BookBub Ads reach millions of power readers every day, making this self-serve ad platform a fantastic tool for authors and publishers to promote their books. But creating ad designs that will entice readers can be a challenge. A clever tagline will catch some readers’ eyes, while a pop of color is what draws in others. Finding a combination of text and images that will appeal to the most readers is a careful balancing act. So how can you optimize your BookBub Ad creative to drive the highest engagement?
While there’s no one-size-fits-all answer to this question, there are some major pitfalls to avoid when designing your ads. Here are five faux pas that could be hurting your ad’s performance, and a few simple tips to help you avoid these common mistakes!
1. Your ad design is too busy
There are many different components you could include in your ad design — a cover image, a tagline, a five-star review, a quote from another author, a blurb from a publication, an award or accolade, a logo, series information, and more. Because of this, it can be tempting to cram a lot of these elements into a single ad. However, ads with lengthy text, multiple images, and a brightly patterned background come across as busy and cumbersome.
Instead, pick just a few elements to focus on in your ad design. You can run tests to figure out which ones will best hook your ideal readers. Using BookBub’s in-form creative builder (see an example in the below ad on the left and more examples here), is a great way to create a simple ad image with a lot of white space, so the important elements stand out.
2. You’re trying to say too much in too little space
It’s important to give readers a clear idea of what you’re advertising, but there is such a thing as too much information in ads — especially when it comes to text. It might seem logical to include as much information as possible for readers, but giving a multi-sentence plot summary or a full-length blurb is overwhelming in such a small amount of space. Avoid text-heavy creative and remember that the goal of an ad is to get readers to click. When they land on your retailer page, they can read your full book description to learn more.
Keeping the text concise and punchy will pique readers’ interest, making them more likely to click! Check out the brief but enticing copy from these successful BookBub Ads campaigns:
3. Your font is too hard to read
When you avoid pitfall #2, you end up with just a few phrases in your ad, so every word counts! Fancy fonts can be fun, but are often difficult to read. And while a consistent color palette makes a visually cohesive ad, without contrast between the color of the text and the background in your ad, it will be impossible for readers to tell what your ad is saying.
For the best results, use simple, easy-to-read fonts in a color that pops against the background of your ad, and stick to just one or two different fonts.
4. Your book’s genre isn’t obvious
BookBub members know what they like, so it’s important for the text and images you’re showcasing to clearly signal the genre of the book you’re promoting. Avoid generic stock photos that don’t tell the viewer anything about your book.
To drive lots of clicks, make sure your ad image gives readers a clear and accurate idea of what kind of book they’ll be getting. Your book cover should already align with your genre, so using the cover in your ad is a fantastic way to appeal to genre readers.
5. Your ad image doesn’t align with your target audience
With BookBub Ads’ targeting capabilities, you can be very deliberate with the audience you’ll reach. This is a powerful and incredibly useful tool for promoting to unique groups of readers, such as fans of a specific author. But it’s important to remember that even within the same genre or subgenre, readers can have different tastes and interests.
Narrowing your target audience will allow you to tailor your ad creative to those particular readers. For example, if you target a single author’s followers (either those of the book’s author or a similar author!), you can cater your message and image more intentionally to this subset of readers. When your ad design aligns well with your audience’s preferences, you are likely to see higher CTR.
There’s no perfect formula for your creative that will guarantee a successful ad, but by steering clear of these major pitfalls, you’ll set yourself up for success! Remember these key tips:
- Make your image design clean and simple without too many competing elements.
- Keep your text concise, legible, and targeted to the specific audience you’re trying to reach.
- Use the book cover or images that signal your book’s genre and tone.
- For the best results, test different versions of your ad images, copy, and targeting to ensure that your message is resonating with your audience.
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