Creating effective ad copy has always been a critical skill for PPC marketers, especially in Google Ads.
In the past, it meant hours of brainstorming, drafting, and A/B testing.
Today, LLMs like Google’s Gemini can produce high-quality ad copy in minutes.
But the results don’t come from the tool alone – they depend on the prompts you use to guide it.
Google does offer built-in AI features to suggest ad copy ideas and variants, but that’s not the same as generating ads in batch or scaling copy across titles and descriptions.
Earlier this year, Google shared a guide on prompt best practices.
This article narrows the focus to what matters most for Google Ads campaigns.
The foundation of a great prompt
Think of AI as a skilled treasure hunter or detective.
Even the best hunter needs a map, and even the best detective needs clues.
AI is no different – it knows a lot, but it can’t deliver what you want until you tell it exactly what to look for.
The more specific, detailed, and clear your instructions are, the better the output will be.
According to Google’s playbook, there are four main elements to get right.
Here are the four essential elements that form effective prompts in the context of ad copy creation.
Create the persona
Guide the AI by showing the role you play.
For example: “I’m a Google Ads Manager at a search marketing agency.”
This frames the request through the right lens.
Define the task
Know exactly what you want before you ask.
Are you writing copy to get clicks, conversions, or awareness?
A detailed task description adds clarity and ensures the tone, urgency, and CTA match your goal.
Provide context
Give the AI the landscape: your audience, product or service, and unique selling points.
Without context, it defaults to generic copy that won’t connect.
Specify the format
Ad copy has strict limits — 30 characters for headlines, 90 for descriptions. Include these in your prompt, or you’ll waste time editing and lose the benefit of scale.
Dig deeper: How to assemble captivating Google Ads copy
The anatomy of an ad copy prompt
Let’s combine these principles into a practical framework.
A robust prompt for Google Ads copy should look something like this:
Create the persona
- “You are a skilled copywriter specializing in direct-response marketing for Google Ads. Your goal is to create compelling ad copy that drives conversions.”
Define the task
- “Our target audience is [describe your target audience, including their pain points, interests, and demographics].”
- Keywords and tone:
- “The ad copy should be [describe the desired tone, e.g., urgent, professional, humorous]. Include the following keywords in the headlines and descriptions: [list your keywords].”
- Call to action:
- “The primary call to action should be [e.g., ‘Shop Now,’ ‘Get a Free Quote,’ ‘Learn More’]. Feel free to suggest other relevant CTAs.”
Provide context
- “Our product is [product/service name]. It’s a [briefly describe what it is]. Our unique selling proposition is [explain what makes you different or better than the competition]. Our key benefits are [list 3-5 benefits].”
Specify the format
- “Please generate 3-5 unique ad variations for a Google search ad. Each variation should include:
- Three headlines (30-character limit each)
- Two descriptions (90-character limit each)
- A clear call to action.”
Dig deeper: How to write high-performing Google Ads copy with generative AI
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Advanced prompting techniques for Google Ads
Once you’ve mastered the basic structure, you can use more advanced techniques to refine your results and get even better ad copy.
1. The ‘persona’ prompt
You can give the AI a persona to influence its writing style.
For example:
- “Act as a witty, sarcastic marketer…”
- “Write like a trusted financial advisor…”
This helps the AI adopt a specific voice, which can be invaluable for brand consistency.
2. The ‘ladder’ prompt (iterative refinement)
Instead of trying to get everything perfect in one go, you can build on your prompts.
Start with a broad request and then refine the output.
- “Generate 5 headlines for an ad about our new accounting software.”
- “Now, take the third headline and make it more benefit-driven for small business owners.”
- “Based on the refined headline, write two 90-character descriptions that lead to a ‘Try for Free’ CTA.”
This iterative process allows you to guide the AI step-by-step, ensuring each piece of copy aligns with your vision.
Dig deeper: 4 practical ways to use generative AI for ad copywriting
3. The ‘A/B testing’ prompt
You can ask the AI to generate variations for specific testing purposes.
- “Create two variations of Google Ads headlines and descriptions for our new email marketing tool.
- Variation A should focus on the pain point of being overwhelmed by email.
- Variation B should focus on the benefit of saving time and automating tasks.”
This type of prompt gets you ready-to-test copy that can directly inform your campaign strategy.
4. The ‘example-based’ prompt (few-shot prompting)
If you have examples of ad copy you like (or even don’t like), you can show them to the AI to set a standard.
- “Here are two examples of successful ad copy from our competitors. Analyze their structure and tone, and then generate 3 new ad copy variations for our product, following a similar style.
- Example 1: [Paste a competitor’s ad]
- Example 2: [Paste another ad]”
This is a powerful technique for mimicking a specific style or tone that you know works.
The power of negative constraints
Telling the AI what to do is just as important as telling it what not to do.
These are called negative constraints.
- “Do not use overly technical jargon.”
- “Avoid using the word ‘amazing’ or ‘best.’”
- “Do not sound like a sales pitch; be more helpful and informative.”
Using negative constraints helps you steer the AI away from common pitfalls and generic language, resulting in more unique and effective copy.
The final step: The human touch
While AI can generate fantastic first drafts, it’s crucial to remember that it’s a tool, not a replacement for human creativity and judgment.
Always review and edit the generated copy.
- Fact-check: Ensure all claims and numbers are accurate.
- Tone-check: Does the copy truly sound like your brand?
- Clarity: Is the message simple and easy to understand at a glance?
With these guardrails, you can shift from hours of writing to minutes of prompting, refining, and deploying.
That efficiency lets you test more ideas and find winning copy faster.
Fresh, varied copy resonates with customers, and prompting techniques help you avoid getting stuck with the same stale messaging.
The future of marketing isn’t about replacing humans with AI – it’s about boosting creativity.
The better your prompts, the better your ads, and the stronger your results.
Dig deeper: ChatGPT for PPC: 17 strategic prompts you can use today
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