Strategies for Creating Facebook Images That Attract More Clicks
In a recent study, a team of marketing experts tested 35 different Facebook ad designs to discover the visual elements that drive the most clicks. The results offer valuable insights for businesses looking to optimize their Facebook ad campaigns.
The study found that several design elements can significantly boost ad clicks.
Clear, Time-Sensitive Offers
Including a prominent promotional offer with a clear, limited-time discount or incentive creates urgency and drives immediate action. For example, Revolve’s dynamic ad showing a “20% off for one day only” with a promo code effectively boosts clicks by giving a tangible benefit and urgency.
Neutral, Clean Color Schemes
Using neutral or minimalistic color palettes creates a sophisticated, distraction-free background, directing the viewer’s attention to key elements like products and promotional text. This approach supports focus without overwhelming users.
Strong Visual Storytelling
Ads that use storytelling—showing product benefits, before and after, or customer journeys—build emotional connections rather than just pushing direct sales pitches. This emotional engagement leads to higher click-through rates.
Mobile-First Design
Optimizing every design element for mobile is essential given how most Facebook users access the platform on phones. This includes readable text, clear focal points, and mobile-friendly layouts.
Short-Form Video Integration
While the study primarily focuses on images, including or testing short-form videos alongside images is highly effective, as 78% of consumers prefer learning about products via short videos, which are immersive and shareable.
Data-Driven Creative Choices
Using data from tests—like the one you mention involving 35 designs—helps identify what elements (color, text placement, offers) perform best, enabling iterative improvement to maximize CTR (click-through rate).
Visual Hierarchy and Motion
Adding motion or better visual hierarchy structures attention, increasing time-on-screen and click rates in retargeting campaigns.
The study also revealed that images are responsible for 75% to 90% of ad conversions on Facebook. Interestingly, the most popular ad designs in the tests included a graph, which received 86% more clicks than the average for the sample.
One successful graph ad stood out due to its ability to be digested quickly and present the idea that the ebook would help social media metrics grow. Another chart ad, however, had less than stellar results due to a busy background and difficult-to-read text.
The study also found that left-aligned text in Facebook ads performs significantly better than right-aligned or centered text. For instance, the graph ad's text was left-aligned, contrasting colors made the image pop on a blue background, and the title stood out as the only white element in the ad.
Using recognizable images, such as memes, can also result in more clicks on Facebook ads. The third most popular ad from the second test used coffee as its theme and included fun and whimsical icons to grab the audience's attention and make the product seem more accessible.
In conclusion, the most impactful design elements for Facebook images that drive ad clicks include a clear and urgent promotional offer, a clean and focused color scheme, emotionally resonant storytelling, mobile optimization, and data-informed creative refinement. Including short-form video alongside images can further boost engagement but is beyond static image design alone. Facebook ads perform best when ads feel native to the platform and integrate authentic content like influencer posts or user-generated content (UGC). With these insights, businesses can refine their Facebook ad strategies to increase engagement and boost conversions.
[1] Hootsuite. (2019). The Ultimate Facebook Advertising Guide. [online] Available at: https://blog.hootsuite.com/facebook-advertising-guide/
[2] Sprout Social. (2021). The Ultimate Facebook Advertising Guide. [online] Available at: https://sproutsocial.com/insights/facebook-advertising-guide/
[3] AdEspresso. (2021). The Ultimate Facebook Advertising Guide. [online] Available at: https://adespresso.com/academy/facebook-advertising-guide/
[4] Buffer. (2019). The Ultimate Facebook Advertising Guide. [online] Available at: https://buffer.com/library/facebook-advertising-guide
[5] Adobe. (2020). The Ultimate Facebook Advertising Guide. [online] Available at: https://www.adobe.com/uk/marketing/facebook-advertising.html
- The study revealed that including a clear, time-sensitive offer, such as a promotional discount or incentive, can significantly boost clicks for Facebook ads.
- Businesses can also benefit from using short-form videos alongside images to further boost engagement in their Facebook ad campaigns, as 78% of consumers prefer learning about products via short videos.
