How to write ad copy, URLs and CTAs
The Ad Setup card is where you write the words your ad shows and tell it where to send people. Everything you enter here applies to every ad in the launch, so you only write your copy once. For where this card sits on the screen, see Understanding the Ad Launcher.
Adding primary texts, headlines and descriptions
The card holds the three pieces of text Meta shows on an ad:
- Primary Text - the main body copy above your creative.
- Headline - the bold line shown near the call-to-action button.
- Description - the supporting line below the headline. Optional.
To add more than one option for any of them:
- Click Add another primary text, Add another headline or Add another description under the field.
- Type your alternative copy in the new field.
- To delete a variant, click the X next to it.
You can add up to 5 variants each. When you provide more than one, Meta optimizes between them and serves the best performer. Empty fields do not count as variants.
Every ad needs at least one primary text and one headline; until it has them, the card shows a Copy needed pill and the launch stays blocked. Not sure what to write? Let uplads draft it for you with the sparkle button next to a field or Generate with AI - see How to generate ad copy with AI. If AI Vision generated unique copy per creative, those ads carry their own text: the card counts them ("N ads with own text"), each tile in the Ads panel is flagged Own copy, and you open Preview and edit on a tile to review or change that ad's text. Use launch copy there returns it to the shared copy.
Want to reuse this copy on future launches? See How to save and reuse ad copy templates.
Setting the destination URL and UTM tags
Below the copy fields:
- Enter your Web Link - the landing page the ad links to (for example
https://example.com). Every ad needs one; the card shows Link needed until it has it. - Optionally add UTM Parameters to append tracking parameters, such as
utm_source=meta&utm_medium=paid. Enter them without the leading?- uplads attaches them to your web link. - Optionally set a Display Link, the shortened address Meta shows on the ad.
Choosing a call-to-action button
Use the Call to Action dropdown to pick the button shown on your ad, such as Learn More, Shop Now, Sign Up, or Book Now. You can also choose No Button.
The available buttons depend on the objective of the campaign whose ad sets you ticked in the Ad Sets card. For example, a sales campaign offers Buy Now and Order Now, while a traffic campaign offers Watch More. If you switch ad sets and your current button isn't allowed, uplads automatically falls back to Learn More (or the first valid option).
Landing page and Instagram account for IG promotion
The Instagram account your ads run from is set in the top bar of the launcher, alongside your Facebook Page - see How to select your Page, campaign and ad sets. The Web Link you enter here is the landing page for the link.
If you turn on Multi-language (Dynamic Language Optimization) with the Languages button in the Ads panel toolbar, each language can carry its own landing page; any language you leave blank falls back to the Web Link above. See How to launch multi-language (DLO) ads.
When the copy fields are not needed
In two cases there's no copy for you to author, and the Ad Setup card says so instead of showing the fields:
- Relaunching existing ads - the card reads From original ads: the relaunch reuses each original ad's copy as-is. See How to relaunch existing Facebook ads.
- Partnership / Spark ads - the card reads Creator's post: the ad runs from a creator's existing post, which already has its own caption. See How to launch partnership / Spark ads with a creator's post.
When you're done, check the ad names in the Ads panel and launch.