How To Create Legendary Ad Copywriting: 7 Simple Steps

Ad copywriting is one of the most valuable skills you can learn as a writer.

Don’t believe me? Check this out:

It’s estimated that digital ad spending (by US companies alone) will exceed $560 billion by the end of 2022. This figure is projected to grow to $700 billion by 2025. – Statista
Recent studies estimate each of us sees over 10,000 ad messages every day.
8 out of 10 people will only read your ad copy or headline.
Only 2/10 will click through the ad to your website, landing page, etc.

If companies of all sizes are spending big billions on digital advertising, can you imagine how much they’re making?

Trillions.

That’s why they’re willing to shell out big money for stellar ad copywriting and campaign management.

That’s precisely why ad copywriting is one of THE most critical skills on today’s job market. Continue reading to learn how to pick up this wildly lucrative skill…

Why Ad Copywriting is so Valuable | Beyond the Numbers

Ad copywriting is all about maximizing visibility, persuasion, and sales.

What business doesn’t need that?

Why Ad Copywriting is so Valuable | Beyond the Numbers

If you’re an ad copywriter that can harness consumer psychology and emotion while using the power of words to persuade, pitch, and sell to your target audience ––

You will always have a job.

You will always have clients.

You will always have earning potential.

Want to write ad copy that will make people want to buy whatever you’re selling? Forget everything your teachers taught you about writing. In this post, we’ll go over seven essential steps for writing legendary ad copy.

By the time you finish reading, you’ll be weaponized with all the tools you need to create killer ads that get results.

What is Ad Copy?

Ad copy is the text that appears in an ad. But it’s so much more than that too.

It’s what persuades a reader, search user, or listener to take action and buy.

Ad copy can be in the form of

PPC ads on the Google search or display network
Email headlines
Social media titles or ads
Video ad (YouTube, Facebook, Instagram)
Blog, article, or landing page titles or headlines
In magazines, newspapers, on billboards, etc.

Ad copy should always be clear, concise, and persuasive and be written with the consumer in mind.

The Anatomy of Perfect Ad Copy

It’s all about the headline or the hook. You need to capture your reader’s attention and make them want to learn more.

Next, you need to focus on the benefits or positive outcomes of using your or your client’s product or service. Ad copywriting leverages tools like urgency, scarcity, and emotion to make ad copywriting irresistible to consumers and search users.

Finally, you need to use strong calls to action to get your readers to take action. If you can do all that, you’ll be well on your way to writing legendary ad copy.

How Much do Ad Copywriters Make?

Recently, I’ve seen sites say copywriters across the US make, on average, between $50,000 (Indeed) and $78,000 (BuiltIn). That’s for a full-time salary.

Not a bad start, but pay can be substantially higher for skilled contractors and freelancers. It’s not uncommon to see ad copywriting rates reach $50-$200 per hour.

Personal Note: That’s been the typical price range for my clients since 2019.

Another Tipi: Pay is way higher in bigger, more expensive cities, businesses, and tech hubs.

My advice is that, if you can, move to or stay in a less expensive and get remote work from clients out of expensive cities and business hubs like New York, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Seattle, Chicago, and Miami.

But that’s enough about earning potential. Let’s give you the skills that will get you there…

How to Write Ad Copy: 7 Practical Steps

1) Know your Audience and What They Want

You can have the best ad copy in the world, but if you’re not targeting the right audience, it’s not going to do you any good.

Before you start writing ad copy, you need to take some time to understand who your target audience is –– their goals, wants, needs, pain points, problems, and solutions they’re looking for.

Make sure that the definition of your target audience is as specific as possible. You can even mood-board out what your audience likes: services, products, hobbies, brands, topics they’re interested in, etc.

In ad copywriting, anything that helps tap into consumer psychology is useful.

2) Know the Ins and Outs of What You’re Selling

To be great at ad copywriting, you need to be an expert on what you’re selling.

That means you need to be intimately familiar with the features and benefits of your product or service.

What are its strengths and weaknesses?
How does your product or service compare to the competition?
What makes you or your client different or better?

3) Use the Right Keywords in Your Ad Copy

Using the right keywords is a foundational anchoring point for the rest of your ad copy. Your ad needs to resonate with the exact words and phrases your target audience is searching for online.

