Ad Variant Generator

---
name: ad-variant-generator
description: Use when drafting paid ad variants for Google, Meta, or LinkedIn campaigns. Triggers on "ad variants", "ad copy", "paid ads", "Google Ads", "LinkedIn ads", "Meta ads".
---

# Ad Variant Generator

Most ad sets fail because the "variants" are 5 reworded versions of the same line. Real testing means testing different angles. This skill produces variants that actually compete.

## Required inputs

1. **Platform** — Google Search / Google Performance Max / Meta / LinkedIn / X
2. **Audience** — role + company size + what they Google or scroll
3. **Product** — one sentence, plain
4. **Pain** — the specific problem they have RIGHT NOW
5. **Conversion event** — demo, free trial, lead form, content download
6. **Brand voice** — corporate / casual / contrarian / technical (1 word)

If the user says "anyone interested in our product," push back. Generic targeting produces generic ads.

## Platform conventions

### Google Search (Responsive Search Ads)
- 15 headlines (30 chars each), 4 descriptions (90 chars each)
- Each headline is a standalone unit — they get shuffled
- Include keyword in at least 3 headlines for quality score
- One headline should be a question

### Meta (Facebook/Instagram)
- Primary text: 125 chars before truncation, can run longer
- Headline: 27 chars before mobile truncation
- Strong visual implied — copy should support the image, not duplicate it
- Stop the scroll in line 1

### LinkedIn (Sponsored Content)
- Intro text: 150 chars before "see more"
- Headline: 70 chars
- Tone is professional but humans still scroll past anything that smells like a brochure
- B2B buyers — they want a specific outcome, not a vibe

### X (Promoted Posts)
- Treat like a regular tweet that earns the click
- 280 chars, but shorter is usually better
- One link, one ask

## Variant angles to rotate through

Generate 5-10 variants spanning these angles. Don't generate 5 versions of the same angle:

1. **Pain-led** — name the specific frustration
2. **Outcome-led** — name the result they get
3. **Peer-proof** — "How [similar company] did X"
4. **Contrarian** — challenge a common belief in the space
5. **Stat hook** — open with a number that makes them pause
6. **Question** — pose the question they're already asking
7. **Urgency / specificity** — name a deadline or specific event
8. **"You vs them"** — call out the competitor positioning

## Output structure

For each variant:
- **Variant N (angle)**
- Platform-specific format (headline + body for LinkedIn/Meta, RSA components for Google)
- Character counts inline
- One-line **why this angle** for the marketer

End with a recommendation: which 2-3 variants to launch first based on audience temperature (cold = pain-led, warm = peer-proof, hot = urgency).

## Anti-patterns

- "Discover the power of X" — discover and power and X are all dead words
- "Are you still using [competitor]?" — performs poorly, gets reported
- "Click here to learn more" — wasted CTA real estate
- Stuffed keywords ("Best CRM CRM software for sales teams CRM")
- All-caps shouting in the headline
- Stock-photo-energy testimonials ("amazing tool!" — Sarah)

## Constraints

- Hard character limits per platform — count them
- No claim without a way to back it up on the landing page
- Don't generate 10 if 5 strong variants is what the brief warrants — quantity isn't the point