The template I use to write FB ads that tend to get clicks/sales

I audit a lot of Facebook ads accounts, which means I get to see what works and what doesn’t across loads of different industries, countries and ad types.

By far, the most common area for ‘big potential improvements’ is the copy in their ads.

For example - I took on a Gym as a client in the summer who had never managed to make Facebook ads work, despite having all the ‘assets’ in place (nice website, big social following, loads of photos & videos, a good facility, great reviews, admin team to handle leads efficiently…).

We had a short timeline to get ads out, so all I did was re-use their existing visuals, package up one of their popular classes in a new way, and write new copy.

That campaign brought in around 120 leads in 3 weeks for under £4 a lead, and then we had to shut it down because the classes were full.

Here are the most common mistakes that I’ve seen in the accounts I’ve audited this last few months, and then the fairly simple way that I approach writing a new advert.

\Note, I’m not a professional copywriter, I have hired a few great copy guys in my time, who’s ads generally do outperform mine, but what I’ve learnt to do is like the 80/20, 80% of the results for 20% of the time/ money invested.*
Most common mistakes:

1. Talking about yourself, not the reader -
   This is what the gym above were doing, and it’s something that most local businesses do too much“We’ve been operating for 30 years” “We care about our clients” “We are passionate and experience” - your reader just does not care about all that, what they want to know is what’s in it for THEM.

2. Not testing variations -
   Often business owners will latch onto one phrase/headline that seems to work, and just use that for every ad.
   That’s understandable, because they don’t have the time to give FB ads the amount of attention required to do proper testing, but it is a waste.
   An commerce client was spending £300 a day on ads, and they were the primary driver of his sales, but he was relying on just one phrase, and as soon as we tested some other headlines, we found variations that outperformed his.

3. Dry copy -
   This is VERY common in B2B - for example, a business I audited who helped graphic designers build website without having to deal with web developers, they wanted to look professional, or like a bigger business, and so they got all corporate, but the person reading your ad IS A PERSON, and their boring ads weren’t persuading them to do anything.

4. Not qualifying the reader -
   When people are scrolling their news feed, 90% of the time, it’s the visual that gets attention, then the reader is going to scan the ad to see if it’s worth another single second of their day.
   What they’re looking for is relevance -so make it easy for them.A good friend of mine runs a course on investing in property, and this was something he was missing out on.Just starting his ads with a phrase like “For people who’ve wondered how to actually make money from property” helped people self-qualify, and increased clicks immediately.

5. No Call To Action -
   If you want people to sign up with you, then you’ve got to take people by the hand and walk them through each step of the way.
   This was the case for a meditation coach I audited, her ads were interesting and engaging, but because she wasn’t telling people exactly what to do next i.e. “Click the button to download it now” or “Hit Learn More and fill in the quick form, one of our team will then call you to arrange an intro session” she was missing out on a lot of clicks.

6. Features over Benefits -
   This is such a big one, and a current SEO agency client were guilty of it.
   They would talk about the technical aspects of SEO and what was included in the services, rather than what that would actually mean for the client (more traffic, more leads, more clients, more money)

7. Not telling stories -
   Us human-folk like a story. It’s fundamental to our society as a race that was pass on information through stories.
   Yet many businesses are hesitant to use them.I audited a driving instructor instructor (he taught people how to become an instructor), and he had the potential for great stories “Bob was bored of office life and hated the rigid hours of his corporate job, but after he qualified with me, he’s now in charge of his working hours and doesn’t answer to anyone but his wife"

So HOW DO YOU WRITE ADS?

Copywriting is a thing that people spend decades trying to master, so don’t worry about emulating the pros, and instead keep it simple and follow a few rules.

It’s not about writing award winning ad copy, it’s about being able to come up with a functional group of words that connect with the reader and get them to take action

My favourite ‘template' for quickly writing ad copy (or any copy) is the 4 why’s:

(This I learnt from the wonderful Colin Theriot, who runs a FB group called the Cult of Copy)

Answer these questions (in order) that the reader is asking in their heads.

1. Why me? (How do I know that this is for ME specifically?)
2. Why you? (Who the fuck are YOU? Why are you the person telling me this?)
3. Why this? (Why is THIS AD/OFFER relevant and interesting to me and my set of circumstances?)
4. Why now? (Why do I need to pay attention/ take action RIGHT NOW? Can I ignore this until later?)

That is going to cover your bases.
From there, here are some specific tips to help add a bit of shine.

• Make sure you have a VERY clear avatar defined. If you don’t know who you’re talking to, it will come through in your copy.
• One problem, one solution - focus on one thing per ad, don’t try to sell 8 different things.
• Use testimonials wherever you can, they make easy, meaningful stories to tell.
• Speak naturally - read the ad out loud and make sure it doesn’t sound clanky or awkward.
• Avoid big blocks of text and break up your ad into different sentence/paragraph lengths.
• If you run a local business, then start your ad with the name of the place - i.e. “BRISTOL pet owners…"
• Get someone else to read the ad and ask them if it makes sense, it’s easy to get lost in the finer details and end up with something that doesn’t actually communicate what you want it to, or explain the offer properly.
• And finally, read back every sentence of you ad, and ask yourself “So What?” This will help keep you on track and avoid waffling on.

There you go - you won’t become Claude Hopkins overnight, but you’ll do better than 90% of your competition.

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