How to Make an Advertisement in 8 Easy Steps

You can usually tell when an ad is working. Someone sees the ad, clicks through to your landing page, and in the best-case scenario, completes a purchase. 

Unfortunately, getting people to take those actions isn't as simple as it was a few years ago.

There are now dozens of advertising platforms to choose from, each with millions of users and just as many competing brands trying to get noticed. On top of that, audiences have grown more skeptical. Many people actively avoid ads and distrust anything that feels overly promotional.

To win over customers today, you'll need to be intentional about who you’re speaking to, where you show up, and how you present your message.

That’s exactly why I’ll be walking you through how to make an advertisement. 

If you’re early in your marketing journey and need a quick starting point, you’re in the right place. 

How to create an advertisement

If you want to create effective ads, it comes down to understanding your audience, choosing the right platform, and composing a message that makes them feel heard. 

I've been in digital marketing for a few years now, and these are the tactics that have consistently delivered a good ROAS and ROI.

1. Know who you are targeting

Before you write the ad copy, you need an excellent picture of the person you’re trying to reach. At this stage, you'll need to know three things about your target audience.

Who they are

Find details about their age, location, the language they speak, income level, education, and occupation. This information will help you decide where to place your ads and how to frame your message.

What problem they are trying to solve

What is frustrating them right now? Make sure to also find the language they use to describe their pain points. 

Where they are in their buying journey

Most of your target audience will just be learning about the problem. Some will already understand it and are now comparing solutions. A smaller group is ready to buy but needs a final push. 

Each stage requires a different message and offer to be effective.

Those three details are important because they’ll determine how you phrase your ad copy, the platform you advertise on, and the kind of offers you promote in your ads. 

They will also help you personalize ads.

According to targeted advertising stats, over 80% of consumers are more likely to engage with personalized ads, and 65% of marketers say personalized ads perform better than generic ones.

Where do you get this audience data?

• Market research using ad spying tools
• Industry reports and studies
• Conversations with your own customers or people who use similar products

2. Build your buyer persona

A buyer persona is a fictional profile that represents your ideal customer. It is based on the audience research you gathered in step one.

A good persona helps you answer one question throughout the ad creation process.

'How do I speak to this person so the message feels relevant to their situation?'

Below are the four main elements to include in your persona.

Goals and desired outcomes

You need to know what success looks like from their perspective, not yours. This way, you’ll be able to position your offer as the bridge between where they are and where they want to be.

Decision-making triggers

Understand what finally pushes them to take action, as this will influence your headline, offer, and timing. 

Their trigger might be a limited-time offer, customer reviews, seeing peers succeed, or reaching a point where the problem feels too costly to ignore.

Objections and hesitations

Every audience has reasons to delay or avoid buying. If your ads ignore these concerns, people will scroll past without a second look.

So, make sure you understand:

• What makes them hesitate
• What they are afraid of losing
• What has stopped them from buying similar products before

Language and messaging style

The way your audience speaks matters just as much as what they want. Pay attention to the words they use to describe their pain points or the solution they are looking for.

If you take time to build this persona, it will be easier to write your ads and choose the best creative assets since you know what type is more likely to resonate with your audience. 

3. Choose an advertising platform and format

The platform you choose affects how your ad looks and how people experience it.

For example, if your target audience is mainly Gen Z, TikTok is often your best option since around 43% of TikTok users are aged between 18 and 24.

However, if you’re targeting millennials, Facebook and Instagram are usually a better fit. 

In fact, 69% of millennials prefer using Facebook over other social media apps. In this case, you have more leeway with your ad format. It can be a video, a static ad, a carousel, or even a Facebook catalog ad.

Our guide on the most popular social media platforms can help you decide which platform will best fit your needs. 

If you’ve decided on a platform, make sure you’re following these recommended ad specs.

4. Set the campaign budget and duration

At this point, you need to decide on two things. How much are you willing to spend, and how long will you let the ad run?

Most advertising platforms will suggest running your campaign for at least 7 days. And we recommend that too, since it gives their algorithms enough time to learn who is responding to your ad and optimize delivery. 

If you stop too early, you’re usually judging performance before the system has settled.

Your budget doesn’t need to be large, especially if you’re new to ads. A smaller daily budget spread over a full week often performs better than spending everything in a day or two and hoping for quick results.

If you’re unsure where to start, this blog on setting a Facebook ad budget outlines how to think about daily spend, testing, and scaling your first ad.

5. Write the ad copy

This part should feel easier once you’ve worked through steps one to three. You already know who you’re speaking to, what problem they care about, and where they’ll see the ad. 

Here are five strategies you can use to create compelling ad copy:

1. State their problem and show them the solution
   Immediately hook the reader by naming their pain point, then pivot to your product as the easy answer.
   Example: 'Are you tired of spending hours on spreadsheets? Automate your reports in 5 minutes with DataFlow.'
2. Add in some social proof
   People trust other people more than they trust brands, so use reviews, testimonials, or user-generated content to build instant credibility.
   Example: 'Join 10,000+ happy customers who finally sleep through the night.
3. Focus on the transformation
   Don't just talk about what your product does; talk about what the customer's life will be like after they use it.
   Example: 'Stop managing your inbox and start closing deals. Get 10 extra hours a week back with our AI assistant.'
4. Create a Sense of Urgency or Scarcity
   Encourage immediate action by introducing a time-sensitive offer or limited stock.
   Example: 'Only 48 hours left! Get 50% off our best-selling course before the discount disappears forever.'
5. Ask a Compelling, Relatable Question
   Asking a question will force the reader to pause and engage mentally. However, make sure it is a question that directly relates to their current struggle or aspiration.
   Example: 'Is your website losing customers on mobile? Find out why and fix it in under an hour with our free audit tool.'

