Compelling visuals, clear goals, and defining your audience — all the SEO-optimized blog articles you’re finding on how to write effective Facebook ads can start to sound the same. 

Instead of giving you a listicle of vague practices, I’m here to give you real advice based on real results so you can learn how to write effective Facebook ads that perform well for your business. I’ve worked with Facebook ads for years, and everything I’m sharing below is based on what we’ve observed at our agency from running different campaigns for all types of businesses.

And I’ll include lots of real examples of good Facebook ad copy from a mix of brands that are small to medium-sized organizations instead of referencing ads from publicly traded, renowned brands like Nike, Duolingo, or Spotify, etc. (all of whom have huge ad budgets and dedicated marketing teams).

That way you can see that even without those resources or bottomless ad budgets that large brand names have, there are still ways you can maximize your presence on Facebook and get good results from ads.

How People Interact With Ads

Not all digital ads are the same. Even across social platforms, the ad delivery and intent of users is different. How you use Facebook ads in your campaign strategy needs to account for that.

Let’s compare the positioning of Facebook ads against a few other popular digital ads.

Facebook/ Instagram Ads	Google Ads	Pinterest Ads
User Goal: On the platform to connect with their community.	User Goal: On the platform to search for a solution.	User Goal:  On the platform to search for inspiration.
Ad Experience: Interrupts their journey.	Ad Experience: Provides an answer in their journey.	Ad Experience: Gives them an idea in their journey.

Users on Pinterest searching for ideas closely mimic those in Google searching for solutions. They’re more willing to click. But on Facebook you have to catch attention first. Because you’re interrupting a user’s leisure time, the ad you create has to be compelling enough to tempt them to take the next step to buy, learn more, contact you, etc.

Facebook Ad Components

Facebook has lots of different ad placements (newsfeed, reels, marketplace, etc.) that will include or exclude parts of your copy, but here are the basic Facebook ad components you should always account for.

Now let’s get into 6 tips for writing Facebook ads that all businesses on the platform can use.

1. Keep It Simple & Don’t Overthink It.

The goal of your Facebook ad isn’t to tell your audience everything. It’s to catch their interest.

Think of your digital ads more like a poster. You just need enough to tempt them. Where you send viewers next is where you should have more details and use longer copy to persuade them.

The key to learning how to write effective Facebook ads is to reduce the work your audience has to do. As you create copy, consider how much work your audience will tolerate.

Examples of this in a Facebook ad include:

• Expanding the ad to view the long ad copy
• Swiping through carousel slides
• Calling or sending a message to learn more 
• Linking out to a website page
• Watching a video (the length of it)

These tactics are all great to use depending on what you’re advertising. But keeping that 0.9-second window in mind, you need to be careful you don’t ask your audience to do too much. 

Writing good Facebook ads requires you to look critically and cut. Reducing the amount of work your viewer needs to do means there’s a better chance they’ll take the next step you want them to.

This Facebook Ad Copy Tip In Action

Scenario: You have an e-commerce store selling household goods.

Your Facebook Ad: Is a short carousel ad showing different products, generated dynamically to show what’s of interest.

Where You Send Them: To the specific product on your site where ussers can see pricing, shipping costs, and other detail that will persuade them to purchase.

2. Speak Their Language.

Does your ad need to be creative, providing an emotional and storytelling experience, or utilitarian, proving the features and functional information? 

The best way to choose is to consider your audience. And the message you’re trying to convey to them. Which of the two options will help you do that best? It’s best to choose the communication style your audience naturally uses.

Next make sure you also consult the Elements of Value Pyramid. Circle the needs your product or service is solving. Then make sure that regardless of how you position your ad (creative vs utilitarian), make sure your copy speaks to the key needs you identified. Doing so will make your ad resonate more with your audience.

This Facebook Ad Copy Tip In Action

There’s no right or wrong answer. In fact, we’d recommend trying both and measuring performance to determine which approach your audience likes better.

3. Find Your Own Brand Voice.

Think about different brands you admire for their marketing. (Nike, Apple, Chewy, Duo Lingo, etc.) Chances are, all of them have very clear brand voices that shine through in their advertising. You remember those companies because they have their own identity.

Now think about your brand. If you can only describe your voice as “professional” or “relationship-oriented,” you have some work to do. Those are the expectations of any good business, as that’s what keeps them around. 

Instead, you need to figure out how “relationship-oriented” looks and sounds from your brand. And better define it. (Because, for example, Wendy’s version of relationship-oriented is very different from Chick-fil-A.)

Having a unique voice is only growing in importance. Consumers have more businesses to choose from and you have a short window to convince them to pick yours. Also, having your own brand voice will make you stand out from competitors using AI in ad content. Because if they’re all using AI, they’re getting similar outputs that sound generic.

Need help crafting your brand voice?

Try This Free Exercise

This Facebook Ad Copy Tip In Action

4. Looks Are Everything.

Visual content only continues growing in importance. Effective Facebook ad copy isn’t anything without effective visuals. Consider the way that phones have evolved to make it easier to capture photos and videos. And the rise of platforms like Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok, and more. 

