Ad copywriting: What Every Brand Needs for Ad Copy that Sells [2024 Updated]

Ad copywriting is the basis for any ad campaign. Accurate and results-driven ad copywriting takes time to get the hang of. And there are many factors you must consider to achieve your desired conversions.

For starters, you must ensure you use CTAs tailored to your audience to increase your chance of conversions by 20%. Almost 50% of buyers also confirm that they’re more likely to purchase from brands offering a personalized experience.

Not forgetting, your headlines are SUPER important. Your website traffic can vary up to 500% based on your ad headline. 

But there’s much more to consider than headlines and personalized CTAs for ad copywriting. Businesses must do extensive audience research, conduct A/B testing and find unique angles to engage buyers like never before.

So, where do you start? And what does it take to create ad copywriting that actually converts in 2024?

We have an ultimate guide on the purpose of ad copywriting and the top 9 steps to craft killer ad copy. Plus, we’ve found the best 5 ad copy generator tools to make creating successful ad copy seamless for your business!

Ready to learn about ad copywriting for insane conversions?

Let’s get started!

The Purpose of Ad Copy

Drive Conversions

The ultimate purpose of nailing ad copywriting is to maximize your conversions. Businesses use ad copy to highlight the best features of their products and how this adds value to their target audience. With this opportunity, you can significantly increase your bottom line. 

How well your ad copywriting converts leads relies on how well you’ve curated customer-centric copy. Remember, if buyers can’t relate to or see the value in your ad, they won’t convert. Consequently, you must use extensive customer research to create ad copywriting personalized to your target audience. 

Raise Brand Awareness

Not all leads that interact with your ad copy will convert. And there’s not much you can do about that. But you can leverage ad copywriting to drive brand awareness. So, if leads don’t convert, they can learn about your business and products, igniting the buyer’s journey. It’s vital to consider copywriting features for brand awareness because of this. You don’t want to focus entirely on sales and miss out on the chance to raise awareness about your business.

Doing this is challenging because you only have so much content to use for ad copywriting. However, with the right copywriting strategies, you can raise brand awareness alongside securing conversions.

Persuade Doubtful Buyers

Chances are, some buyers are aware of your brand but still haven’t purchased. Ad copywriting allows you to use persuasive elements and give buyers confidence in your business. While this doesn’t mean they’ll convert right away it gives buyers added assurance in your value propisition and product quality to gradually move them through your sales funnel. 

To craft ad copy that convinces doubtful buyers, use words that spark power and emotion. You’ll learn more about crafting ad copy that persuades consumers in the following best steps to create ad copy!

Source: HubSpot Marketing

9 Steps to Craft Ad Copy That Drives Conversions

1.Define Your Ad Copy’s Goals

Before you start working on your ad copywriting, define what you want your ad to accomplish. Set SMART (Specific, Measureable, Achievabale, Relevant, Time-bound) goals for each ad you create. This step makes it easier to evaluate how well your ad copy performs, and whether your audience is responding the way you want them to.

You must determine SMART goals for each piece of ad copywriting you create. Without goals, you’ll notice it’s harder to convert your audience, as you don’t know what action you want them to take and how to meausure each ad’s success.

Track your goals as your ad campaign progresses. Yes, there’s a chance you may not achieve your SMART goals, but the data you use from your first ad campaign will guide the next and so forth.

There’s always so much to learn about ad copywriting while staying ahead of customers’ evolving trends. Setting and tracking SMART goals is the first step of any successful ad copywriting campaign.

2.Do Extensive Customer Research

If you want targeted buyers to respond to your ad copy and convert, understand what content will engage them. This part is tricky because it relies on how well you know your audience. And even established businesses get this wrong.

For example, you can’t use cultural references in your ads that your target audience won’t relate to. Neither can you use content that doesn’t speak to their needs and what they find valuable in brands at the time. 

You can’t market your ad copy to every buyer in your whole target audience. Create smaller segments of targeted buyers for each piece of ad copywriting. 

When you understand your audience, you have a higher chance of creating ad copy that engages and excites them. But let’s say you do extensive customer research to know your target buyers, but many don’t convert

Continue testing different approaches and use A/B testing tools to determine what aspects engage your buyers.

So how do you do in-depth research to understand your target audience for ad copywriting? 

Consider aspects of your customer base like:

• Where are they located?
• What interests do they have?
• What are they’re purchasing trends?
• Which global and cultural trends are relevant to them?
• What matters to them most in a business?
• What is the most common traffic source among your buyers?
• What are the barriers between your buyers and conversion?

This stage may take some time, but it lays the foundation for your ad copywriting strategy. You’ll always have a basis for eye-catching ad copy ideas while staying ahead of your target buyers’ needs.

