As an official Facebook partner agency, we’ve invested more than $5 million in ad spend on the platform over the past several years. Facebook remains the foundation of our marketing efforts—but what excites us most isn’t advanced targeting options, massive audience reach, or even eye-catching visuals. Instead, it’s a rarely appreciated advantage: the generous amount of text space available in Facebook ads.
This is where we take a different approach. While nearly 90% of advertisers overlook this opportunity, choosing to run short, one- or two-line ads, we actively test and embrace longer ad copy. Curious about why brevity dominates, I’ve spoken with many businesses running Facebook campaigns and asked why they don’t make better use of the available space. Almost all point to the same assumption—that users have limited attention spans and will only read minimal text.
What’s surprising, however, is that most of these advertisers have never actually tested long-form copy against shorter ads. When asked whether they’ve compared performance through split testing, the answer is almost always the same: they haven’t.
Running Facebook ads is much like participating in the stock market—making decisions based on assumptions, trends, or secondhand opinions can quickly lead to poor results. Just as blindly following market rumors can cost investors’ money, building an ad strategy on untested beliefs carries the same level of risk. In both cases, success depends on data, testing, and real-world validation rather than guesswork.
Through our experience managing more than 100 Facebook advertising accounts, we’ve gathered a large and reliable data set that informs how we approach ad copy decisions. What we’ve learned is that there’s no universal rule when it comes to length. Whether a Facebook ad performs better with long or short copy depends on multiple variables, including how compelling the message is and what type of product or service is being advertised.
When all other factors remain constant—same product, same messaging angle—I tend to favor longer ad copy. The reason is simple: extended copy often attracts more qualified prospects and produces higher-quality leads. Think of it this way: if you had the choice between speaking with two sales representatives—one for five minutes and another for two hours—and neither was pushy, you’d likely walk away better informed after the longer conversation. That additional time allows questions to be answered, concerns to be resolved, and trust to be built, which naturally increases the likelihood of a sale.
Your Facebook ads function in much the same way. As David Ogilvy famously implied, advertising is salesmanship multiplied at scale. So, the question persists—should ad copy be short or long? Observing how users interact provides clarity. Short copy results in quick surface-level engagement, while longer copy encourages readers to spend more time absorbing your message. Just like an extended conversation with a salesperson, that deeper engagement often leads to stronger intent and, in many cases, better conversion rates when all else is equal.
One often-overlooked reality is that Facebook does not charge more for longer ad copy. Advertisers are free to tell a complete story without worrying about increased costs based on word count. This makes it even more puzzling why so many brands fail to fully leverage the platform. In traditional sales environments, longer conversations demand additional time, staff, and resources. On Facebook, however, writing extended copy comes at no extra expense—which makes its underuse even more surprising. Our data reflects this opportunity, showing that longer ads outperform shorter ones roughly 70% of the time.
That said, shorter copy still serves a valuable purpose. The most effective approach is not choosing one over the other, but testing both formats, analyzing the results, and distributing ad spend based on what works. Facebook advertising sits at the intersection of creativity and analytics, and success depends on understanding your specific audience rather than copying tactics that work for others.
This brings us to a commonly cited example in advertising discussions: Apple’s clean, minimal website and concise messaging. Many argue that adopting Apple’s short-form style is the secret to effective advertising. While Apple’s success is undeniable, it’s important to recognize the decades of brand-building led by Steve Jobs that laid the foundation for such simplicity to work.
Look back at Apple’s major product launches—most notably the original iPhone unveiling at Macworld. Steve Jobs didn’t rush through a short demo; he spent nearly two hours walking the audience through every detail. If a quick presentation were enough, why devote that much time? Jobs understood the power of persuasion, particularly when introducing something new on a global stage. Those presentations weren’t just product demos—they were lessons in large-scale salesmanship, a principle that sits at the heart of modern digital marketing.
At its core, every product or service must be sold. Very few offers succeed with nothing more than a short headline or a couple of sentences. The more objections your audience has, the more explanation and reassurance they need. That’s why trimming your Facebook ad copy too aggressively can work against you—words matter, especially when they are doing the job of a salesperson.
History offers plenty of proof. Many of the most successful advertising campaigns ever created relied on long-form sales copy. From a single campaign that generated billions in revenue for the Wall Street Journal to a famous 1957 ad that significantly lifted Rolls-Royce sales, long copy has repeatedly delivered results. However, length alone isn’t what makes it work. The goal is clarity and persuasion—writing only as much as necessary, without padding or unnecessary filler.
Length isn’t what turns people away—lack of interest does. No matter how many words you use, ads that are engaging and relevant will always hold attention. The idea that audiences only tolerate short content doesn’t hold up. People willingly watch brief clips on YouTube and binge-watch multi-hour series on Netflix. Success comes from keeping attention, not from forcing everything into a short format.
Many marketers shy away from long-form ads because they’re afraid of getting the copy wrong. Yet, as David Ogilvy famously emphasized, advertising is fundamentally driven by words. Writing is a skill to be developed, not avoided. With Facebook offering unrestricted space for ad copy, marketers have the freedom to test, refine, and experiment without artificial limitations. When used strategically, long-form sales copy becomes a powerful advantage—and those who master it often rise above the competition in Facebook advertising.
Ted is the co-founder of Ice Cube Marketing, a digital marketing agency in Singapore that has been operating since 2015 and has helped more than 500 SMEs grow their business through Facebook and Google ads.
