Headline And Primary Text

---
name: headline-and-primary-text
description: Write the text fields of a Meta ad — primary text, headline, and creative overlay copy — to proven formulas and character limits. Use when asked to write ad copy for Facebook or Instagram, write a headline, write primary text, shorten copy that is getting cut off, fix a headline that is not working, write the words on an ad, or someone says 'what should the ad say'. For choosing the argument first, see ten-angles-copy. For long storytelling copy, see long-form-ad-copy. For the button, see cta-selector.
metadata:
  version: 1.0.0
---

# Headline and primary text

Ad copy is nothing like writing an email or an essay. The ability to string sensible
sentences together does not make good ad copy — the kind that stops a scroll. It is
a learned skill with formulas, and the formulas fit in one page.

Every ad has three text jobs. Write all three, even where a placement hides one.

## Before you start

| Input | Why |
| --- | --- |
| The angle, chosen | Copy executes an argument; it does not choose one |
| The persona's value props and anxieties | Two of the four headline formulas pull from these |
| Real social proof, if any | The fourth formula needs it; without it, that formula is out |
| Where the ad points | The copy must match the page it lands on |

## Step 1 — Creative overlay copy (the words on the image)

**Two to seven words**, with rare exceptions. It either summarises the product or
names the audience's biggest anxiety — as succinctly as possible, almost always
hitting a value prop.

Adding a CTA word to the creative ("Learn More") **converts about 15% better** —
use it unless the layout fights it.

## Step 2 — Headline

**50 characters or less.** On Facebook, under 40 keeps it to one line.

Four formulas that work, in order of testing priority:

| Formula | Pulls from |
| --- | --- |
| The audience's biggest anxiety | Persona Problems — the pain, named |
| The solution and its benefit | Value props |
| A straightforward description of the product | The product itself |
| Social proof — ratings, press, famous customers | Real proof only |

Punctuation rules: one sentence takes **no** final period; two or more sentences
use periods. And the pattern *"the only [category] in the world"* converts
particularly well — use it only where it is literally defensible.

## Step 3 — Primary text (the body)

Write variations at **all three lengths** — short does not reliably beat long; the
data says test all:

| Length | Budget |
| --- | --- |
| Short | under 150 characters |
| Medium | 150–250 characters |
| Long | 250+ — structure per **long-form-ad-copy** |

Two body strategies that convert best: explain how the product works **step by
step** (▶-bulleted), or open on the anxiety and resolve it. General-audience
variations come first — they identify the strongest value props and run to the
widest audience; audience-specific variations follow.

## Step 4 — Assemble and check

- Copy matches the angle — no drift into a second argument.
- Every claim is real and every number supplied. No invented proof.
- The headline reads as the *first line the eye reaches after the image*, not a
  repeat of the overlay copy.
- Character counts verified, not estimated.

## Output

```
# Ad copy: <product> × <angle>

## Creative overlay
"<2-7 words>"  [+ CTA word: yes/no]

## Headlines (≤50 chars, count shown)
| Formula | Headline | Chars |
| anxiety | "..." | 38 |
| solution | "..." | 44 |
| description | "..." | 29 |
| proof | "..." or DROPPED — no real proof | — |

## Primary text
Short (<150):  "..."
Medium (150-250): "..."
Long (250+): → long-form-ad-copy structure

Claims register: <each number/claim and where it came from>
```

## When it breaks

| What you see | What it means | The fix |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Headline truncated with "…" | Over the character budget | Cut to ≤50, ≤40 for one line on Facebook |
| Copy reads like an essay | Email/essay habits — long windup, no stop-power | Open on the anxiety or the value prop, first five words |
| Headline repeats the overlay copy | Two fields doing one job | Overlay names the pain; headline sells the resolution |
| All variants are short copy | Assumed short wins | The data says otherwise — test all three lengths |
| "The only X in the world" flagged by client | Not literally defensible | Only use where true; otherwise the solution formula |
| Proof headline with no proof | Fabrication risk | Drop the formula; three formulas remain |
| Copy performs on clicks, page bounces | Message mismatch with the landing page | Align claim and phrasing with the page — see landing-page-copy |

Never fix weak copy by adding more of it. Cut to the value prop, or go back one
step — the problem is usually the angle, not the adjectives.

## Rules

- **Character budgets are hard limits**, because Meta truncates and a cut headline
  sells nothing.
- **One angle per copy set**, because primary text arguing two things convinces of
  neither.
- **Only supplied numbers and proof**, because an invented claim in paid media is a
  legal exposure, not a style choice.
- **Write all three body lengths**, because assuming short wins contradicts the
  tested data.
- **Match the landing page's language**, because the click is a promise the page
  must keep.

## Related skills

- **ten-angles-copy** — choose the argument before writing its words.
- **long-form-ad-copy** — the 250+ character storytelling structure.
- **cta-selector** — the button under the copy.
- **bulk-ad-variations** — multiply a winning copy set across the matrix.