Feature, Benefit, Feeling: A Framework for Improving PPC Ad Copywriting

There is simply no substitute for great PPC (pay-per-click) copy with Google Ads. Sure, you can do tons of keyword research, get to know your target market intimately, and take many other important steps – but if you don’t write great copy for your ads, none of it will make much of a difference to your online advertising goals. 

With that in mind, we’d like to use this article to present you with a simple framework for how you can improve your copywriting and hopefully secure more leads with ppc advertising.

The three primary concepts that are going to make up this framework are features, benefits, and feelings. We’ll give each of those three sections below, and then we’ll wrap it up by offering some additional paid search ad copywriting tips to help you produce ads that reach your goals. Let’s get started.

What is PPC advertising and why is copywriting a critical element of success

PPC, aka pay-per-click advertising, Google paid search ads, is a digital advertising model where you pay Google only when someone clicks on your ad. It’s all about getting those eyeballs on your business by using very cost-effective advertising.

Your ad copy is the hook that reels people in. It’s your chance to make an impression, spark curiosity, and make them take action. Great copy grabs attention, creates desire, and compels folks to click that ad link instead of blowing by a billboard on the highway.

When you craft incredibly compelling ad copy, you’re not just conveying your message, you’re capturing the attention of your customer, building trust and connection. You’re showing your audience that you understand their pain points, desires, and dreams. You’re speaking their language, and that’s how you earn their click.

Good copywriting for paid search ads starts with features

When you are getting ready to craft some ad copy for a PPC campaign, you want to start by thinking about what specific features are offered within the product or service you’d like to sell. You can think of this as the nuts and bolts of your offer – what are you advertising and selling.

The good news here is this is the stuff that most people think to put in their ad copy. It stands to reason that your target audience would need to know what you are selling if they are going to decide that they are interested and take some form of action to learn more. So, don’t take any new PPC ads out into the wild without making sure they include some reference to exactly what it is that you are selling. 

Of course, the features that you choose to highlight are going to depend entirely on what you sell and what your customers will be hoping to get out of the transaction. For example, if this is a PPC ad for an Italian restaurant, some of the features that your business offers might include spaghetti, pizza, lasagna, etc. You’d pick some of your most popular dishes to highlight as features because that’s why people are coming to you in the first place. 

You probably aren’t running ads for a restaurant, but the idea is the same. If your company offers tutoring services, maybe some of your features are math tutoring, reading tutoring for young children, etc. Basically, anything that is in your product or service lineup can qualify as a feature. 

While it’s not particularly difficult to think of what features you offer within your online advertising, it might be a little harder to condense them down into a format that will fit in a PPC ad. You only have limited space to work with here, so figure out what words you can use to get the point across while using the least amount of space possible. 

Add the benefits to your ads and bring your offering to life

Features are a great start, but there are likely plenty of companies in your space that offer products and services with similar features. To carry the example from above, you might provide math tutoring services – but so do several other businesses that serve your area. So, simply making your business available as a math tutor is a starting point but it is unlikely to be enough to actually close the deal and secure new customers. 

For that, it will be necessary to delve into the area of benefits. By including a benefit, you will start to bring your offering to life and allow the potential customer to understand what it is about your business – and your offer – that is deserving of their attention. So, what benefits could you offer when you’re writing your search ads? The possibilities are endless, but you can use these ideas to get the ball rolling. 

• Spend less money to get the features being offered

• Pass a test or earn a certification

• Save time with this product or service

• Get the highest quality in the industry

• Solve a problem permanently

Of course, your PPC ads would not be worded as these benefits are above, but you get the point. You’ll want to highlight exactly what the features you mention in the ad are going to deliver in terms of outcomes. Companies that compete on price will promote the value that they offer and the savings that customers can enjoy compared to the alternatives. Other companies that take pride in the quality of their goods will write copy about how no one does it better, and smart shoppers will recognize the luxury of their products. 

The benefits you promote in your PPC ads really get back to the heart of what your business is all about, so you might even look at something like your company’s Mission Statement for inspiration on this point. 

Don’t forget about feelings and emotions in your PPC ad copy

So, with a mention of both features and benefits in your ad copy, you might assume that you’ve covered it all. And, to be sure, many businesses stop right there when writing copy. They make it a point to touch on the relevant features and the benefits those features provide, and that’s the end of the story. 

