In the middle of 2016, Facebook created a restriction around the amount of text that businesses could include in their Facebook ads.
Guess what? After four years, Facebook decided to lift this restriction. Without this rule in place, what does advertising on Facebook look like for businesses and marketers?
In this blog, I’m going to answer that question as well as break down why Facebook removed this restriction.
Changing Times: The Removal of Limiting Text in Facebook Ads
As the social media world continues to evolve, the team at Facebook realizes that changes must be made to keep up with consumer and advertiser needs.
As of September 2020, Facebook decided to remove its 20 percent text limit on Facebook ads. With this change, Facebook wanted to improve the quality of ads on its platform.
In regard to this update, Facebook said, “We will no longer penalize ads with higher amounts of image text in auctions and delivery.”
Under the old policy, Facebook had a Text Overlay tool that let advertisers check the text to image ratio (as seen below).
Advertisers were encouraged to strive for an “OK” rating. The more text in your ad, the higher likelihood it would not perform as well or it may get disapproved.
Since Facebook removed this restriction, the Text Overlay tool no longer exists. If you have that link saved in your bookmarks, it will lead you to this Facebook support page.
What Does This Change Mean for Advertisers?
While the lifting of this restriction is great news for advertisers and businesses alike, there are still some things you will need to consider before filling your ad images with text.
Facebook still recommends having reduced text in your ad images. Based on research, consumers like ads with less text in them. As a rule of thumb, it’s best practice to limit your text to 20 percent or less.
Todd Feldman, RevLocal's Paid Advertising Performance Manager, told us:
Having scroll stopping content should really be the number one priority.
If you decide to use text, be sure to keep it short and concise to get your message across effectively.
However, Facebook removing this rule will allow businesses the flexibility to try new things with their Facebook ads. Just because one tactic works for one business doesn’t mean it will work for another.
Regardless of the amount of text in your ad, it will run. And it’s possible it will reach just as many people as your other campaigns with limited text. Your approach is key, though.
Also, keep your target audience in mind. Look back at your past campaigns and see what has performed well.
Feel free to try some A/B testing with your ads. Create two ads: one with text and one without. Analyze those results to see what works for your business.
There is no magical solution and advertising takes trial and error to find the right option.
Or, maybe throw in some video ads for your campaigns.
Final Thoughts
The removal of limited text on ads is huge for businesses and advertisers. While this change is positive, remember that there are some best practices you should follow.
However, don’t be afraid to try something new!
As Facebook continues to make updates to its platform, it can be hard for your business to keep up. At RevLocal, our team of experts is always on top of the latest changes and best practices for advertising.
If you need help with your paid advertising, check out our website to learn more about our ad strategies, or click here to request a free consultation with a local marketing expert.