See this guide on advertising techniques to discover more angles you can use for your ad copy. 

6. Time to come up with the ad creatives

And before you think it’s a walk in the park, know that 50% of users judge your brand based on your ad design, and you only have a fleeting 5.94 seconds to make that first impression count. 

Follow these four best practices when designing your creatives:

• Lead with the main benefit so the viewer immediately understands what’s in it for them.
• Use high-contrast visuals and draw attention to the product or the main message.
• Include your logo and make your brand colors the hero to build recognition.
• Keep text minimal, short, and snappy, but always relevant to the core message.

7. Compile all your assets and start set up

Before launching anything, make sure all your assets are ready in one place. You should have at hand the ad copy, creatives, landing page links, and tracking links if applicable.

Don’t forget to double-check that all details are correct and consistent. 

Next, start setting up on your chosen platform. At this stage, you’ll need to define:

• The keywords you’re targeting
• The audiences you want to reach
• The campaign goal

Once everything is in place, launch the ad. On most platforms, it can take a few hours before you start seeing results as the system reviews and delivers your ad.

8. Analyze performance

This is arguably the most important step after your ad goes live. 

You’ll need to look at the data not just to see what happened, but to understand why it happened.

Pay attention to these #3 metrics most.

• Engagement (are people clicking?)
  Click-through rate (CTR) shows whether your ad is getting attention. If people are clicking, your copy and creative are doing their job. If CTR is low, the message or visuals likely aren’t relatable to your audience.
• Cost (how much are you paying for results?)
  Cost per acquisition (CPA) or cost per lead (CPL) shows how much each result is costing you. This metric helps you understand whether the campaign makes sense financially. If it costs more to get a customer than what they are worth to your business, something needs to change.
• Conversions (what happens after the click?)
  Conversion rate (CVR) shows how many people who clicked actually took the next step, like buying or signing up. When CTR is high, but CVR is low, the issue is usually what happens after the click, not the ad itself.

What to change based on the results

• If people are clicking but not converting, the ad is working. The issue is likely the landing page or the offer. Leave the ad alone and fix what comes after the click.
• If very few people click, but those who do convert, the audience is right. The ad itself needs work. Test new headlines or visuals and keep the landing page as is.
• If clicks and conversions are both low, there’s a bigger issue. Revisit who you’re targeting and how the offer is positioned before running another test.

4 Free tools to create advertisements quickly

These #4 tools are a must-use if you want to make advertising faster and less expensive. 

1. Cropink

Cropink is a design automation tool that helps you create professional ad creatives at scale in just a few minutes. 

Cropink's useful when you're running campaigns across different platforms or testing multiple product variations. You can create catalog ads, carousel ads, and static images without needing design experience or spending hours in Photoshop.

Best for: ecommerce brands, agencies, and teams who need to produce high-quality creatives quickly and consistently.

Try it out for free!

2. Facebook ads library

The Facebook Ads Library is a free transparency tool that lets you see active ads from any brand running campaigns on Facebook, Instagram, Messenger, and the Facebook audience network. 

You can search by brand name, keyword, or topic to see what your competitors are promoting, how they're positioning their offers, and which creatives they're using.

Best for: competitive research, finding creative inspiration, and understanding how other brands in your space are positioning their products.

3. Google Keyword Planner

Google Keyword Planner is a research tool that shows you how people search for products, services, and solutions related to your offer. It provides search volume data, keyword suggestions, and competition levels for specific search terms.

If you know the terms people are searching for, you can mirror that language in your headlines and descriptions. That will make your ads feel more relevant and increase the likelihood that people will click.

Best for: improving ad messaging, discovering new keyword opportunities, and understanding search intent behind customer queries.

4. Google Analytics (GA4)

Google Analytics is a reporting and insights tool that shows how users behave after they click your ad. 

You can track conversions, identify where users drop off in the funnel, and see which messaging or audience segments lead to the best outcomes. 

Best for: performance tracking, conversion analysis, and optimizing the full customer journey from ad click to final action.

Learning how to make an advertisement is just the beginning

Even after working through this entire guide, your first ad may not perform the way you expect. That's normal. Advertising is part strategy, part experimentation, and no amount of research can guarantee results before you actually launch.

You won't know what works until you test it in front of real people. 

That’s why we recommend running a/b tests. Run multiple variations of your ad and let the data show you what works best for your audience. 

Over time, you'll start to see patterns in what your audience responds to, and those insights will make every future campaign better.

In the meantime, if you need to create creatives quickly without compromising on quality, Cropink can help. 

Sign up for a free plan to generate multiple ad variations for your A/B test in minutes.

FAQs

Sources

1. Cropink. 40+ Targeted Advertising Statistics
2. Cropink. How to Design Social Media Ads
3. Cropink. 40+ TikTok Statistics