When BoostCTR first started optimizing Facebook Ads, we were delayed for a few months on our ability to optimize images. Which left us with just headlines and copy.

Now, if you talk to most people, they’d be apt to say that headlines and copy are hardly worth optimizing, as so much of an ad’s success rests on the image.

And they would be wrong.

Just how much can a new headline affect your results?

We saw a few headline tests that improved CTR by several times the benchmark. And in one instance, we saw a 10X improvement.

See, after people see the image, they scan the headline. And if the headline bombs, the copy never gets read. So a great headline can easily boost response.

And headlines are EASY to optimize!

Take a look at a recent example I spotted on my own Facebook page:

Same image and almost the same copy, with only an inversion of sentence order for “Smart Designs. Performance fabrics.”

The real difference is in the headline:

  • “Change your underwear” vs
  • “New Year, New Underwear”

Which one performs best?  I don’t know.

But how hard could it have been to come up with a new headline that references the current season?

Ideally, you should be optimizing every part of your ad, but if you’re not yet doing that, an easy way to start is with headlines.