Use the Right Keywords in Your Ad Copywriting

Refer to the list of keyword tools in my blogs on SEO content writing and SEO copywriting for more information on what you use to do keyword research and how you’re using these tools to find the perfect keywords for your ad copywriting.

Start with:

Google AdWords Keyword Planner
Google Trends
Google PAA information
SEMrush Keyword Explorer or Keyword Magic Tool
Moz Keyword Explorer
Ahrefs Keyword Tool
Popular or trending questions on Quora, Reddit, social media, etc.

4) Leverage Emotion in Your Ad Copywriting

Ad copywriting is all about persuasion.

You need to use the right emotions to get your readers to take action. Some of the most persuasive emotions you can use in ad copywriting are:

Happiness
Excitement
Sadness
Fear
Anger or frustration
Shock or surprise
Desire

Some examples of using emotions in ad copywriting include:

Using happiness to promote a feel-good product or service
Excitement to promote a new or unique product or service
Sadness to promote a charitable cause or service
Fear to showcase something people are or aren’t aware of, and how to fix that
Anger or frustration to promote a problem-solving product or service
Shock or surprise to promote a new development or product
Desire to promote a luxury product or service

There’re tons of other examples on how to leverage emotion in your ad copywriting. For more on that, be sure to read How to Write Eye-Catching Headlines.

5) Show Them Your Solution

Once you’ve captured your reader’s attention and gotten them emotionally invested, it’s time to show them the goods.

This is where you need to get into the nitty-gritty details of what you’re offering and how it’s going to solve their problem. Make sure the offering in your ad copywriting is:

Concise: Short and specific.
Persuasive: Use numbers, statistics, and data to back up your claims.
Clear: Make sure your offering or message isn’t confusing.

If you can check these three boxes in your ads, you’re golden. It’s not only what your audience wants, it’s THE format they’re accustomed to and makes sense to them.

6) Speak to Benefits. Not Features.

This is a mistake a lot of ad copywriters make –– they get caught up in listing the features of their product or service instead of focusing on the benefits.

Your target audience doesn’t care about the features of your product or service.

They only care about how it’s going to make their life better.

The classic example of this is the sales pitch for the original iPod. Apple didn’t lead with 5 GB of music, high-resolution audio, or technical details.

It was just “1,000 songs in your pocket.” That’s all users needed to hear.

You see this used a ton in health and fitness ad copywriting.

Trainers, coaches, and fitness influencers don’t pitch features like 30+ meal plans, six months of workouts, etc.

Instead, they paint a picture of who their target customer will become, what they’ll accomplish, and what they’ll look like by the end of the program.

Stick to the outcomes. Show them the results.

7) Other Ad Copywriting Tools

Here are some other tools you can use in ad copywriting to get your reader or target audience’s attention.

Urgency: Urgency can be using a limited-time offer to grab your audience’s attention and get them to take action sooner. Some examples of this are “act now”, and “only X [days, hours, minutes] left.”
Scarcity: Scarcity is taking the “limited supply” or “only 4 left in stock” approach. You see this all the time on Amazon.
Exclusivity: Use your ad copywriting to make your audience feel like they’ll be a part of an exclusive group or community if they buy, purchase, or sign up. Make them feel like they’re missing out if they don’t.
Intrigue or curiosity: This is ad copywriting to pique your reader’s curiosity and get them interested in reading the rest of what you have to say. You can use rhetorical questions, cliffhangers, and other elements of shock and surprise to ensnare your audience and make your ad copywriting irresistible to click on.
FOMO: Fear of Missing Out (FOMO) is another effective psychological tool you can use in your ad copywriting. You’re essentially preying on consumers’ fear that they will miss out on a good opportunity if they don’t take action now.

Top Ad Copywriting Formulas

Now that you have all the ad copywriting tools you need, let’s talk about some formulas and templates you can plug them into.

1) Problem Agitate Solution (PAS)

The basic idea behind this ad copywriting formula is that you start by talking about a problem or challenge your target audience is facing.

Once you’ve got their attention, you agitate that problem by making it seem even worse.

