Primary text is the main body copy of a Meta ad. In the Facebook feed it appears above the image or video, in the Instagram feed it appears below it as the caption, and in Stories and Reels it appears as a short caption over the bottom of the screen. It sits alongside the headline, the description and the call-to-action button, and usually carries most of the persuasion.
How primary text works
Ads Manager lets you write long primary text, but only the opening shows by default. On mobile feeds, roughly the first 125 characters appear before the copy is cut with a “more” link, and less again in vertical placements. Most people never tap to expand, so the first line or two has to do the work on its own.
At the time of writing (October 2026), you can add up to five text options per ad. Meta then shows different options to different people and leans towards the ones that perform, which is a light form of testing. With Advantage+ creative enhancements switched on, Meta may also move text into other positions or generate variations, so read what is enabled before assuming the copy will appear exactly as written.
Primary text is reviewed under the same rules as the rest of the ad. Wording that implies something about the reader’s health, money or beliefs falls under the personal attributes policy, and claims must be supportable under the UK’s CAP Code.
Why it matters
The image or video stops the scroll; primary text decides whether the person cares enough to act. It is where you name the problem, make the offer specific and give a reason to believe it. For a UK service business, the difference between “Quality kitchens at great prices” and “Fitted kitchens for Victorian terraces, designed and installed in about three weeks” is the difference between an ad people ignore and one the right person stops for.
Text is also the cheapest thing to test. Changing a line of copy costs nothing to produce, whereas a new video takes time and money.
UK rules shape what the text can say. Prices quoted to consumers should include VAT, “from” prices need a fair number of items genuinely available at that price, and words such as “free” or “sale” carry specific meanings under advertising rules. A claim that is easy to write in primary text can be expensive to defend if a competitor or customer complains to the ASA.
Common mistakes
- Burying the point below the truncation line, behind a greeting or a company history.
- Repeating the headline word for word, wasting one of the two prominent pieces of text.
- Five text options that say the same thing in slightly different words, which teaches you nothing.
- Vague claims such as “the best service in London” that cannot be supported and say nothing specific.
- Walls of emoji or capitals Which look like spam and make the offer harder to read.
How to act on it
Write the first 125 characters as if nothing else will be read: who it is for, what they get and why now. Then use the rest for detail people who expand will want, such as what is included, price where you can state it in pounds, and how to book. Write the headline separately to complement it.
Use the text options to test genuinely different angles: a problem-led line, an offer-led line and a proof-led line, for example. Check lengths in my ad copy character counter, preview every placement, and keep the version that wins on cost per result, not on clicks. Writing and testing ad copy is part of my Facebook ads management service, and the same principles of copywriting apply to every channel.