The short answer
- Black Friday ad copy works when it states the offer, the deadline and the product in that order, inside each platform's character limits.
- Google responsive search ads: up to 15 headlines of 30 characters and 4 descriptions of 90 characters, plus two 15-character display paths.
- Meta feed ads: Meta recommends 50 to 150 characters of primary text and about 27 characters of headline.
- TikTok in-feed ads: up to 100 characters of ad text, with no links, @ mentions or hashtags in non-Spark ads.
Below are formulas, 38 example lines with their character counts, and the limits for each platform. Black Friday 2026 is Friday, November 27, and Cyber Monday is Monday, November 30. Replace the offer, product and numbers with your own.
Character limits by platform
| Platform and field | Limit | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Google RSA headline | 30 characters, 3 to 15 per ad | Google Ads Help |
| Google RSA description | 90 characters, 2 to 4 per ad | Google Ads Help |
| Google RSA display path | 15 characters each, two paths | Google Ads Help |
| Meta feed primary text | 50 to 150 characters recommended | Meta's Ads Guide |
| Meta feed headline | 27 characters recommended | Meta's Ads Guide |
| Meta Stories | 125 primary text, 40 headline | Meta's Ads Guide |
| TikTok in-feed ad text | 100 characters | TikTok Ads Manager |
Google counts each character in a double-width language such as Japanese, Korean or Chinese as two. Meta's numbers are recommendations: longer text runs, but it is cut behind "See more". Full placement specs are on the Meta ad specs and TikTok ad specs pages.
Five formulas that cover most Black Friday ads
- Offer + deadline. "40% off everything until Monday." The default. Works on every platform.
- Product + offer + proof. "The boots with 12,000 reviews, 30% off." Best for a hero product.
- Threshold + saving. "Spend $150, save $50." Raises order value and protects margin better than a flat percentage.
- Gift + price cap + delivery. "Gifts under $50, delivered by Christmas." Best from Saturday on, when buyers switch to gifting.
- Loss + time. "Prices go back up at midnight." For the last 24 hours and retargeting only.
Google responsive search ads
Google assembles headlines and descriptions into combinations, so each line must make sense on its own and next to any other. Write at least eight distinct headlines: the offer, the deadline, the product, proof, shipping and a brand line. Pin only what must appear, such as the offer in position 1, because pinning reduces the combinations Google can test.
15 headlines (30 characters max)
| Headline | Characters |
|---|---|
| Black Friday: 40% Off Sitewide | 30 |
| Save 40% Until Cyber Monday | 27 |
| Our Lowest Prices of the Year | 29 |
| Free Shipping on Every Order | 28 |
| Spend $150, Save $50 Today | 26 |
| Ends Monday at Midnight | 23 |
| Best-Selling Boots, 30% Off | 27 |
| Gifts Under $50, Ships Today | 28 |
| Order by Dec 15 for Delivery | 28 |
| Buy 2, Get 1 Free This Week | 27 |
| Rated 4.8 by 12,000 Buyers | 26 |
| Black Friday Deals Are Live | 27 |
| Shop Early Access Now | 21 |
| Bundle and Save Up to $80 | 25 |
| No Code Needed at Checkout | 26 |
4 descriptions (90 characters max)
| Description | Characters |
|---|---|
| 40% off every jacket, boot and bag until Monday at midnight. Free returns into January. | 87 |
| Our biggest sale of the year. Spend $150, save $50. Ships in 1-2 days from Ohio. | 80 |
| Black Friday prices on our best-rated boots. Order by Dec 15 for delivery by Christmas. | 87 |
| Bundles from $49. Gift wrapping included. The sale ends Cyber Monday at 11:59pm ET. | 83 |
Add a promotion asset with the Black Friday or Cyber Monday occasion. Google lists both occasions as eligible from October 15 to December 15 and shows the occasion name in bold beside the offer in Search ads. Display paths such as /black-friday (12 characters) and /deals also fit. For Shopping and Performance Max, the copy that matters most is the product title and the sale price in the feed; see Black Friday Google ads for real examples.
Meta (Facebook and Instagram) ads
On Meta the image or video does the stopping and the primary text does the selling. The first line is all most people read, so it carries the offer. The headline sits under the creative next to the button and should repeat the offer or the deadline in a few words.
