Step 1: gather the raw material
Before you open an AI tool, write down who the customer is, what problem you solve, what you are offering and why someone should believe you. Add real phrases from reviews or enquiries if you have them. AI cannot invent this, and good adverts are built on it.
Step 2: ask for angles, not adverts
An angle is the idea behind an advert. Ask for ten different ones before any copy is written, for example a fear, a frustration, a joke, a before and after, or a bold promise. Pick the two or three that feel true to your business.
Step 3: write variations
For each angle, ask for several headlines and a short description. Set limits: a word count, a tone and anything it must not say. Short, specific briefs get sharper results.
Step 4: edit like an owner
- Cut anything you would not say to a customer in person.
- Check every claim, price and promise is accurate.
- Make the headline readable in one glance.
- End with one clear action, such as "Book a visit".
Step 5: test and learn
Run a few versions against each other and let the results choose. Feed what you learn into the next brief: tell the AI which headline won and ask for more in that direction.
What AI will not do for you
It will not know which idea is right for your customers, and it tends towards safe, average wording. The adverts people remember usually come from a person pushing an AI draft somewhere bolder.
Questions answered
Can AI write a whole advert for me?
It can write the words and suggest the idea, and some tools can create images too. You still need to choose the idea, check the facts and make sure it looks and sounds like your business.
Will adverts written with AI be approved by Meta and Google?
The platforms review adverts against their advertising policies, not on how they were written. An advert has to follow those policies whether a person or an AI drafted it.
How many advert versions should I test?
Start with three to five clearly different versions. Too few and you learn nothing. Too many and a small budget is spread too thinly to show a winner.