How to Write Meta Ad Copy: A Guide to Primary, Headline and Description Text

Ahhh, Meta Ads. Gotta love ‘em! 

Advertising on Facebook and Instagram has become essential for businesses of all types and sizes over the past few years. Once primarily used for e-commerce ads, Meta has emerged as a B2B ad platform, offering powerful targeting options to drive lead generation and web traffic. 

A critical part of Meta Ad setup is writing copy for text placements. Meta ad text placements refer to the three main areas where your ad copy appears on Facebook and Instagram ads: primary text, headline text and description text. Each placement plays a distinct role in grabbing attention, conveying your message and encouraging users to engage.

We created this guide on Meta ad copy best practices, text specs and placement considerations to help you with your next campaign.

Primary Text

True to its name, primary text is your most important text placement on Meta Ads. This offers you a chance to put your “hook” front and center.

You’ll want to come up with 3-5 primary text options so Meta can dynamically serve different ads. By including more text options, you’ll improve your ad opportunity score, which Meta says is “proven to help improve your performance.” 

• Meta ad text specs
  • Technically 125 characters before it gets truncated on mobile. You can enter up to 2,200 characters, but only ~125 show without clicking “see more.”

• Meta ad best practices
  • Front-load the most important message in the first 80 characters.
  • Use a conversational tone, questions or bold statements to grab attention.
  • Keep one clear CTA. 

• Meta ad text examples
  • “Get the support you need. Work with a team you’ll love.”
  • “Tired of marketing that misses the mark?”
  • “Maximize your valuable marketing resources.”

Headline Text

Now let’s take a look at headline text. Your Meta Ad “headlines” are usually placed under the creative. Makes a ton of sense, right? 

Similar to primary text, it’s important to include 3-5 variations of your headline text when setting up your Meta ads. 

• Meta ad text specs
  • Approximately 27 characters before truncation on mobile ( technically up to ~40).
• Meta ad best practices
  • Keep it short, snappy and benefit-driven.
  • Think of it as the “caption” for the creative.
  • Use urgency, curiosity or clarity.
• Meta ad text examples
  • “Grow your pipeline faster”
  • “Smarter digital strategies”
  • “Less stress. More results.”

Description Text

Description text, contrary to its name, is really just optional supporting copy for your ad. This placement doesn’t appear in most ads across the Meta network, and unlike the primary and headline text, you only have one option for the description text. 

• Meta ad text specs
  • Up to 30 characters show in most placements, but this field is often hidden depending on device/ad type.
• Meta ad best practices
  • Treat it as optional supporting copy (don’t put critical info here).
  • Reinforce your value prop or CTA in just a few words.
• Meta ad text examples
  • “No contracts required”
  • “See plans & pricing”
  • “Let’s talk”

Review

Meta Ad campaign setup and text placements can be daunting. But hopefully, this guide alleviates some of the confusion you might encounter when setting up a Meta campaign. 

Key takeaways: 

• Primary text is your hook! Keep it concise and engaging.
• Headline text reinforces your benefit in 25-40 characters.
• Description text is optional, but can support your CTA.

Lastly, here’s a handy Meta ad text placement guide for the next time you’re writing copy for your ads: 

Meta Ads Text Specs