Ad copy variations prompt: free ChatGPT template
Updated · By Robert Breen
Use this when you need several versions of a search or social ad to test and every line has to fit a character limit. A bare request gets you emoji, all caps, a discount you never offered and headlines too long to run. This prompt gives the AI your product facts, your real offer, the claims you never make and the current limit for each field, then asks it to count characters next to every line.
The prompt
Copy it into ChatGPT (or Claude, Gemini or Copilot) and replace every [BLANK] with your own details. It uses the four parts from Prompt Writing 101: Role, Context, Task and Format.
Role: You are the ad copywriter for [BUSINESS], writing ads we will run ourselves. Context: The product is [PRODUCT]. Facts we can use: [FACTS]. The only offer is [OFFER]. Never make health or results claims, never invent a discount, review or deadline, and never mention competitors. Task: Write ad variations for [AD TYPES]. Each variation should lead with a different fact from the list above. Format: Use these limits, counting every character including spaces: [CHARACTER LIMITS]. Write each line, then its character count in parentheses. Plain words, no emoji, no all caps, no exclamation marks.
Fill in the blanks
[BUSINESS]- Your business name and what you sell.
[PRODUCT]- The one product or service this set of ads is for.
[FACTS]- Specific, true details: what it is, what's in it, how it's made or delivered. Specific facts make better ads than adjectives.
[OFFER]- The real offer and its terms, or "none." This stops the AI inventing "20% off today."
[AD TYPES]- Which ads you need, such as Google search ads and Facebook and Instagram ads.
[CHARACTER LIMITS]- Each field, its current maximum and how many versions you want. Look the limits up in the ad platform's own help pages every time: they change and can differ by placement.
Example, filled in
A made-up example from the free lesson Build a Custom GPT Ad Copy Writer for Search and Social Ads. Harbor & Pine Coffee Roasters is the made-up coffee brand in the Ad Copy Writer lesson. The limits below are the ones in its ad guide in that lesson; check the platforms' current limits before you run real ads.
Role: You are the ad copywriter for Harbor & Pine Coffee Roasters, a small online coffee brand, writing ads we will run ourselves. Context: The product is our Holiday Ember Blend. Facts we can use: medium roast with notes of dark chocolate, orange peel and cinnamon; every bag is roasted the week it ships; whole bean or ground; 12 oz bags; we ship across the US. The only offer is free shipping on orders over $35. Never make health or results claims, never invent a discount, review or deadline, and never mention competitors. Task: Write ad variations for Google search ads and Facebook and Instagram ads. Each variation should lead with a different fact from the list above. Format: Use these limits, counting every character including spaces: Google search headline, 30 characters, write 3. Google search description, 90 characters, write 2. Facebook and Instagram primary text, 125 characters, write 2. Facebook and Instagram headline, 40 characters, write 2. Write each line, then its character count in parentheses. Plain words, no emoji, no all caps, no exclamation marks.
What a good answer looks like
- Every line at or under its limit, with a count you can verify.
- Variations that differ in substance (flavor notes, roast date, free shipping), not one headline reworded.
- Only your offer. No "limited batch" or "save 20%" you never mentioned.
- None of the claims you ruled out, such as energy or health benefits.
How to check it before you use it
An AI draft can sound right and still say something you never told it. Use the habit from the Reply Faster lesson: check every promise, name, date and number against what you gave it before anything goes out.
- Recount the characters yourself. AI models often miscount, so paste each line into a character counter or straight into the ad platform's editor, which counts as you type.
- Check every claim: each flavor note, offer and product detail must be in your Facts. Delete anything else.
- Confirm each limit in the ad platform's help pages before you build the ads. Don't rely on old numbers, including the ones in our example.
- Read each headline next to each description. Some ad formats mix and match them, so every pairing should make sense.
Why this prompt works
Character limits are where generic prompts fail most, because the AI writes first and never counts. Putting the limits in the Format and asking for a count after every line makes it check as it goes. The banned claims in the Context matter just as much: an ad that promises what you can't back up is a problem whether or not the platform catches it. See ad copy for how the fields fit together.
Practice it in the free lesson
Build a Custom GPT Ad Copy Writer for Search and Social Ads: See why generic prompts give generic ads, then build a Custom GPT that writes on-brand search and social ad variations inside character limits. You do every step yourself in a practice copy of ChatGPT, and nothing touches your real accounts.
Also useful: Prompt Writing 101: Role, Context, Task, Format
Terms used here
Related prompts
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Frequently asked questions
- Why not just ask for short headlines?
- "Short" means something different to the AI on every run. A number is a rule it can follow and you can check. Put the current limit for each field in the blank, keep the count-after-every-line instruction, and recount before you publish.