How to Write Killer Copy for Native Ads

There are a lot of moving parts to consider when planning a native ad campaign, including your publisher sites, audience targeting, budget, and creatives, to name just a few. With all these things to think about, it’s way too easy to overlook one of the most important aspects of your ad: the copy. Devoting a little bit of thought to your ad copy can make all the difference between a successful campaign, or a flop. With this in mind, we’ve put together a list of considerations to remember when drafting the copy for your native ads.

1. KISS (Keep It Simple, Stupid)

Although this principle is more often applied to design philosophy than to writing, it’s absolutely worth keeping in mind. Many formats of digital advertising are heavy on visuals and light on copy – and native ads are no exception. But just because you have limited text real estate to work with doesn’t mean you should put less thought into your ad copy. In fact, it’s often more difficult to write concisely and accurately than to write in long form.

Remember that prospective customers will initially be drawn to your ad creative, but will eventually choose whether or not to click on your ad based on the message conveyed through your copy. So make sure that your copy is brief, impactful and meaningful. 

2. Make it Relevant and Accurate

This should go without saying, but when you’re juggling so many different things for your ad campaign, it can be easy to forget the importance of relevant, accurate copy. In this context, “relevant” means that your copy should not only be aligned with your product or service, but should also match your chosen ad creative. Likewise, “accurate” means that your copy should accurately represent your product. In other words, when users click your ad, they shouldn’t be surprised or turned off by what they see on your landing page.

3. Zero Tolerance for Typos

Not only do typos and grammar mistakes look sloppy – they can also have serious repercussions on your ad performance. Although it’s probably true that the majority of consumers won’t notice the odd misspelling, those who do could be turned off from your product. Additionally, most if not all of the top-notch publishers keep a careful eye on their website content to ensure that it maintains a high standard of quality. Spelling mistakes and grammar errors could easily result in your ad being rejected pending amendments, which will slow down your campaign. 

If none of this has convinced you to run a spell-check before publishing your ad, remember that first impressions count. Typos don’t instill confidence in consumers, and loyalty is tough to earn but easy to lose.

4. Be On-Brand

Finally, when you’re writing copy, always make sure to write in the voice of your brand. It can be jarring to customers when they see ads that don’t seem to resonate with how they envision your brand. If you work for a younger brand that hasn’t yet established its own voice, we recommend keeping a log of your top-performing ads to see which combination of creative and copy works best. From there, you can start refining your voice and eventually institute writing guidelines for your marketing team.

We hope all you digital marketers and advertisers out there found this advice useful! Keep an eye on the MediaGo blog for more advertising tips in the future.