7 Awesome Ad Copy Examples

Published: Feb 24, 2020
Table of Contents
Sign up for our newsletter to get exclusive content marketing news and resources.

In 2019, eMarketer estimated that money spent on digital advertising in the U.S. would increase by 19.1% to a total of $129.3 billion. When used well, these advertising dollars can contribute to a major uptick in sales and an increase in brand recognition—but the unfortunate reality is that most marketing efforts come up short in achieving results.

Ad campaigns are more expensive than ever, and markets are saturated. There is little room for error in crafting ad copy examples that will ultimately be successful. To reach consumers and obtain your desired results, it’s critical to understand the nature of advertising, the mindset of customers, and the most effective ways of communicating the brand’s message.

<div class="tip">Want copy that converts? Work with the best copywriters through our copywriting services.</div>

What Makes for Effective Ad Copy?

The advertising world is in constant flux. Consumer demands are constantly evolving and changes to search engine algorithms can render advertising campaigns irrelevant overnight. But quality ad copy remains at the forefront of what it takes to be successful.

Before we consider a few successful ad copy examples, let’s start with four key fundamentals to creating ad copy that delivers results.

1. Consider the User’s Purpose

To reach consumers, ad copy examples need to appeal to their needs. Think about what exactly consumers want to accomplish by using your product and make sure to reflect these desires of consumers in your ad. Help consumers visualize how your brand can solve their problems.

2. Address Consumer Concerns

Often, consumers make purchase decisions based on two things: how much something costs and how much hassle the purchase entails. With this in mind, be sure to craft ad copy that quells these concerns. If you do this effectively, you can expect a surge in sales and consumer interest in your brand.

3. Highlight the Product Benefits

It is important to stress how your products or services benefit consumers. Most of your audience is going to be viewing your ad without any pre-existing knowledge of or investment in your company. Stress how your products can make customers’ lives better or easier to increase your sales.

4. Use Keywords in Your Copy

While this requirement may seem obvious, many online advertisers fail to effectively drive views using organic traffic. It is crucial to include keywords in your ad copy to make sure Google shows your ad copy examples to the right people surfing the internet.

7 Ad Copy Examples that Really Work

Here we discuss some advanced strategies and take a look at how successful marketers make use of them.

So what do great ad copywriting samples look like? We have compiled some of our favorite examples below.

1. Creating a Sense of Urgency: Feelunique

People don’t want to miss out on a great opportunity. In psychology, this feeling is known as loss aversion, and it’s one of the main driving forces that dictate behavior. Using this understanding to craft your ad copy is an excellent way to get your audience to take action.

Using phrases like “act now” and “limited time offer,” or mentioning a limited stock available can be extremely effective at fostering a sense of urgency in your audience. Another fantastic strategy is to include a timer in your online ad copy or include a specified duration for your offer in your print ads.

Feelunique does a fantastic job of creating urgency through the pictured ad. Their product, Kérastase, is highlighted in both the written copy and accompanying visuals, and their opening line creates a feeling of scarcity among consumers. That is, consumers should race to buy this product. The second line of the ad highlights the discount offers for this product by ordering during the sale period. The link in the third line makes it easy for consumers to take advantage of the promo.

(Image credit: Social Media Examiner)

The visuals also highlight the key points of the written copy, and the images add to the allure of feeling special and beautiful by purchasing this product.

2. Eliminating Risk for Your Audience: Hampton Hotels

One of the main reasons people don’t try new products is the fear that they won’t like them. By removing the reasons not to act, you encourage consumers to try something new.

You can easily eliminate uncertainty about your product with strong ad copy. Examples such as “30-day money back guarantee,” or “full refund if you aren’t fully satisfied” are reassurances that eliminate consumer risk in trying your products or signing up for your offer.

The ad below is an excellent example of how to do this effectively.

(Image credit: Neil Patel)

Hampton Hotels stress their 100% customer satisfaction guarantee in this ad. This marketing strategy addresses any consumer concerns and eliminates any hesitation on the part of consumers to stay at their hotels. This ad is a perfect example of how to use your ad copy to reduce consumer risk and encourage consumers to try your product.

3. Making Your Audience Feel Special: Larsson & Jennings

Consumers respond positively to the notion that they are special. Making offers that appear specially designed for consumers provokes the reaction that they gain something special by accepting your offer. This tip works with discount offerings as well as encouraging new customers to sign up for a mailing list or information request. Using a “secret password” that is required to log in online is a great trick to get your audience to act.

Larsson & Jennings is a men’s fashion company that produces exceptional ad copy. Here is one of the best ad copy examples for encouraging new sign-ups.

