I need Facebook ad copy for my small business that doesn't read like every other ad.

What Meta recommends, and what the Meta setting writes

Meta publishes its text guidance in the Meta Ads Guide, one page per ad format and placement, and the numbers differ more than most people expect. On 10 October 2026 the guide recommended, for a single image ad in Facebook Feed, 50-150 characters of primary text and a 27-character headline. For the same image ad in Instagram Feed it listed 125 characters of primary text and a 40-character headline. A carousel in Facebook Feed got 80 characters of primary text, 20 for each card's headline and 18 for its description. The guide files all of these under text recommendations, so read them as the length that displays well, not as a wall your ad hits.

With Platform set to Meta (Facebook / Instagram), HidenGPT writes 3 primary texts of up to 125 characters, 5 headlines of up to 40, 3 descriptions of up to 30 and 2 button ideas drawn from Meta's standard buttons, such as Learn More, Shop Now, Sign Up or Book Now. Each line arrives with its count beside it, for example (25/40). Because Meta's numbers are recommendations, a line that runs long gets a warning and stays in the list for you to trim.

A decision rule that saves a second draft: if one ad will run in both feeds, keep every primary text between 50 and 125 characters and every headline at 27 or fewer. That sits inside both recommendations at once.

One small business, one ad set, real counts

Here is a finished set for the dog grooming van in the example request above, with three primary texts that each try a different angle.

The problem: “No crate, no waiting room, no drive across town. We park at your curb and your dog is back inside in 90 minutes.” That is 112 characters.

The offer: “Bath, cut, ears and nails, and your dog never leaves your street. Grooms from $65, with $15 off your first in October.” That is 118 characters.

The proof: “Dana groomed in salons for 11 years, then built the van. One dog at a time, no barking room. Book a slot online.” That is 112 characters.

Headlines to rotate under them: “Dog grooming at your curb” (25), “$15 off your first groom” (24), “No crates. No salon trip.” (25), “Grooms from $65 in Columbus” (27) and “Your dog never leaves home” (26). Descriptions: “Book online in two minutes” (26) and “Small dogs from $65” (19). Button: Book Now, or Learn More if the page behind the ad is mostly information.

Look at what each line carries: a price, a time, a name or a place. None of them would work for another groomer, and that is the test to run on any ad. Meta's help center says an ad that uses dynamic creative can take up to 5 headline options, which it combines into variations, so five headlines that each say something different give it real choices instead of five rewordings of one idea.

What to cut before it goes live

Begin with the line people write when they don't yet know what to say: “Is your furry best friend overdue for some well-deserved pampering? Look no further, because we are thrilled to bring the ultimate grooming experience right to you.” It runs to 164 characters, longer than either feed's recommendation, and the one fact in it, that the groomer comes to you, arrives last. Cut it down to the fact: “We park at your curb and your dog is back inside in 90 minutes.”

Then work down this list:

1. Lines that tell readers what they are. Meta's advertising standards don't allow ads that assert or imply a personal attribute, such as health, age, religion or a vulnerable financial status, and ask advertisers to talk about the product instead. “Bad back? Let us lift the dog.” implies a health condition; “We lift the dog. You stay on the sofa.” says the same thing about the service. Plain “you” is fine. 2. Urgency that isn't true. “Only 3 spots left this week” works on the week it's true and becomes a problem every other week. 3. Stock phrases such as “look no further”, “say goodbye to”, “game-changer” and “elevate”. The draft is written against a list of them, but read for them anyway. 4. A headline that repeats the primary text. The two show together, so each should add a fact. 5. An offer tucked into the description. Meta's guide lists no description length for a single image ad in Facebook Feed, so keep the price and the offer in the primary text or the headline.

Last, open the page the ad links to and check that every price, date and claim matches it.