3.Pin Down Your Brand Voice

The brand voice you use for ad copywriting must align with all other aspects of your brand identity. Businesses take these measures to ensure a consistent customer experience.

It’s easier to develop deeper customer relationships when buyers associate your brand with one voice.

Let me give you an example of how this works in everyday settings.

If you speak to your friends in your usual voice, they associate that voice with your face when they hear it. But if you’re constantly switching up your tone and delivery, your friends won’t be able to make this connection because they don’t know which voice is yours.

This example works the same way between businesses and their buyers. To create and nurture a positive relationship between your business and its consumers, you must remain consistent in your tone.

However, let’s assume that your standard brand voice is light-hearted and energetic. But for this specific ad copy, you’re breaking down a touchy topic. You don’t have to stray too far from your brand voice. Instead, find ways to add aspects of your usual brand identity to secure audience connection.

4.Use a Powerful but Concise Headline

Your headline means a lot for ad copy because it helps readers decide whether they’re interested in what you have to say. Because web visitors are more likely to skim than read content, you must optimize your headline. The perfect headline is five words, but this is a general rule. If you brainstorm the best headline with one or two more or fewer words, go for it. You can always use A/B testing tools to determine which of the two headlines works better.

The purpose of your headline is to cover your topic and attract readers. But there are also technical aspects so users can find your ad on Google or social media.

For conversion-driven ad copywriting, use these tips:

• SEO: Do keyword research and include your primary keyword in your headline.
• Clarity and concision: Be clear and direct in your headline, using only impactful words.
• Brand voice: Project your brand voice so you can relate to your target audience.
• Customer-centric: Personalize your format and approach to what your target buyers would respond to.
• Grammar: Always ensure your copy is free of spelling, syntax and grammatical errors. 

5.Add Valuable Information

The information you relay in ad copywriting must be valuable to your audience. Avoid adding unnecessary information or providing extra details on aspects not relating to conversion. You want to keep your ad copywriting concise while providing all the points that would interest your audience.

The purpose of ad copywriting is to convert web visitors or social media users. And the only way to accomplish this is by using the right information to convince customers and sell your product.

All the information in your ad copy should:

• Address your target audience’s pain points.
• Provide a solution for customers.
• Highlight your product’s best features.
• Promote your value proposition.
• Direct buyers to a CTA

How you format these points and the extent of details you provide depend on whether you’re creating ad copywriting for Google or social media platforms and what social media platforms specifically. Google ad only allows about 90 characters, whereas Instagram allows 2200, but the sweet spot is typically 125 characters.

6.Rave About the Benefits of Your Products

Why should web visitors buy your product? And how does your product stand out from your competitors? These details should be direct. And you must promote your product’s best features. Of course, you don’t want to come off too sales-y. But you must give users a reason to click on your ad and buy your product.

When raving about the benefits of your product, avoid using adjectives to convince buyers. When you use words like “amazing”, “innovative”, “world-class” and “next-generation”, it looks like you’re trying to prove the value of your product without stating what the benefit is.

A better way to highlight the perks of purchasing your products is through statistics or case studies. Directly tell customers what your product has achieved and why they need it, rather than flood your text with meaningless descriptive words.

7.Be Urgent

Urgency is vital for ad copywriting because you want your audience to convert right now. Not tomorrow or next month, but right now. It doesn’t mean you have to sound forceful, but use urgency and excitement to persuade targeted buyers to make a purchase.

Many brands think urgency only works if you have a flash sales campaign or own an eCommerce store. But you can also create urgency if you’re selling intangible products that customers must sign up to use rather than order.

Look at this example below. Notice how this ad copywriting is for a mortgage broker that isn’t selling a tangible product. But using urgency, anxiety, and reassurance, this ad makes readers feel compelled to act quickly and convert.

Another essential component of using urgency for ad copywriting is enforcing scarcity. Whether you’re using an illusion or genuine figures, when consumers see others are rapidly buying a product, they’ll want in.

Ever noticed on sites like Amazon that there’s usually a little red sentence beneath the price reading “Only x left in stock”?

When targeted buyers see this and realize how in demand the product is, they’re more likely to purchase.

8.Conduct A/B Testing

A/B testing is imperative for well-performing ad copywriting. The truth is, you won’t know what the best angle for your ad copy is unless you test it. And it doesn’t matter how well you assume you know your audience. How consumers are engaged and what grabs their attention is constantly evolving, and A/B testing helps you stay ahead of this.

Most ad platforms like Google, Facebook, and Instagram all have built-in A/B testing tools. You can write two different versions of ad and evaluate which one pulls better results. You can also test more specific sections of your ad copywriting, like your headlines, rather than the entire ad. If you’re caught between two different headlines, A/B testing can help you choose the best one.

