Automatically Creating Brand-Aligned Ad Copy

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Overview

  • Large language models like ChatGPT and Gemini are promising for generating ad copy efficiently.
  • The goal is to produce ad copy that aligns closely with approved copy, minimizing the need for refinement.
  • This blog post will discuss methods for creating ad copy that is consistent with the brand voice and adheres to best practices.
  • One of the key advantages of these models is their ability to consistently apply best practices to ensure high-quality outputs.
  • While generating copy quickly is achievable by many, maintaining consistent quality across all outputs is a common challenge.

What do you need?

  1. ChatGPT Plus Account – $20 / month (pricing)
  2. Understanding & agreement with your team about uploading existing ad copy to ChatGPT
  3. A review process for generated ad copy before it gets sent to the client / your boss.

Implementation Outline

  1. Sign up for ChatGPT Plus if you have not already
  2. Define internally what is ok / not ok to share with ChatGPT
  3. Setup a Custom GPT with existing approved ad copy
  4. Generate new ad copy

1. Signup for ChatGPT Plus

More information is available here on what the Plus plan is: https://openai.com/blog/chatgpt-plus

This video explains in a simple straightforward manner how to sign up for ChatGPT: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9HtgDtpo2co

Simple walkthrough on signing up for a Plus account: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9syn52pLU58

2. Define What is OK & Not OK to Share with ChatGPT

Your personal or organizational definitions might differ. Below is my opinion on what is okay and not okay to share with these large language models:

Not OK to Share:

  1. Anything that you would regret being made public if Openai or Google were to get hacked and the information was to be shared publicly.
  2. Any proprietary information such as financial records or brand updates not yet shared with the public.

OK to Share:

  1. Anonymized ad performance data
  2. Anything publicly available or already published on the internet

3. Setup a Custom GPT

These videos cover the basics of what a Custom GPT is & how to set it up:

Video 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5–JexprHuk

Video 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EWdCMPnm8uY

After watching the videos above you should have a pretty good understanding of what a custom GPT is as well as how to customize it or how we will customize it for our use.

To apply the above videos for our use case of generating automatic ad copy there are a few things to keep in mind.

CustomGPT’s at least for now are very use case specific

For me that this means that I have a custom GPT for each brand but specifically each brand, each ad platform and each component of the ad that I need to generate.

  1. customgpt_1_brand_1_google_ads_short_headlines
  2. customgpt_2_brand_1_google_ads_long_headlines
  3. customgpt_3_brand_1_google_ads_descriptions
  4. customgpt_4_brand_2_google_ads_short_headlines
  5. customgpt_5_brand_2_google_ads_long_headlines
  6. etc…

Why? Setting up in this segmented manner allows me to accomplish one of my main goals custom gpts which is to deliver best practice and highest level of work every time consistently.

We are also bound by the context window.

  • Current limitations restrict combining instructions for headline writing, description writing, and brand style guidelines into a single instruction set.
  • Approaching the context window limit decreases retrieval accuracy for essential information.
  • Upcoming updates will expand the context window, but for now, it’s crucial to manage content within existing constraints effectively.

Here is an example of how we would a set of custom GPT to write Google ads short headlines for the fictional company “Watson’s Zambonis”.

Name: Watson’s Zambonis – Google Ads – Short Headline

Description: A custom GPT that helps with writing Google ads short headlines for Watson’s Zambonis.

Instructions: 

---

### Context
"You are a custom GPT trained to excel in creating compelling short headlines for Google search ads, with a deep understanding of search engine marketing, keyword optimization, and crafting impactful messages within tight character limits. You have access to a knowledge base containing files that define the brand guidelines and voice, as well as examples of previously approved ads that align with these standards."

### Requirement
"Generate short, attention-grabbing headlines for Google search ads that are relevant to the provided product or service description. Ensure the headlines not only adhere to Google's advertising policies and character count limits but also align with the brand's guidelines and voice as outlined in the knowledge base files. Incorporate key phrases effectively for SEO optimization."

### Ask
- "Given a brief description of a product or service, along with access to the brand's guidelines and previously approved ad examples, create five short headlines for Google search ads. Each headline should not exceed 30 characters."
- "Identify and incorporate one to two key phrases relevant to the product or service, ensuring the headlines are both SEO-friendly and consistent with the brand's messaging."
- "Reflect the unique value propositions or selling points as per the brand's guidelines, differentiating the product or service from competitors."

### Feedback
"After generating the headlines, review them to ensure they:
- Are in line with the brand's guidelines and voice, as detailed in the knowledge base.
- Address the target audience's needs or interests effectively, adhering to the brand's messaging strategy.
- Are concise, descriptive, and include a call to action or a sense of urgency, following the examples of previously approved content."

### Tone
"Your responses should maintain a professional and creative tone, ensuring the headlines are engaging, persuasive, and reflective of the brand's established voice and guidelines. The goal is to encourage potential customers to click through and learn more about the product or service while staying true to the brand's identity."

---

Knowledgebase Setup:

  • Upload a document containing:
    • Approved ad copy.
    • Website copy.
    • Brand guidelines.
  • This document should be dynamic, allowing for updates without changing the GPT’s instructions.
  • The document serves as a reference, streamlining the process by avoiding frequent updates to the GPT’s instructions and minimizing the need to review brand guidelines repeatedly.