How 16Personalities improves Ad Copywriting: 3 Proven Tips With Examples

How to Write Great Copy: 3 Copywriting Tips

Many copywriters dream of creating viral or award-winning ads, but the most successful copy isn't about creativity for creativity's sake—it's about clarity, directness, and impact. The best ad copy puts the audience's needs first, speaking directly to their challenges and guiding them toward a solution.

1. Write for Your Audience, Not Yourself

A lot of copywriters aspire to create flawless ad copy that goes viral, garners awards, or ignites deep discussions in high-stakes boardrooms. Yet, the most effective copy is typically straightforward, concise, and vivid—achieved by stepping into the shoes of the target audience to meet client sales goals and customer expectations.

Understand and Address Your Audience's Needs

In an environment where consumers are relentlessly bombarded with ads, the key to distinguishing your message lies in directly addressing their real challenges and aligning your content with their objectives.

Consider Shopify Plus' ad for 'ecommerce platform enterprise' searches; it’s a prime example of audience-centered copy that mirrors user intent by addressing the crucial needs of enterprise-level businesses seeking scalable eCommerce solutions.

The headline instantly signals that Shopify Plus is designed for enterprises, while the description acknowledges core business challenges:

• Custom Design Your Online Store and Checkout Experience →Highlights the complexity of enterprise eCommerce and the need for customization.
• Get Up to 18% Higher Conversion Rates →Speaks to a key objective: improving performance and efficiency.
• Unlimited Bandwidth, Flexible Integrations, Unlimited Staff Accounts →Recognizes the need for scalability and operational flexibility.

Rather than just listing features, this ad aligns its message with enterprise-level priorities—ensuring it speaks directly to the user's needs.

2. Content Matters, but So Does Structure

No matter how compelling your message might be, it can easily get lost in a disorganized or cluttered ad. The way you present your copy is just as critical as the words you choose.

Lead with Your Strongest Copy

Most people skim ads rather than reading them thoroughly; research by the Nielsen Norman Group reveals that 79% of users scan new pages while only 16% read them completely.

Similarly, Penn State research found that over 75% of people share links on social media without even clicking on them. (Source: Penn State Study)

This behavior underscores why your most impactful message should come first. If your key selling point is hidden in the middle or at the end, it’s likely to be overlooked. Leading with your strongest benefit, solution, or credibility boost ensures maximum engagement and impact.

3. The Power of Word Choice

Choosing the right words can transform your ad into something personal, urgent, and engaging; the correct tone can separate a high-converting ad from one that gets ignored.

Use "You" and "Your" for Personalization

A key rule in effective marketing is to speak directly to an individual rather than addressing a generic crowd. When your ad reads like a personal conversation, it invites more engagement.

Using personal pronouns like 'you' and 'your' adds a layer of personalization, making potential customers feel recognized, valued, and directly addressed instead of just being another face in the crowd.

Take a look at this Digital PR ad from Digital Third Coast:

This ad is a great example of how to effectively use "you" and "your" to make the message feel more personal and engaging. Notice how just by switching one word, the copy sounds more personal.

16Personalities's Ad Copy: Tips in Action

We've covered key tips to keep in mind. Now, let's take a look at real examples from 16Personalities to see how these tips are applied in actual Google paid ads.

1. Writing for the Audience, Not Yourself

The ad directly addresses the audience’s desire for self-discovery and personal growth by highlighting how the test is both quick (only 10 minutes) and proven (900+ million tests taken). This approach aligns with the tip to 'Write for Your Audience, Not Yourself' by focusing on the reader's need to understand themselves rather than simply promoting the product. It clearly shows how 16Personalities meets the audience’s need for reliable self-insight, thereby solving a real problem for them.

2. Content Matters, but So Does Structure

The ad copy leads with a strong call to action offering a free test and emphasizing 'freakishly accurate' results, ensuring that the key benefit grabs immediate attention. It then builds credibility with an impressive statistic, and wraps up with benefit statements like 'Foster Growth' and 'Understand Yourself'. This structure adheres to the sub tip of placing the strongest copy upfront and ending with a reassuring close, making the ad engaging and structured to guide the reader through a logical journey.

3. The Power of Word Choice

The language used is direct, personal, and benefit-oriented, employing terms like 'free', 'accurate', 'foster growth', and implicitly addressing the reader with approachable language. By speaking directly to the reader and mirroring the way they think about self-improvement and personal insight, the ad copy fulfills the sub tip to use words that resonate with your audience. This strategy not only reinforces trust in the 16Personalities brand but also engages users by making the message feel like a personal conversation.

1. Writing for the Audience, Not Yourself

The ad copy effectively targets individuals seeking self-understanding and improved relationships by centering on the reader's needs. It addresses their real challenges—feeling disconnected and uncertain about themselves—by positioning the personality test as the solution to unlock personal insights and forge deeper connections. This aligns well with the 'Write for Your Audience, Not Yourself' tip, as it speaks directly to the consumer's problem and how the test can help solve it.

2. Content Matters, but So Does Structure

The ad starts with its strongest message by emphasizing the free, quick, and 'freakishly accurate' personality test, ensuring that the key benefit is seen immediately. It integrates credibility markers such as the 900+ million tests statistic and culminates in robust, action-driven closing statements ('Learn about yourself' and 'Unlock Potential'). This approach reflects the importance of leading with the strongest copy for maximum engagement while ending with a reassuring, benefit-driven call to action.

3. The Power of Word Choice

The copy uses personalized language with words like 'yourself' and phrases that directly speak to the reader, which personalizes the message and builds direct rapport. Action verbs like 'Unlock' alongside descriptive adjectives such as 'freakishly accurate' energize the copy. This style leverages the power of word choice to resonate with the audience’s own language and priorities, fulfilling the advice to speak in terms the consumer naturally uses and values.

Conclusion

Great ad copy isn't just about being clever—it's about understanding your audience, structuring your message effectively, and using the right words to drive action. The examples from 16Personalities demonstrate how well-crafted copy can make an ad more engaging, easy to understand, and conversion-focused.

Key Takeaways:

• ✅Write for Your Audience

  Focus on their needs, not features. Align with their goals and search intent.

• ✅Structure Matters

  Lead with your strongest copy. Keep it short, scannable, and benefit-focused.

• ✅Use the Right Words

  Start with action verbs, personalize with "you", and keep language simple.

By applying these principles, you can craft ad copy that grabs attention, builds trust, and drives higher conversions—just like 16Personalities.