How to write Facebook ad headlines that work

The headline field is the bold line under the image, beside the call-to-action button. People read it after the image, as a caption, so it works best as the takeaway: the offer, the product with its promise, or the benefit in plain words. Some placements add a description line below it, which you can use for a guarantee or delivery detail.

The image headline is the text on the creative itself. People see it before anything else, so it does the stopping. It is usually a hook, such as a question, a call-out or a bold claim you can prove. The guide at /guides/facebook-ad-copy covers how the headline field works with the primary text above the ad.

Replace the brackets with your own product and customer. The examples show the shape and are not claims about any real product.

• Result without the pain. '[Result] without [the thing they dislike].' For example, 'Clean floors without dragging the hoover out.'

• The offer. '[Offer] on [product].' For example, 'Free delivery on your first order.' Only use an offer you run.

• The call-out. 'For [person] who [situation].' For example, 'For people who cook once for the whole week.'

• The specific fact. A checkable detail instead of an adjective. For example, 'Three ingredients. Nothing else.'

• The question. A question your reader answers yes to. For example, 'Still ironing shirts every Sunday night?'

• The comparison. '[Your way] instead of [the usual way].' For example, 'One bottle instead of five.'

• The objection answer. The doubt, answered before it is asked. For example, 'Yes, it fits in hand luggage.'

• The proof. A short line from a real review, used with permission, with the customer's first name.

• The deadline. Only when it is real. For example, 'Ends Sunday at midnight.'

Short enough to show in full on a phone, which usually means a handful of words. Meta's ads guide lists a recommended headline length for each placement, and longer headlines get cut off on some of them. Put the word that matters most at the start, so the line still works if the end disappears. The preview in Ads Manager shows where your headline breaks, and /tools/ad-copy-checker flags lines that run long.

The best headline words come from your customers. Read your reviews, support emails and comments, and note the phrases people use to describe the problem and the result. 'Finally a lunch box that does not leak in my bag' beats 'leak-resistant food storage solution' because it is how a customer would say it.

Cut superlatives such as best, premium and revolutionary, which readers skip. Leave your brand name out of the opening unless people already know it. Mockingbird writes a voice profile from your website, listing words you use and words you never use, and every headline it writes follows that profile.

A headline can get an ad rejected on its own. The usual problems are wording that tells the reader they have a personal condition, claims you cannot prove, and deadlines or discounts that are not real. Unusual spellings or symbols used to dodge review cause trouble too. The guide at /guides/facebook-ad-rejected explains each problem and points to Meta's Advertising Standards.

Hold the image, product and offer constant and change only the headline, so the result tells you something about the words. Run three to five at a time and judge on cost per purchase or lead, not likes. When one wins, write its next generation with the same formula, a sharper audience or a more specific result. The guides at /guides/meta-ad-hooks and /guides/ad-creative-testing cover hooks and test design in more depth.

To make headline variants of an ad you already have, type a note in Mockingbird such as 'Keep everything, change the headline to Free delivery on your first order' and get a new version. Each revision uses one credit.