Short answer: Facebook ad copy is the primary text, the headline and the description around your image or video. Keep the primary text to one to three lines, say what you want people to do, and give Meta several text options. Never write as if you knew a personal attribute of the reader.
The text fields of an ad
Meta’s guidance on text in ads names the three fields and the length it recommends for most placements:
| Field | Where it appears | Recommended length |
|---|---|---|
| Primary text | Above the image or video | 125 characters |
| Headline | Below the image or video, in bold | 40 characters |
| Description | Below the headline | 25 characters |
From Meta’s Business Help Center, read November 5, 2026.
If the text passes those lengths, Meta warns that it may be cut, and some placements and devices cut it even sooner. Our Facebook ad sizes guide lists what each placement shows.
Keep the copy short
Meta’s advice is that primary text should span one to three lines at most. Its ads guide recommends 50 to 150 characters of primary text and a 27-character headline for image ads in the Facebook Feed.
If you leave the text empty, Meta may pull it from the website you link to, and you may not be able to edit what it pulls. Write your own.
Say what you want people to do
Meta calls this the most important goal of text in ads: people should see what you want them to do at a glance.
The call-to-action button carries the same message, and the options available depend on your business goals. When the button says Send WhatsApp message, the text should lead to that chat, as in our guide to click-to-WhatsApp ads.
Give Meta several text options
In single image and video ads, you can enter several options for the primary text, the headline and the description. Meta’s system then uses variations of them for each person, based on preferences its models identify.
Meta’s text generation feature can also write up to five variations of your primary text and headline. It works when your primary text is in English, Portuguese or Spanish.
Make sure every combination of primary text, headline and description works together and none contradicts another. Reporting stays at the ad level, so you won’t see results for each text variation.
What Meta doesn’t allow in ad text
Ads can’t assert or imply personal attributes of the reader, Meta’s advertising standards say. That covers a person’s race, religion, beliefs, age, sexual orientation, disability, health and financial situation, among others.
An ad also can’t ask for or share someone’s personal attributes, or suggest the advertiser knows their name, their finances or their health. Meta’s reason is that ads that make assumptions about people can feel intrusive, unsettling or inaccurate.
What ads can do: use “you” and “your” without a personal attribute, refer broadly to where people live, and mention an age group or a gender in passing. Meta asks advertisers to focus on the benefits of what they sell instead.
Text inside the image
Meta says there is no longer a limit on the amount of text in an ad image, and its old text overlay tool is gone. If you add text to the image, it shouldn’t cover the important part of the picture.
Use a clean font, a type size large enough to read and a color that contrasts with the background. The Meta Ad Library lets you see how other advertisers write theirs.
How to write Facebook ad copy
- Decide the one action you want, such as a message, a call or a form.
- Write a primary text of one to three lines that says what the person gets and what to do.
- Write a headline of 40 characters or fewer, or 27 for image ads in the Facebook Feed.
- Add a description of up to 25 characters, or leave it out.
- Write several options of each field and read every combination together.
- Check each line against Meta’s rule on personal attributes.
- Choose the button that matches the action, and make the text lead to it.
The text of our own WhatsApp ads
On November 5, 2026, we read the text of our own ads on Meta: 48 ads that send people to a WhatsApp chat with us. We counted their text, not their results.
All 48 use the same button, Send WhatsApp message, because the chat is the one action they ask for. 28 of them carry five primary texts and five headlines, 16 carry three of each, and 4 carry one.
Together they hold 63 different primary texts, between 63 and 125 characters, with a median of 100: 31 in Spanish and 32 in English. None passes the 125 characters Meta recommends. The 58 headlines run from 16 to 40 characters, so none passes 40 either.
Nearly half of the primary texts, 31 of 63, name WhatsApp, the place the button opens.
Before you publish
- The primary text fits in one to three lines.
- The headline stays within 40 characters.
- The copy says what you want people to do.
- Every text option works with every headline.
- No line asserts or implies a personal attribute.
- The button matches the action the text asks for.
RememberShort text, one action and several options. Write about what you offer, never about who you think the reader is.
Our Meta Ads service writes, tests and runs your ads in English and Spanish. Tell us about your business through the form or on WhatsApp. If you’re setting up your first campaign, start with how to run Facebook ads.
Quick answers about Facebook ad copy
How long should Facebook ad copy be?
Meta recommends 125 characters of primary text, 40 for the headline and 25 for the description in most placements. Past that, text may be cut. Its own advice is to keep the primary text to one to three lines.
What is primary text in a Facebook ad?
The main copy above the image or video. The headline is the bold copy below it, and the description is the secondary copy under the headline. Each field has its own recommended length.
Should I add several text options to my ad?
Yes, Meta suggests it. With several options for the primary text, headline and description, its system can show the version each person is more likely to respond to. Check that every combination reads well together.
Can I ask a question in a Facebook ad?
Yes, as long as the question doesn’t assert or imply a personal attribute, such as someone’s health, finances, age or religion. Meta allows “you” and “your” when no personal attribute comes with them.
Can I put text in the ad image?
Yes. Meta says there is no longer a limit on the amount of text in an ad image. If you add text, it shouldn’t cover the important part of the picture, and it should be large enough and in a contrasting color.
Sources
Read on November 5, 2026. Meta Business Help Center: Creative best practices for text in ads, About text generation in Meta Ads Manager and Best practices for image ads. Meta Ads Guide: Image ads in Facebook Feed. Meta Transparency Center: Privacy Violations and Personal Attributes. Our case: the text of our own ads on Meta, read on November 5, 2026.