Meta’s making a major shift—and it’s about to change how ads work on their platforms in a big way
If you’ve ever written (or plan to write) Meta ads for clients, this is something you need to understand. Because while you might not be managing ad budgets or running campaigns (and honestly, we don’t recommend it unless you’re trained to do it)…
You are responsible for writing the copy that gives the ads the best chance to drive results.
On this episode of the Build Your Copywriting Business podcast, we’re breaking down Meta’s phase-out of detailed audience targeting—and what it means for you as a copywriter.
No need to hit the panic button, just the “listen” or “watch” button.
We’ll tell you exactly what you need to know to stay ahead and keep delivering for your clients.
TUNE IN: Spotify | Apple Podcasts | Stitcher
Looking for closed captioning or a transcript? Watch the episode on YouTube!
A Sneak Peek at the Episode
[00:59] Updates to the way that meta ads are being built, how they’re being strategized. As a copywriter, all you have to do is the copy. CCA students in the special events section, you have a special event called Land Your First Copywriting client about jump starting your work with Facebook ads.
[03:42] An overwhelming number of businesses are advertising on meta. which is an amazing opportunity. The engine that drives elements of business is meta ads. And it just requires a lot of fuel to keep that fire going. I mean design and copy.
[04:30] Businesses need to be constantly testing new creative, and they also need to be constantly switching out the previous creative to stay on top of what’s working and what isn’t working.
[06:50] What often happens with most ads is that the longer they run, the lower the click through rate, the higher the cost per lead. People get tired of seeing it. so, we need to be constantly switching things out. Recently there’s been an update that is being slowly but surely rolled out.
[08:00] When an advertiser is running an ad, they can choose the placement. Where they want something to go. What kind of ad do they want it to be? One of the biggest ways to help ensure that an ad does well is to choose the audience that it’s going to.
[08:45] Facebook’s algorithm has gotten better and better at identifying what it thinks people are going to do and what certain people are going to take action on.
[09:54] You just put ads in, and then, of course, the problem is that it’s not like it immediately knows the right people. It will put the ad out and then it’ll see how people react. Meanwhile, the advertiser’s still paying all of that time. So it could get really expensive.
[10:35] As audience targeting is being taken away or the very least dialed back, What that means is it’s going to become even more important to have really good, really effective copy.
[13:17] Giving people a chance within that first line of copy (Hook), something that allows them to immediately identify with the ad. Making that initial hook so good to hook them in that they either click through immediately or they click the little ellipses so they can read more and then click through.
[13:30] Before, we could target an audience to a small group, we could use a broader message because the group was smaller. But now that the group is everyone, we have to use the messaging to target in the right people.
[16:50] One of the other tactics you can do, as part of the creative brief, is nailing down the audience but also creating a persona. Who is this person that you’re trying to target? Build a picture; if you want to give them a name, if it helps to compare them, do so.
[17:11] What are the characteristics? What is this person doing in life? or the type of car they’re driving? What kinds of places do they shop and buy their clothes at? And how does that align, then, with how you can speak to them?
[17:50] For you to create copy that is hyper-specific, create a target group with similar wants and needs. You can speak to those wants and needs, which allows them to stop the scroll. And they’ll take action because you’ve identified something that they specifically want.
[18:25] Number one, check out the Meta Ads Library and do some research on potential clients. It will show you everything that is currently running. It’s amazing. And then pitch your clients on it. Make sure that it’s clients that are running Meta ads.
[19:30] Unless you have a really strong calling, you don’t want to get into trying to run meta ads. It is very complicated and there are a lot of moving pieces. You can lose a lot of money very, very fast.
[20:17] There are Meta advertising standards you need to be aware of. You need to adhere to those advertising standards as you write. Breaking a rule will negatively impact your reputation. It’s just not gonna look good for you.
[21:25] This is a prime opportunity for people who you know, are running ads. Or when you are in your Feeds; If it says sponsored posts, that person is an advertiser. Which means that is a person who needs copy. Dig into it and then start pitching these clients because they need your help.
Must-Hear Takeaways
As with every episode, we highly encourage you to listen to the entire conversation! But here are a few of the highlights:
“If a company is advertising on meta, they need a constant stream of new creatives, and of course copy.” – Nicki
“Facebook’s algorithm has gotten better and better at identifying what it thinks people are going to do. What certain people are going to take action on.” – Nicki
“They’re going to largely remove the ability to target audiences completely. You have no control.” – Nicki
“The problem is that when you have people who are not in the target audience, clicking through it sends out a waste of money.” – Nicki
“The portion where you’re dialing in the audience even more important than it already is.” – Kate
“Copy becomes more real and it makes it easier for you to get even more specific because you have that customer persona in mind” – Kate
Mentioned in the Episode
- Meta Ads Library
- Meta advertising standards
- Ep. 18: How to Land Your First Copywriting Clients—Without Experience
Related Links
- Find Copywriting Clients on Facebook: 3 Tips and 1 Big Warning
- The Cool New Tool for Facebook/Meta Ads Copywriting Research
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About the Build Your Business Podcast
Ready to turn your love of writing into a successful copywriting career?
Join professional copywriters Nicki Krawczyk and Kate Sitarz to get the tips, tools, and training to help you become a copywriter and build a thriving business of your own. Nicki and Kate have 20+ and 10+ years of experience, respectively, writing copy for multi-billion-dollar companies, solopreneurs, and every size business in between.
Whether you want to land an on-staff job, freelance full-time and work from wherever you want, or make extra money with a side hustle, the best place to start learning is right here.