And then finally, you provide the solution in the form of your product, service, or piece of content.

Here’s a short example

Problem: Having trouble losing weight?

Agitate: The older we get, the harder it becomes to shake off that stubborn belly fat.

Solution: Find out how you can lose up to 10 pounds of belly fat in 21 days with our revolutionary [program, diet, supplements, meal plan, etc.].

2) Attention. Interest. Desire. Action. (AIDA)

Attention, interest, desire, and action are the makings of stellar ad copy.

The AIDA ad copywriting formula is one of the oldest and most used formulas in all of advertising.

It’s a simple four-step process that goes like this:

First, you get the attention of your target audience with an eye-catching headline or opening sentence.
Next, you pique their interest by providing more information about what you’re offering.
Then, you stoke their desire by showing them how your product or service will make their life better.
And finally, you prompt them to take action with a solid call to action.

Example:

“Trying to lose weight?”

“97% of people struggle to lose weight at some point in their lifetime.”

“But what if you could unlock the door to sustainable weight loss through our 40’s, 50’s, 60’s, and beyond?”

“Learn more about how we make this possible with [insert product or service here].”

3) “What’s in it for me?” (WIIFM)

WIIFM is fairly straightforward. It’s all about focusing on the needs and desires of your target audience and showing them how your product or service will improve their lives.

4) Before-After Bridge

The before-after bridge ad copywriting formula shows your target audience the transformation they can expect after using your product or service.

It’s a simple three-step process that goes like this:

First, you start by describing the problem or pain point your target audience is currently facing.
Next, you show them what life will be like after they use your product or service.
And finally, you provide a call to action for them to take the next step.

Once again, the transformation process is standard in health and fitness but can also apply to learning with courses, classes, online learning, and more.

5) How-To Ad Copywriting

The “how-to” ad copywriting formula is one of the most popular and effective formulas. It’s a great way to show your target audience that you’re an expert in your field and can help them solve their problem.

This is another formula that paints the positive outcomes your target audience can achieve, using a how-to format.

6) The 4-C’s of Ad Copywriting: Clear, Concise, Compelling, Credible

The 4-C’s ad copywriting method is a simple, four-step formula that you can use for any ad.

It goes like this:

Again, you start with a catchy headline that grabs attention.
Next, you provide some context to give your target audience a better understanding of what you’re offering.
Then, you make a compelling case for why they should care about your product or service.
And finally, you provide some credibility by showing social proof, data, or testimonials from past customers.

7) USP: Unique Selling Proposition

The unique selling proposition ad copywriting formula is about showing your target audience what makes your product or service different from all the other options.

It’s a simple three-step process that goes like this:

First, you start by identifying the unique selling point of your product or service.
Next, you show how that USP will benefit your target audience.
And finally, you provide a call to action for them to take the next step.

8) The 4-U’s of Ad Copywriting

There’s also an ad copywriting formula known as the 4-U’s, which stands for urgency, uniqueness, usefulness, and ultra-specific.

This ad copywriting method is about creating a sense of urgency in your target audience so that they can take action now.

It’s a four-step process that goes like this:

First, you start with a headline that creates a sense of urgency.
Next, you show how your product or service is unique and valuable.
Then, you make it ultra-specific by providing concrete details about what your product or service can do for your target audience.
And, as with all ad copy, you insert your call to action.

9) Picture, Promise, Prove, Push

The picture, promise, prove, push ad copywriting formula is all about painting a picture of what your target audience’s life will be like after they use your product or service.

Picture, Promise, Prove, Push ad writing

Picture: Paint a picture with words that get your ideal customer’s attention and create a desire to learn more.
Promise: Tell them how your product or service will help them and their situation.
Prove: Provide data, anecdotal support, or proof of fulfilling your promise.
Push: Ask them to take action.

In Closing

Ad copywriting is one of the most important skills in today’s remote workforce.

Not only will it help you land more clients, but it can also generate some serious revenue. So if you’re looking to become an ad copywriting pro, follow the steps and formulas outlined in this blog post, and you’ll be well on your way.

Ready to kickstart your ad copywriting career?

Be sure to get access to my FREE ebook on the 20 Highest Paying Jobs for Freelance Writers.

———————

References