the scroll. The words decide whether anyone does anything about it.

Here's how I write copy for Meta ads, with real lines from ads I've made.

The short version

Good Facebook ad copy says one thing, to one person, in the words they'd use, and gives them a reason to act now.

Hook + one benefit + proof + one ask

Everything else is decoration. If a line doesn't do one of those four jobs, cut it.

Where the words go

A Facebook ad has four places for words. People meet them in roughly this order:

1. The text on the image. Usually the first copy anyone reads, because it's part of the thing that stopped the scroll. One line, big.

2. The primary text. Above the image. Only the first line or two show before Meta adds "See more".

3. The headline. Bold, under the image, next to the button. Keep it short, because it gets cut off on phones.

4. The description. Small text under the headline. It doesn't show in every placement, so never put anything essential there.

For image ads in Facebook Feed, Meta's Ads Guide currently recommends 50 to 150 characters of primary text and a 27-character headline. Treat those as targets, not limits. You can write more. Most people won't read it.

The see-more line

Everything above "See more" is the ad. Everything below it is for the few people who are already interested.

I call it the see-more line, and I write the copy backwards from it. The first sentence has to work completely on its own: the hook, the benefit or the proof. Never "Hey there!" Never the brand name.

If your first line could open any brand's ad, rewrite it.

Real examples from my ads

These lines come from ads I've made for brands I've worked with. Each one uses a different move.

  • The specific number: "The legal review that used to cost $1,200. Now takes minutes and costs $0 to start." (Inhouse AI)
  • The question that catches them: "Still asking ChatGPT for legal advice?" (Inhouse AI)
  • The customer's own words: "I put this on my baby's dry skin at 6am. Then on my dry elbows. Then my lips. Then I ordered a second one." (Sunborn Organics)
  • Who it's for: "Built for people who buy luggage once." (Traveler's Choice)
  • The payoff to a strange image: "Fits everywhere. Stands out anywhere." (Traveler's Choice, under a giraffe in an airport)
  • The comparison: "Until now, small businesses had two bad options for legal." (Inhouse AI)
  • The offer, plainly: "Buy the Ultimax set. Get the backpack for FREE. Save $170 total." (Traveler's Choice)
  • The reminder: "You forgot something in your cart." (Traveler's Choice)

Notice what's missing: adjectives. No "premium", no "innovative", no "game-changing". Every line is something specific the reader can picture or check. You can see all of these ads, with what each one is doing, in Facebook ad examples.

Match the copy to what they already know

The same product needs different words depending on how aware the viewer already is:

  • They don't know they have the problem: lead with a moment they'd recognize.
  • They know the problem: name it more precisely than they could.
  • They know the solutions: compare, and give their shortlist a winner.
  • They know you: now the offer, the price and the deadline can lead.

I go deeper on this in what hundreds of ad creatives taught me about hooks. Picking the stage and the angle is creative strategy, and it happens before the first word gets written.

Fill-in templates

Use these as starting points for the primary text, then rewrite them in your customers' words.

Problem, then product. "[The problem, in their words]? [Product] [does the job] in [time]. [One line of proof]. [The ask]."

Customer first. "[Short review quote]" [First name]. [Product] [the result they got]. [The ask].

Old way, new way. "[The old way] costs [time or money]. [Product] does it for [less]. [The ask]."

The number. "[A specific number]. [What it means for them]. [The ask]."

The offer. "[The offer] until [date]. [What they get]. [The ask]." Save this one for people who already know you.

For headlines, write the shortest true version of the benefit: "Fit a week in a carry-on". "Legal review in minutes". Past about 27 characters, expect it to get cut.

Mistakes I see all the time

  • Writing about the brand. "We're passionate about quality" is about you. The reader only cares about themselves.
  • Three ideas in one ad. One ad, one point. Put the other ideas in other ads.
  • Copy that fights the image. The image and the first line should make the same point.
  • Burying the offer. If there's a discount, it belongs above the see-more line.
  • Letting Meta rewrite it unchecked. Advantage+ creative can generate and reshuffle your text. Read every variation first. More in Meta Advantage+ creative.

How to test ad copy

Keep the image. Change the words. That's the cleanest copy test there is.

Ads Manager also lets you add several primary texts and headlines to one ad and let Meta mix them. That's useful for finding a direction, but you lose the clean read on which line did the work. When a line really matters, I test it as its own ad.

Judge copy on click-through rate first, then cost per result. What counts as a good CTR is in what is a good CTR for Facebook ads, and how I structure tests is in creative testing on Meta.

Pool rule 005Every test has one job.

Quick answers

How long should Facebook ad copy be? Meta's Ads Guide suggests 50 to 150 characters of primary text for image ads in Feed. Longer copy can work for bigger purchases, as long as the first line works on its own.

What is the headline length for Facebook ads? Meta recommends 27 characters for the headline on Facebook Feed image ads. Longer headlines often get cut off on phones.

What's the difference between primary text and the headline? Primary text sits above the image and carries the message. The headline sits under it, next to the button, and states the benefit in a few words.

Should I use emojis in Facebook ad copy? Only if your customers would. One emoji as a visual bullet can help. A row of them reads like spam.

Can I use AI to write Facebook ad copy? For drafts and variations, yes. Then rewrite it in your customers' words and check every claim yourself.

The one-line version

Write the first line like it's the only one anyone will read. For most people, it is.