This doesn’t mean words are meaningless. You may hear people throw out the idea that “humans process visuals 60,000 times faster than text,” but this myth has actually been discredited. That said, a cheap or inauthentic looking visual will hurt your ad performance.

Your visual is what hooks someone first, so great copy can go unnoticed if you haven’t set up an appealing creative to complement it. Your ad creative also factors into the bidding system and determines your CPC and other key metrics

Our tips for visuals include:

• Using a mix of media (images, videos, reels, carousels, etc.)
• Trying visuals edited with branding vs. those without
• Leaning into lifestyle photography if it applies
• Investing in your own photography instead of using stock
• Matching your target audience in your creative (Eg., showing people 55+ in senior living facility ads)
• Showing the correct seasonal imagery (Eg., showing sheds in a fall landscape for a Facebook ad you’re running in October promoting sheds)

This Facebook Ad Copy Tip In Action

5. Don’t Guess. Test.

You are not your audience. And when we’re too close to our business, it’s hard to be objective. Instead of guessing, do testing.
Facebook A/B testing may not offer a scientifically sound result. But it still is a decent tool to figure out what’s working. 

If you’re going to try it, follow this tutorial for using the A/B test tool. You can try testing by:

This Facebook Ad Copy Tip In Action

6. Focus On Your Setup & Targeting.

Even if you figure out how to write effective ads for Facebook, the best copy in the world won’t make up for ineffective targeting. Ads Manager has lots of options you can use to optimize your ads, and what you choose will really vary on your industry, goals, and the setup of your website.

Because of that, the setup that works for you will be unique. Also, to truly optimize your ads it’s a must to install and use Datasets for your ad account. We’ve found success not just from having great ad creative, but also from having a strong setup in place and using the right features in Ads Manager.

Deciding between Pinterest or Facebook advertising can be a daunting task. You’re limited on time. You’ve got a limited budget. And maybe this is your first time doing social ads and the pressure is on trying to figure out the right social platform to focus on.

Working in an agency, I encounter plenty of clients struggling to determine which platform will help them get the most out of their marketing budget. (You’re not alone, it’s hard!) And the reality is that this is probably only one of many responsibilities you’re juggling.

So I’ve made this guide to give you the background you need to pick and get started. It’ll also provide real-world examples from the work Tower does, so you can see what businesses on both platforms are experiencing.

Pinterest Demographics vs Facebook Demographics

Below we’ll touch on how users engage on each platform (because the intent is different) as well as some fast facts about user demographics.

Pinterest Users

How are they using the platform?
The behavior of its community mimics those using search engines. People browse Pinterest for ideas, information inspiration, and products. They do this using unbranded keywords and long-tail search phrases. There is a social aspect (users can follow other users, leave comments, and interact with others) but that’s a secondary focus.

Fast facts: who are they?

• According to Pinterest user data, in the US they reach:
  • 46% of adults ages 18-24
  • 40% of adults ages 25-34
  • 39% of adults ages 35-44%
• Their global audience skews 70% female and 30% male.
• Gen Z is their fastest-growing audience, making up 42% of the platform.
• Pinterest reaches about 40% of households that have an annual income of $150K or more.

An Example From Our Own Clients’ Advertising

Across different ad accounts we’re running, our team sees users ages 18-65 on Pinterest. We generally see a trend of the largest concentration of users being ages 25-44 and 55-64. We also do see more female users. Below are examples of two different ad accounts targeting different interests.

Client A: Pinterest Demographics

Client B: Pinterest Demographics

Facebook Users

How are they using the platform?

Users’ primary goal is social connection. Unique content is the currency that people use on Facebook to connect with friends, family, local businesses, and community groups. Some of the top activities according to 2024 research include messaging others, interacting/sharing posts, keeping up with current events, and researching brands. 

Fast facts: who are they?

• Pew research on Facebook shows that 7 in 10 (or 68%) of U.S. adults use it.
• More women generally use Facebook, about 76%.
• 3 out of 10 Americans are getting their news from it.
• Oberlo’s research found that the majority of users fall between 18-44 years of age.

An Example From Our Own Clients’ Advertising

At Tower, our results for clients vary widely because many of them fall into different industries and serve vastly different target areas. That said, we often see a wide range of users on Facebook because it’s still such a popular platform. Below are two examples of different industries. 

The first represents a product that was targeting anyone ages 25-65. The second shows a client we were working with who was going after older, high-net-income individuals. These give you an idea of just how many users you can reach.

Client A: Facebook Demographics

Client B: Facebook Demographics

Pinterest Ad vs Facebook Ad Formats

Pinterest Ad Types

Let’s start by looking at campaign objectives. On Pinterest, you can choose from:

• Brand awareness
• Video views
• Consideration
• Conversions
• Catalog sales

If you’re new to understanding these, Pinterest has a great guide to them here. The ad objective you choose will dictate what kind of ad formats you can run. (For example, shopping pins require a catalog sales objective.)