Primary text, by angle
| Angle | Primary text | Characters |
|---|---|---|
| Teaser | Our one sale of the year starts Friday. Join the list and shop 24 hours before everyone else. | 93 |
| Launch | Black Friday is live: 40% off everything until Monday at midnight. No code needed. | 82 |
| Bestseller | The boots with 12,000 five-star reviews are 30% off. Last year they sold out by Saturday. | 89 |
| Tiered | Spend $100, save $20. Spend $200, save $60. Ends Cyber Monday. | 62 |
| Gift | Gifts they will actually use, under $50, wrapped and shipped in 2 days. | 71 |
| Retargeting | Still thinking about it? Your cart is 40% off until Monday. | 59 |
| Last chance | Final hours. Prices go back up at midnight. | 43 |
| Cyber Monday | Cyber Monday only: 40% off plus free express shipping. | 54 |
Headlines (27 characters recommended)
| Headline | Characters |
|---|---|
| 40% Off Ends Monday | 19 |
| Black Friday Is Live | 20 |
| Gifts Under $50 | 15 |
| Last Day: 40% Off | 17 |
| Early Access Opens Now | 22 |
Give Meta three to five primary texts and headlines per ad so it can rotate them, and keep the offer identical across all of them. Mixed offers in one ad set make results impossible to read. See how other brands did it in Black Friday Facebook ads.
TikTok ads
TikTok ad text sits over the bottom of the video, so it should add to what the first two seconds of video already say, not repeat it. Non-Spark ad captions cannot carry links, @ mentions or hashtags. Spark Ads use the caption of the organic post instead.
| Ad text | Characters |
|---|---|
| POV: you waited all year for this price. | 40 |
| The only Black Friday deal I am buying this year. | 49 |
| 3 gifts under $50 that do not look under $50. | 45 |
| Our bestseller is 40% off and it will not last. | 47 |
| Stop scrolling. 40% off ends Monday. | 36 |
| I tried the viral [product] so you do not have to. It is on sale. | 65 |
The hook in the video matters more than the text. Hook ideas and bidding for the weekend are in Black Friday TikTok ads.
Five copy mistakes that cost money on Black Friday
- "Up to 70% off" when most items are 10% off. Shoppers click, see the real prices and leave; you pay for the click.
- No end time. "Limited time" gives no reason to buy today.
- Different offers in the ad and on the page. The landing page must show the exact offer in the ad.
- Claims the product page cannot back up, such as "lowest price ever" on an item sold cheaper in the summer. Platforms reject unsupported claims, and the rejection lands when you have the least time to fix it.
- The same text all weekend. Change the angle on Saturday (gifting) and Monday (last call).
For the social posts that run beside the ads, use Black Friday captions. The whole hub of real BFCM ads is the Black Friday ad examples library.
Where Sprites fits
Sprites writes Black Friday headlines and primary text within each platform's limits, builds them into your Google and Meta campaigns, and adds promotion assets. Every ad is held for your approval before it goes live. Build is $99 a month for one of Google or Meta; Launch at $495 covers both.
Black Friday ad copy FAQ
What is the character limit for Google Ads headlines?
Google responsive search ad headlines can be up to 30 characters, and each ad takes 3 to 15 of them. Descriptions can be up to 90 characters, with 2 to 4 per ad. Characters in double-width languages such as Japanese count as two.
How long should Facebook ad primary text be for Black Friday?
Meta recommends 50 to 150 characters of primary text for feed ads and about 27 characters for the headline. Put the offer and the deadline in the first sentence, because longer text is cut behind "See more". Short lines such as "40% off everything until Monday" usually do the job.
What makes good Black Friday ad copy?
Good Black Friday ad copy states a specific offer, a specific deadline and the product, and matches the landing page exactly. "40% off every jacket until Monday at midnight" beats "Huge savings for a limited time" because the shopper knows what they get and when it ends.
Should I use "up to" discounts in Black Friday ads?
Only if the top discount covers a meaningful share of the products. If "up to 70% off" applies to a few items, shoppers bounce when they see the rest and you still pay for the click. A flat sitewide discount or a spend threshold is clearer.
How long can TikTok ad text be?
TikTok in-feed ad text can be up to 100 characters. Non-Spark ad captions cannot include links, @ mentions or hashtags, while Spark Ads use the caption of the original organic post. Keep it short, because the text sits over the video.