There are a few time-tested principles that can persuade people to click on your ads.
 
First, you must know your audience so that your ad feels like it is speaking to them. They should be able to see themselves in your ad. This is by addressing their pain points or aligning it with their lifestyle, issues, hopes and dreams.
 
If possible, you should use the scarcity trick by making your offer, service or product scarce or rare, rather than one in dozen. Things such as limited-edition products or yearly offers are just some examples.
 
The third is employing the urgency trick where you compel customers or prospects to act quickly as time is running out. Think hooks where your offer is only available today, have an expiration day or will increase in price after a certain time.
 
Social proofing is also a great way to convince people to click on your ads. You can use testimonials, ambassadors, influencers, communities to demonstrate this. Psychologically, people like to imitate their role models and peers or be part of their social surroundings and activities.
 
Above all, your ad also must be simple to understand within seconds without overwhelming or confusing the reader or viewer. It should be consistent across all platforms and highlight the important points. A bonus point is if your ad is memorable, whether in a conventional way such as evoking an emotion or unconventional ways that become a talking point, like the “CU in NT” ad by Northern Territory tourism.
 
Whatever you do, always test your ads with a screen audience or A/B testing. It makes it easy to improve your ads on the fly and build on the next campaign.