If you don’t want to use your ad platform’s native A/B testing tools, there is third-party software you can use. Many top A/B testing tools for ad copywriting include AdExpresso, Optimizely, and Freshmarketer.

9.Prove Your Credibility

It’s vital to prove your credibility in your ad copywriting so targeted buyers can trust your brand. If you already have established online social proof and authority, even better! But if not, start generating social proof for your ad copy.

But here’s the trick – you don’t have a lot of words or space for Google ad copywriting. When businesses ad social proof to sales or home pages, they have more sections to add industry badges, case studies, or testimonials. You don’t have this much space or flexibility for ad copywriting, so you must be strategic with how you add credibility to your ad copy.

Here are the best ways to add social proof in your ad copywriting:

• Add an extension to your Google star rating directly beneath your Google ad headline.
• Mention your following, celebrity or expert endorsements, or a case study in ad copy for social media or Google.
• Use video testimonials for ads on social media.
• Mention a milestone in your experience in your social media or Google ad copy. For instance, “….with 10 years of experience…” or “Our 2nd anniversary brings a world of sales”.

Here’s an example of a Google ad with the brand’s Google star rating beneath the ad’s headline:

Summary: 9 Steps to Craft Ad Copy That Drives Conversions

1. Define Your Ad Copy’s Goals
2. Do Extensive Customer Research
3. Pin Down Your Brand Voice
4. Use a Powerful but Concise Headline
5. Add Valuable Information
6. Rave About the Benefits of Your Products
7. Be Urgent
8. Conduct A/B Testing
9. Prove Your Credibility

10 Dos and Dont’s for the Perfect Ad Copy

5 Dos for Ad Copywriting

1.Do: Use Symbols in Place of Words

Be concise as possible and make it more comfortable for targeted buyers to read your ad copywriting using symbols instead of words. For example, rather than writing “dollar”, use “$”. Or if you want to write “plus these benefits”, use “+ these benefits”. Readers scan copy and symbols to make it easier and quicker for them to understand your ad copy without reading it in full.

2.Do: Use Numbers Instead of Words

This ad copywriting Do is very similar to the previous one. Replace words like “seven” with numbers. Doing this makes your copy more concise and direct. When you write numbers out, it bloats your copy and takes up unnecessary space. Numbers also seem more actionable to readers so it’s easier to persuade them.

3.Do: Point to Conversion-driven Words

There are words you’ll use in ad copywriting that hold more weight than the rest. Don’t be afraid to emphasize or directly point to these words. If you’re using images or graphics in your ad, you can use literal arrows to point to your CTA. But if you’re using a text ad, you can bold the CTA to draw more attention to it.

4.Do: Say “Click Here”

Successful ad copy isn’t necessarily forceful or sales-y. It’s direct so readers know what you want them to do. What better way to emphasize your CTA than to tell them “Click Here”? Don’t be afraid to take readers by the hand and guide them to conversion.

5.Do: Put Vital Details in the Top and Bottom of Bullet Points

If you’re using bullet points in your ad copywriting, don’t work from best points to the least or vice versa. Add your two best bits of information a the top and the other two or three best bits at the bottom. Because readers will scan your ad copy, they’re more likely to see and remember the first and the last points in your bullet list.

5 Don’ts for Ad Copywriting

1.Don’t: Write for 100% of Your Audience

Your ad copywriting must aim at 25 to 30% of your entire target audience. You can’t please everyone and don’t try to. If you keep your audience segmented, this approach will be easy. You can assign each piece of ad copy you create to the dedicated buyer segments.

2.Don’t: Assume Everybody Knows Your Brand

Unless you’re globally renowned like Microsoft and Google, don’t assume you’re well-known. Always provide information about your brand as if customers are hearing about you for the first time. Because regardless of how many loyal customers you have, most buyers probably haven’t heard of your brand before.

3.Don’t: Let Guidelines Restrict You

Ad copywriting guidelines and tips are meant to help you, not dictate your ad copy. If the industry standard is five words for your headline, but you notice your seven-word headline is performing well, then opt for your own approach. There’s no guaranteed way of determining what could attract your audience, so be sure to play around with different angles and find one that works for you.

4.Don’t: Cramp Your Text

Cramped text is not enjoyable to read or easy to scan. So, you want to avoid small font and tight spacing. Leave enough white space between your words and make your font easily readable. Typically the font size 12 is ideal for ad copywriting.

5.Don’t: Make it Hard for Target Buyers to Convert

Imagine this – you write super persuasive ad copy and hit the mark for every aspect. But as soon as your target customer tries to take your desired action, the web page doesn’t load, or takes them to a landing page without a clear CTA? You’ve no doubt lost a lead. Make your CTA easy to act on and clear to understand.

