5 Tips on How to Write Ad Copy That Sells

Vesselina Levkova
July 12, 2024
Digital Strategy

A persuasive ad can do wonders for your SaaS business.

At the core of every successful ad is compelling ad copy. Done well, it can engage users, boost website traffic, and promote action.

Let’s take a deeper dive into ad copywriting and discover how to write an advertisement that turns prospects into customers.

What Is Ad Copy?

In simplest terms, ad copy is the combination of headline, body, and call to action that form an ad.

In the world of digital marketing, ad copy is used to increase conversion rates and boost sales. To achieve this, ad copywriters focus on highlighting the key components of a product or service and communicating them to prospective customers in a way they can relate to.

What Makes A Good Ad Copy?

Effective ad copy is easy to identify. It opens with a powerful headline and appeals to both the logical and emotional reasons that a prospect would want to buy the product or service.

In general, ad copywriting has three main elements that make it successful – it’s highly engaging, concise, and relevant.

Engaging

Because your ad is often the first indirect contact prospects have with you, writing engaging ad copy is a necessary skill.

Mastering this skill will allow you to persuade your readers, nudge them to take the action you want them to, and get them to enter the marketing funnel.

Concise

Remember that your ad copy is not a sales pitch. As a rule of thumb, when it comes to effective ad copywriting, less is more. Your headline needs to grab the reader’s attention and your offer needs to be concise, yet strong enough to seal the deal.

Relevant

Ads that are relevant can show higher in search results and earn more clicks.

One of the first steps when creating ad copy is knowing your target audience and how your product is relevant to them. You’ll also need to know what they are looking for and in what context.

To stay relevant, you can implement tactics such as using seasonality or current events in your copy. Additionally, don’t forget to carefully select and include keywords that directly relate to your campaign’s goals.

5 Steps for Writing Ad Copy That Sells

When crafting your ad copy, you’ll want to pull the trigger on the things that give prospects just enough information to drive them to click through.

Let’s go through some of the most effective tactics for you to create a strong ad copy that sells.

     1. Solve a Problem

While it might seem counterintuitive, people rarely buy for the sake of buying. Rather, they buy products that solve their problems.

To drive more prospects to your SaaS landing pages, think about what they want to accomplish and what your product or services can do to help.

In your ad copy, address the problem and provide a solution. If possible, expand on what you can do for the searcher.

    2. Use Emotional Triggers

Emotions are a significant part of the buying process.

In fact, recent studies conducted by neuroscientists show that people whose brains are damaged in the area that’s responsible for generating emotions are incapable of making decisions. Effectively, these studies are reinforcing the fact the majority of people’s purchasing decisions are subconscious.

Some of the more common emotional triggers in digital advertising include happiness, exclusivity, trust, anticipation, and gratification. Incorporating such triggers in your ad copy can illustrate why action is important and help you resonate with your audience.

    3. Focus On Benefits Instead of Features

Identifying and highlighting how your product benefits the lives of your customers can be a very powerful strategy that gives your prospective buyers a clear understanding of what they’re getting for their money. This in turn can generate more interest, make your ad copy stand out, and increase conversions.

   4. Implement the FOMO Technique

Once you’ve communicated the benefits of your offer, consider creating a sense of urgency. The fear of missing out (or FOMO) is an extremely powerful action trigger. This technique allows you to show readers what they’d miss if they don’t take action right away.

   5. Always finish with a CTA

A call to action (or CTA) is crucial for compelling readers to take the next step. To craft great CTAs, remember to keep them short and clear, as well as capitalize on the interest you created with your benefit statement.

Overall, the call-to-action will depend on the purpose of the campaign that the ad copy serves. Based on what people do when they see your ad, you can also experiment with different CTAs to see which ones get people to take action.

Strong Ad Copy Examples from SaaS Brands

Here are 4 impressive SaaS ad copy examples to help you get inspired.

Gtmhub

Gtmhub is in the business of helping companies adopt and manage objectives and key results (OKRs). Their Facebook ad is an excellent example of the power of free for SaaS to influence the buyer’s journey.

In the ad copy, Gtmhub has highlighted the benefits of using OKRs. To appeal to their audience and seal the deal, the company is offering a free whitepaper. Free offers can help increase brand awareness and customer loyalty.

Image Source: Facebook

Soprano

Soprano – an enterprise-level communication solutions company – is another impactful example of how you can leverage cognitive biases in your ad copy.

By using terms such as “award-winning”, the brand has expertly integrated the authority bias in their Google Search ad copy. This allows prospects to build a positive association with your business and trust you more.

Twilio

Twilio is a developer platform for communications. Their ad below is a good example of using ad copy to effectively solve a user’s problem (i.e. struggling with contact centers that don’t fit their business).

The brand is cleverly using simple yet active verbs combined with aspirational wording to create excitement about their platform. Even more, they have included their CTA right into the visual, making the ad significantly more appealing.

Image Source: Facebook

Zendesk

In this example, Zendesk – a customer service software – is using an emotional trigger (i.e. “based on a true story”) to persuade customers to trust their brand. In addition, the ad copy is specific, states value, and shows an authoritative brand they work with.

Image Source: Facebook

Maintaining Effective Ad Copy

Your ad copy can make or break your campaign. By following our tips, however, you’ll be ready to start writing ad copy that highlights your brand, entices new customers, and gets better results.

Is your audience becoming less responsive to your creative? Head to our blog to find out when to refresh your ad creative to maintain a strong ad performance.

Vesselina Levkova

Content Strategist / Copywriter

I am a digital storyteller helping brands enhance their online presence through content marketing.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/veselina-levkova-337a73a3/