Ad copy — headlines, primary text, CTA

Ad copy is the text that accompanies your creative. Per-platform character limits: Meta primary text 125 / headline 40 / description 30; Google Search RSA up to 15 headlines × 30 char + 4 descriptions × 90 char; TikTok 100. CTA from a platform-specific dropdown. Test 3-5 variations per ad set.

Who is this for

Mediabuyers + copywriters preparing ad text. Anyone whose ad got rejected for "too much text" or "wrong CTA".

The 4 text fields per ad

Plus the destination URL (where the click goes — see cc-117 UTM Builder).

Per-platform character limits

Meta (Facebook + Instagram)

Google Search (Responsive Search Ads)

Google auto-combines headlines/descriptions per query — provide many variations for max performance.

TikTok

Taboola

Snapchat

CTA options

Verified apps/backend/src/types/campaigns/canonical.enums.ts CallToAction enum covers the standard set:

CTA must match objective (Sales objective → SHOP_NOW more sensible than LEARN_MORE).

How copy renders per placement

Meta Feed

[Profile pic] [Brand name]
[Primary text — main message — wraps after ~80 chars]

[Visual: image or video]

[Headline]              [CTA button]
[Description (optional)]
[domain.com display]

Meta Stories / Reels

[Visual: full-screen vertical]
[Small overlay: brand + CTA]
[Swipe-up area at bottom]

Headline + description not visible in Stories — focus on visual + burned-in text + CTA.

Google Search

Ad · [Headline 1] | [Headline 2] | [Headline 3]
domain.com/path1/path2
[Description 1]. [Description 2].
[Optional sitelinks below]

Google picks 3 headlines + 2 descriptions per query from your set of 15 + 4.

TikTok In-Feed

[Full-screen vertical video]
[Bottom overlay]:
  @brand
  [Ad text — 100 chars truncated on small screens]
  [CTA button]

Copy strategy

Test 3-5 variations per ad set

Same audience + same creative + different copy = clean A/B test. Common variations:

• Hook angle: pain point vs aspiration vs curiosity vs authority

• Length: short (40-60 chars) vs long (100-125 chars)

• Question vs statement: "Tired of slow shipping?" vs "We ship in 24h"

• Emoji vs no-emoji: Meta allows but doesn't heavily penalize/reward

• CTA variation: Learn More vs Shop Now vs Get Offer

After 100+ clicks per variation, scale winners.

Avoid common rejection triggers

• Excessive emojis (Meta sometimes flags)

• ALL CAPS ("SUMMER SALE!!!" → rejected)

• Excessive punctuation ("BUY NOW!!!!!!!" → flagged)

• Misleading claims ("Lose 20 lbs in 1 week" → policy violation)

• Comparative health claims without medical evidence

• Personal attributes ("You look tired in those clothes" → policy violation, makes user uncomfortable)

• Price claims without proof ("Now 90% off" — if regular price not legitimately 10x lower)

• Trademarks misused (your competitor's brand name in your ad copy)

Match copy to funnel stage

Mobile-first writing

Most ad views are on mobile. Front-load value in the first 80 characters (after that, text often truncated).

Multi-language copy

For multi-country campaigns:

• Pre-translate professionally (machine translation often inadequate for marketing copy)

• Use per-country variants in Bulk Launch (one row per country, localized copy)

• Or use Meta's Advantage+ multi-language (auto-translates within Meta)

In Wevion's launchers

Express creative step

• Primary text field (with char counter)

• Headline field (with char counter)

• Description field (with char counter, optional)

• CTA dropdown (filtered by platform)

• Destination URL field

• Inline preview on right (shows how copy renders per placement)

Pro mode

• Per-ad copy with all fields

• Multi-line text editor for primary text

• Multi-headline / multi-description for Google RSA (add up to 15 headlines per ad)

• Live preview per placement

Bulk Launch

• Copy columns per row

• For RSA: array fields (headlines: ["headline 1", "headline 2", ...])

In the data model

Verified CanonicalAd (apps/backend/src/types/campaigns/canonical.types.ts):

ad.copy.primaryText
ad.copy.headline
ad.copy.description
ad.cta            // CallToAction enum
ad.destinationUrl

Common issues

• Truncated on mobile: primary text too long. Move key message to first 80 chars OR shorten.

• CTA not matching objective: validation warning. Use a CTA aligned with the campaign goal.

• Headline rejected for trademark: avoid competitor brand names.

• Copy rejected for policy: review Meta/Google's ad policies; rewrite without prohibited claims.

• Special characters not rendering: some platforms strip emoji or special unicode. Test in preview.

• RSA performance poor (Google): provide more headline variations (10+); Google needs variation to optimize.

Best practices for testing

Match creative + copy variations

Don't test creative changes AND copy changes simultaneously — can't tell what drove the result. Test one variable at a time.

Use Wavo for ideation

Ask Wavo: "Suggest 5 headline variations for this offer" or "What CTA should I use for this campaign?". Wavo references the campaign context.

Save winning copy as template

After identifying winning copy in a test: save as Campaign Template (cc-118) for reuse.

Related

• Creative — images — visual companion to copy

• Creative — videos — video copy + captions

• Publish paused vs active — verify copy in preview before activating