5 Amazing Ad Copy Examples

1.Bluehost

Bluehost is a web hosting company that’s been around for quite some time. To promote their brand, increase awareness and secure new customers, Bluehost took to Facebook to publish one of it’s many ads. The one we’re going to discuss comprises concise yet detailed copy and a video to break down how Bluehost works for WordPress. Have a look at this ad below:

The key takeaways:

• As popular as Bluehost is they don’t assume consumers know their brand, and angle their copywriting to explain what they offer.
• They add urgency by using words like “Today” and ”Now”.
• Readers will gain buying confidence through social proof as Bluehost mentions they’ve powered millions of websites.
• Every piece of information for this ad copy is impactful and there’s no unnecessary or irrelevant information.

2.Best Self Co

Best Self Co is an online store specializing in all kinds of goodies for self-love. Customers can find several journals and diaries and card games for intimacy, profound conversations and relationship building. To promote their intimacy deck, dedicated to help couples build stronger relationships built on great communication, Best Self Co chose to use a Facebook ad.

The key takeaways:

• The purpose of this ad is clear from the first glance – this brand wants to enhance date night with a communication game.
• Adding heart emojis before and after the first sentence reinforces this ad’s purpose.
• The copywriting is direct and clear, only using a few words to describe who this product is for and why’s it’s valuable.
• This brand didn’t market to their entire target audience, but only to couples or consumers in romantic relationships. Doing this made the ad copywriting much more targeted.

3.SmartFares

SmartFares is a trusted platform to find getaway packages and flight discounts and deals. Consumers can do more than make flight bookings too. They can book cruise ships and hotels, and rent cars. SmartFares uses Google Ads to market their platform. When users search for the keyword “cheap flights”, they’ll find SmartFares’ Google text ad!

The key takeaways:

• SmartFares includes it’s Google star rating for social proof.
• Right below the star rating, SmartFares concisely explains what they offer.
• They use bullet points to list the benefits of using this platform, making this information clear and easy to skim.
• As this ad appears first on Google’s search engine for the keyword “cheap flights”, it’s safe to say they’ve considered SEO tactics.

4.Monday

Professionals and businesses use Monday for it’s high-level and intuitive project management features. Users must create an account and choose any of the pricing plans. Monday makes it easy for targeted buyers to find it’s software. By using Google to search “project management software”, you’ll notice this tool pops up first.

The key takeaways:

• There are a few words and only two sentences below the headline. Yet this provides all the information buyers need.
• Users can easily click and land on any of Monday’s landing pages thanks to the three sections with hyper links beneath the first paragraph. As a result, it’s easier for web visitors to convert, or by the least, get to Monday’s website.
• Monday secured the first ranking on Google’s search results for the SEO key term “project management software.” Yes, this means Monday’s SEO team have done their part!

5.FabFitFun

Let’s look at Instagram ad copywriting for a second, by FabFitFun. You’ll notice from this ad copywriting example, Instagram ad’s tend to have more text than Facebook. Remember, Facebook cuts your word limit at 125 characters. And over 30% of Instagram ads have captions comprising more than 300 characters, more than double compared to Facebook ads.

The key takeaways:

• The three-word headline catches users attention and the arrow points down, guiding readers down the ad’s copy.
• Most readers scan copy in an F-shape, and they’ve used the terms “FREE”, “EXTRAFUN” and “($160 value)” based on this skimming pattern. When users scan the copy, these terms will stand out first.
• FabFitFun uses the term “for a limited time only” to add urgency.
• There are no unnecessary pieces of information. Users know the purpose of FabFitFun’s ad (to celebrate women’s day), and what the desired action is.

5 Best Ad Copy Generators

We tested 11 AI copywriting tools and these five are best ones for ad copy:

Conclusion

If you want to launch a successful ad campaign, you need the best tips and practices for ad copywriting. The purpose of ad copy is to drive conversions, raise brand awareness and convince doubtful buyers. How you approach your ad copywriting will slightly differ based on which platform is hosting your ad campaign.

To write ad copy that converts customers, you must define your copywriting goals, do extensive customer research and define your brand voice. You must create powerful but concise headlines too. Brands must ensure the ad copy text is easily scannable and they use clear, direct CTA’s.

With the best steps and tools for ad copywriting in 2024, you can maximize your ad campaign profits!

References

HubSpot: Personalized Calls to Action Perform 202% Better Than Basic CTAs [New Data]

SuperOffice: Key Customer Experience Statistics You Need to Know 

Wired: Tabloid Chic: How Racy Headlines Unlock Money and Power