But you can do better. If you go one step further and find a way to incorporate emotions into your copy, you might be able to form a connection with the reader that would have been impossible to achieve otherwise. People not only want to find a product or service that will solve their problem from a practical standpoint, but they always want something that will change their underlying emotional state. If you can tap into that type of thinking with your copywriting and help people to see how life will be improved emotionally by doing business with you, the sky is the limit on what you can accomplish with your pay-per-click advertising. 

Successfully tapping into emotions comes down to understanding what your potential customers are feeling currently, and helping them see that you are offering a solution that will guide them to a more desirable state. With as little as just a couple of keywords, you might be able to help that person see how the emotional state they desire is available with your help.

An emotional PPC copywriting example 

The tax industry is a perfect example of how this concept can be applied. As tax day approaches, people tend to have feelings of anxiety, nervousness, and even fear. Or, even if they aren’t particularly worried about their taxes, they might just be stressed about getting it all done in time, causing them to feel overwhelmed.

There is a whole range of negative emotions that can come along with doing taxes, so tax service advertising tends to focus on alleviating those feelings. Your PPC ads might talk about leaving your anxiety behind, finding calm, and gaining peace from having a professional on your side. 

Take some time to think about what emotions your potential customers might be experiencing at the moment. It could be that they are worried about something and you can provide a solution. Or, they could be bored and you offer an exciting form of entertainment. Whatever it is, be clear about the desired emotional state that you can deliver and it will become that much easier to make a sale. 

A Few Other PPC Advertising Copywriting Tips

The framework of including a feature, benefit, and feeling within your ads can go a long way toward improving results and driving sales. But writing PPC ads is a complicated task, and there are always more tips you can use to keep getting better. With this last section, we’d like to highlight a few more concepts that should help you in this quest. 

Don’t be boring – create search ads with personality and interest

You might find yourself following the framework that we have outlined and producing ads that check all of the right boxes – and yet feel boring at the same time. The real art of writing great ads is to hit on the fundamentals while also producing something that has personality and interest.

You are going to be competing for attention in a sea of other online ads, so boring is not a trait that you can afford to possess. Instead, be willing to take risks and go out on a limb to stand out and be seen. Over time, you’ll find the right voice for your brand, and your PPC ads will be distinctively your own. 

Respond to the competition – make your PPC ads just a little better than competitors.

It’s easy enough to browse around and find the PPC ads that your competitors are running. Take a look at what they are offering in their ads and make sure that you are doing just a little bit better. There is a bit of a cat-and-mouse game to be played here that requires monitoring and analysis on the other side to make sure you always stay ahead. 

Be different. Your ad copywriting should be unique.

Again, there are sure to be lots of ads running in any market, so something about your ad needs to stand out. We already talked about how you can try to stand out by bringing some personality to the table, but you can also do so by highlighting what it is that makes your company unique. Were you the first in your industry to offer a certain product or service? Maybe you have the lowest price or the fastest delivery time? Whatever it is, don’t be afraid to brag and let your customers know why they should pick you over the alternatives. 

Tell them what to do using your Google ads

Don’t forget your call to action! It’s critical to have a clear CTA in your ads, so anyone who sees the ad knows exactly what they should do next. It might be that you want them to fill out a form on your site, or maybe you’d like them to call. Sometimes, you’ll just be going directly for the sale, and perhaps offering a discount if they act right away. Whatever the case, make it perfectly clear how they should proceed so you can capture as many of these potential leads as possible. 

Competing online and maximizing the ad spend investment with copywriting – you can do it!

Writing great PPC ads can be an intimidating challenge, especially if you are new to the craft. Like so many other things, however, the best way to get over this hurdle is to just get started with Google Ads and improve your copywriting as much as possible.

Will your first PPC ad be a record-setter? No, probably not – but that’s okay. Just keep the concepts that we laid out above in mind and keep practicing, improving and testing your copywriting. In time, you’ll improve your skills and your results should start to reflect the improved copy that you are producing.

Want to learn more? Check out our other content related to content creation and advertising. If you’d like to explore other resources, here is a great place to start with improving your PPC copywriting.