Facebook ad preview and mockup tool

The parts of a Facebook ad

Every Facebook and Instagram feed ad is built from the same five pieces. Each one has a job, and knowing what it is makes the ad much easier to write.

• Primary text. The words above the image. This is where you catch people and tell them what you do.
• Image or video. The part that stops someone scrolling. It does most of the work, so it’s worth getting right.
• Headline. The bold line under the image. Use it for your offer or the main reason to tap.
• Description. The small line under the headline. It’s optional and doesn’t show in every placement, so never put anything vital in it.
• Button. The call to action, like Get quote or Book now. It tells people what happens next.

Facebook ad character limits: how much people see

You can write a long primary text, but people don’t see it all at first. On a phone, roughly the first 125 characters show, then the text is cut off with “See more”. Only the people who tap see the rest, so that first line or two has to do the selling. Instagram works the same way, cutting the caption off with “more”.

Headlines get cut too. Meta suggests keeping them to about 27 characters so they aren’t cut off on smaller screens, and roughly 40 is the most that shows. The description fits about 30.

Hook in the first 125 characters, headline under about 27, nothing vital in the description.

Treat these numbers as a guide, not a rule. Every placement shows ads differently, from the Facebook feed to Instagram Stories, Reels and Marketplace, and every phone is a little different too. This preview shows the feed on a typical phone, so before you publish, check every placement in Ads Manager’s own preview.

Writing ads for a local service business

Here’s what we focus on when we write ads for trades, clinics and installers:

• Put the hook in the first line. Lead with the problem or the result, like “Boiler packed in?” or “Your new kitchen, fitted in a week.” It’s the part everyone sees.
• Show real work. Use a photo of a job you’ve actually done rather than a stock image. People want to see what they’ll get, and who’ll be turning up.
• Say who it’s for and where. “For homeowners in Hull and East Yorkshire” tells the right people the ad is for them, and lets everyone else scroll on.
• Ask for one thing. A call, a quote or a booking. Give people three choices and it’s easy for them to put it off.
• Pick a button that matches. If the ad says “get a free quote”, use Get quote, not Learn more. The button should do what the words promise.

Image tips for the feed

Square (1:1) and portrait (4:5) images take up more of a phone screen than landscape ones. For the feed, use 1080 by 1080 pixels for square or 1080 by 1350 for portrait.

• Use real photos of your work, your team or your premises.
• Keep any words on the image short and big enough to read on a phone.
• Check faces and the important parts of the job aren’t cropped off in the preview above.

If your photo is the wrong shape, the social media image resizer crops it to square or portrait in your browser, so you choose what stays in.

Once your ad is live

A good looking ad is only half the job. To see whether it’s paying for itself, put your spend, cost per lead and job value into the Facebook ads ROAS calculator.

Rather have it done for you? See how we write and run Facebook and Instagram ads for local service businesses.