(Image credit: Charlie Lawrance)

By requiring the user to sign up to take advantage of the exclusive offer, this ad creates both urgency and exclusivity. The deal only lasts for a short period, so users must act fast. Only users with an account can experience the discount on the listed product. This fact makes users feel special by creating an account and taking advantage of the discounted product. And the special offer only available to users with an account creates a reward for the consumer.

4. Using Testimonials: Snowbird Ski Resort

Testimonials make for powerful messages. Messages from other consumers inspire greater trust because they originate from outside the company, and they tend to be more relatable to the average customer.

Eliciting reviews from prior customers isn’t difficult—many customers are happy to share their opinions when asked. Happy customers can be avid brand promoters, and dissatisfied customers often want an outlet to vent their concerns. Keep in mind that testimonials are not always positive, but that can be okay.

This ad for Snowbird Ski Resort is a great example of spinning negative reviews to elicit a positive effect.

(Image credit: Honeycopy)

In their ad, Snowbird uses a negative review to highlight their challenging ski trails. While many beginners may hesitate to tackle these trails after seeing this ad, more experienced skiers may view Snowbird as an exciting challenge. This challenge can be a strong motivator for experienced skiers to tackle these ski trails.

Using self-deprecating language in ads can be an effective way to engage your audience in not only a humorous way, but also to create a sense of heightened awareness about your product’s benefits or specifications. Plus, funny ad copy examples are a lot more memorable and more likely to be shared on social media sites.

5. Emphasizing the Ease of Using Your Product: Harry’s Shave Club

Ease of using a product is one of the most important factors for purchase decisions. If your product is easy to use, stressing this point in your ad copy examples can get you more clicks and more sales.

This ad for Harry’s Shave Club does a great job of emphasizing the simplicity of the program and making it easy for potential new customers to get started.

(Image credit: Tools of Men)

The image makes the topic of this ad clear at the outset, but this offer differs from most shaving advertisements. This ad makes clear that Harry’s is easy to use by using clear, concise, and straightforward language. The convenience of delivering razors to your home at an affordable price accounts for each of the 19 words included in the advertising, and highlighting the free shipping reinforces the affordability of this opportunity.

Harry’s doesn’t confuse the message of this ad by adding any extras. Everything about this ad copy appeals to the desire to make life easier for consumers, which makes it especially effective.

6. Offering Customization Options: Nike

People like to feel in control, especially when it comes to spending their hard-earned money. Allowing consumers to customize their experiences with your product satisfies this desire for control, while encouraging potential buyers to give your brand a chance.

Including something as simple as “try our customizable diet plan” or “complete control with the press of a button” in your ad copy gives the sense of control and customizable experience that many consumers demand.

Nike is just one company known for offering a wealth of customization options to consumers. Nike gives customers the ability to design and size their footwear depending on their preferences. The Facebook ad below is simple, but speaks volumes to the customization options available for Nike shoes.

Consumers can alter the color and style of every part of their favorite Nike shoes, as well as choose options for sizing and fit. Not only that, but Nike also allows users to share their designs with a click of a button. This customizable experience strongly appeals to many consumers.

7. Using Emotional Triggers: Nike

Few things spawn a stronger or more immediate reaction than a powerful emotional stimulus. Anger, disgust, affirmation, and fear are particularly effective at making an impression on your audience. When it comes to determining which emotional response you want to provoke, however, it’s important to carefully consider your product and your desired effect on the consumer.

Keep in mind that negative emotions, such as fear, disgust, and anger, can get redirected toward your ad. Utilizing positive emotional triggers can be difficult, because humor and happiness tend to be more subjective. But when you find the right emotional chord to strike, the effect can be powerful. Consider the Nike ad below.

(Image credit: Forbes)

Nike does an incredible job of using emotions in their ad copy examples. In their Find Your Greatness Campaign, Nike stresses that we are all great when we do our best. This ad speaks to everyone, with the message that greatness isn’t reserved for star athletes and elite professionals in a particular field—greatness starts with a single step that anyone, anywhere can take.

The takeaway message from this ad is filled with positivity and creates the desire to try something new.

Conclusion

Creating well-crafted ad copy is a crucial method of communicating with a broad audience. Effective ad copy strategies can not only prove your brand’s authority and value to potential buyers, but make a mark on their emotions. By concentrating on delivering a powerful message to your target audience, you can make your brand memorable and create a loyal customer base that will keep coming back again and again.

This article was written by Compose.ly writer James Young.

FAQ's

Learn how to work with AI tools, not against them. 

Download our free guide to AI content creation and discover: 

✅ The benefits and limitations of generative AI
✅ When to use AI tools and when you still need human assistance
✅ Tips for writing effective ChatGPT prompts
✅ 6 ways to leverage ChatGPT for content creation
Download Now

Speak with us to learn more.

Let us make content marketing easier for you. Fill out the form below, and a content specialist will get in touch with you in 1 business day.
Close button icon