Next, let’s look at the ad types you can run on Pinterest:

• Standard image ads – feature 1 photo
• Carousel ads – features 2 to 5 photos
• Standard/max width video ads – 4 seconds to 15 minutes
• Shopping ads – 1 image at a time
• Collection ads – 1 image above 3 smaller ones on mobile
• Idea ads – videos, images, lists, and custom text in a pin
• Showcase ads – multiple cards with up to 3 features
• Quiz ads – multiple choice style

If you want to find information about sizing, character limits, and other specs, visit Pinterest’s ad-type resource here.

Facebook Ad Types

Now let’s look at the Facebook campaign objectives you can choose from:

• Brand awareness
• Traffic
• Engagement
• Leads
• App promotion
• Sales

Please note that Meta recently updated this list to simplify it. If you’re familiar with their prior ad objectives, I’d recommend reviewing this detailed breakdown of Facebook ad objectives.

• Single image ads – features 1 photo
• Carousel ads – features 2+ photos or videos
• Video ads – length requirements vary by placement
• Collection ads – show a video or image with product images underneath
• Flexible creative – upload up to 10 images/videos and let the delivery system create ads

For more specs on different ad types, visit Facebook’s ad resource here.

Let’s Talk About Ad Costs

To understand which platform is more costly, marketers will look at ‘cost per result.’ This is calculated with the following formula:

total budget spent ÷ key result* = cost per result

*Key results can be clicks, video views, impressions conversion, etc. depending on the type of campaign you’re running.

Determining this across all your digital ad platforms can help you strategize how much money you need to allocate. Plus, it can help you understand how efficiently your advertising spend is working.

In our experience running social ads, both Pinterest and Facebook offer relatively cheap opportunities for online advertising compared to other digital channels. While we can’t tell you exactly what your ad costs will be, we can give you an idea of some averages for the platforms.

Pinterest Ads vs Facebook Ads Cost Comparison

*cost per conversion varies widely based on industry, product, or service, and the typical length of your sales cycle.

Managing Your Costs: Bidding For Ad Placements

It’s key to note that bidding strategies will further affect your costs on Pinterest or Facebook. Each platform uses a bidding process to determine which ad wins and shows to users.

On Facebook, their bidding process determines a winner based on your bid, ad relevance, and estimated action results. Having the highest budget doesn’t guarantee you win, but having a competitive bid and good quality ad creative and headlines can.

On Pinterest, their bidding process works similarly, choosing the best ad for that placement based on the likelihood the user will take action. They also like to see that your creative and landing page are good quality, along with a competitive bidding price.

With both platforms, you can set a bid cap specifying what you’ll pay up to. Or you can use their automatic bidding systems, in which the platforms will aim to get you the most results at the lowest possible cost while staying within your total budget.

If you’re new to social advertising, we recommend starting with automatic bidding so you can first learn what a competitive bid is. If you start by setting bid caps too low without understanding what’s competitive for reaching your audience, your ads will be hindered in their performance from the start.

Performance Metrics: What Does Each Platform Deliver?

The answer to whether one platform is delivering better than the other comes down to what you value. The best way to answer this is to start by running a campaign on each platform with the same budget. Then, measure their performance against each other by looking at these shared KPIs:

• Cost per click (CPC)
• Cost per result (CPR)
• Click-through rate (CTR)
• Impressions

For a specific breakdown of averages for these metrics between Pinterest and Facebook, skip down to our cheat sheet below.

Use them to analyze the strengths and weaknesses of each platform. But don’t stop there. 

Once you’re running ads, make sure you also consider the full context of what your campaigns are doing by using a tool like Google Analytics 4 (GA4).

Look At Indirect Results Too

Dark social is a real marketing pain point that’s not talked about enough. You may realize that since starting Pinterest ads, your direct traffic in Google Analytics has increased. Or you may be seeing more users find you in organic searches after running a Facebook ad campaign.

The way users interact with paid social media isn’t linear. It’s often complex, as our social ads catch them while they’re doing something else on the platform. Even if we pique their interest, those who don’t convert directly from the ad are likely hitting other channels afterward.

An Example of Direct vs Indirect Results

Above, we pulled examples of two different users who converted on our client’s website and requested a quote. The first one shows a direct conversion attributed to paid social. Interestingly, that user interacted with our paid social ads 5 times before directly converting. And, it took them 24 days to do so.

The second user however wasn’t a direct conversion and needed more time. They interacted with multiple channels including organic search, organic social, paid social, etc. While paid social wasn’t the direct point of their conversion, it did play a role in earning it.

Pinterest Ads vs Facebook Ads Cheat Sheet

Ultimately, there’s no one answer as to which platform is better for you. If you’re stuck picking between Pinterest and Facebook we recommend:

• Studying which platform your target audience is using (do some digging on the platform to see if they’re active)
• Splitting your budget and running an A/B test between the platforms
• Running your campaign(s) for at least 14 days (because the first 7 days are the learning period for social ads)
• Assessing both direct and indirect performance KPIs of your ads in GA4

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