Listening & vocabulary
В английском языке очень распространены устойчивые выражения и поговорки, включающие слово «dog» (собака). Среди них встречаются похожие на русские. Например, dog-tired (усталый, как собака) или a dog’s life (собачья жизнь).
Выполните задание по аудированию. Попробуйте догадаться о значении еще 10-ти выражений до прослушивания текста, выполнив предлагаемый тест на соответствие фраз их толкованию. Если это сложно, сначала прослушайте аудио запись. Кстати, она звучит на 30% медленнее, чем обычная американская речь.(credit to:
learningenglish.voanews.com)
Дополнительное задание: какое выражение, отсутствующее в тесте, объясняется в конце звучащего текста?
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Cracking new ways of linking, connecting and sharing in meaningful ways has always been Facebook’s top mission. The giant social network has been experimenting with different ways to make the world more open and connected, and Facebook Text Delights is one of them.
Facebook Delights are a new form of sharing and activating diverse communities around emotions and values. By tapping into very normal and natural behavior, Facebook Delights take regular text and converts words and phrases into wonderful animations to share with friends and family to express intentions and emotions.
Facebook Text Delights is a collection of special words and phrases. So, when a Facebook user types one of those special words/phrase in their updates/comments, the text color changes. When a recipient clicks on this colorized word, animations trigger on the screen. Balloons, hearts, stars, claps, emojis, etc. are a few examples.
Basically, Facebook Text Delights gives a feeling of celebration to the Facebook Users.
Enable & use Facebook Text Delight Animations
Enabling Facebook Delights is very easy, all you need ‘TYPE’ the correct word/phrase. Let’s list down all the special words which a part of the Facebook Text Delights feature; you can test these words by simply using them in your comments on Facebook.
Facebook Text Delights For Other Languages
Facebook Text Delights also covers special words from other languages. For instance, following are a few Hindi language Facebook text delights:
So, to try them you can simply type the above mentioned English words/phrases translated into your own or desired language.
Facebook Delights For “Life Events”
Facebook has also updated animations associated with reactions to “life events,” like engagements and weddings. When Facebook users add a reaction to a “life event,” the reaction will come alongside animated reactions that fill the update.
Popular Facebook Delights That No Longer Work
Facebook keeps adding new words to text delights feature, and few gain a lot of popularity. Yet, once very popular these are some of the texts delights that no longer work.
- rad
- radness
- bff
- bffs
- lmao
- thank you so much
- happy earth day
- happy Mother’s Day
Facebook is surely spicing up the news feed with these colorful animations. Well, if you come across any new special word, do let us know we will add that to this list.
Ankit Gupta is a writer by profession and has more than 7 years of global writing experience on technology and other areas. He follows technological developments and likes to write about Windows & IT security. He has a deep liking for wild life and has written a book on Top Tiger Parks of India.
AFAIK — Internet slang for the phrase «as far as I know«
We use this expression when we are fairly confident we know something, but aren’t completely sure. The English phrase ‘to the best of my knowledge‘ is a more formal way of saying the same thing.
Example sentence: — «As far as I know, you don’t need to book tickets in advance. You can buy one on the day.»
ASAP
SMS abbreviation for the phrase «as soon as possible«
A.S.A.P. is an informal expression that is used to indicate when things need to be done really quickly. In England, people sometimes use the shortened version of the expression to make requests in face-to-face situations as well.
P.D.Q. (pretty darn quick) has a similar meaning.
Example sentence: «Could you finish that report for me today, please? I need it A.S.A.P.«
B4
Online chat abbreviation for the English word ‘before‘.
Before is a word we often use to talk about things that happened earlier than other events. Example sentence: «I lived in Canada before I moved to England». We also use the word ‘before’ to talk about things we expect to happen sooner than other future events that are likely.
Example sentence: «You need to apply for a driving licence before you can drive a car.»
BFN — textspeak for the expression ‘bye for now’. (goodbye for now)
‘Bye for now’ is a slang expression that we use when we are saying goodbye to people we expect to see or speak to again in the near future. ‘Bye’ is an abbreviation of the word ‘goodbye’. In a formal situation, you would say ‘goodbye’, or ‘goodbye for now’, instead.
Example sentence: «Bye for now. See you tomorrow!»
BRB — Abbreviation of the expression (I’ll) be right back.
We use the expression ‘be right back‘ when we have to leave a conversation briefly, and plan to resume it within a short period of time. In a more formal situation, you would say ‘please excuse me for a minute — I will be
back shortly‘, instead.
Example sentence: «Sorry, but I need to answer the phone. I’ll be right back.»
BTW — by the way.
We use the expression ‘by the way‘ to change the topic of a conversation, or indicate that we are passing on information about something new, which is unrelated to things we have been talking about.
Example sentence: «By the way, I’m going on holiday next week.»
CU — see you. (CYA also means the same thing)
‘See you‘ is an informal way of saying goodbye. In a face-to-face situation, we might use it to say goodbye to a friend or family member. ‘See you later’ is another very common informal British English expression, which means
the same thing.
Example sentence: «I’m off to work now. See you!»
FYI — for your information.
‘For your information‘ is a formal English expression which can be used to pass on information. It is a polite way of making people aware of things that maybe they ought to know already.
Example sentence: «For your information: spamming Facebook groups with requests to like your page is bad manners. Please stop doing it!»
GTG — got to go.
Got to go is an informal expression that we use to say goodbye to friends or family members. In a more formal situation or with people you didn’t know very well, you would use ‘I have to go now’, instead.
Example sentence: «Got to go now — see you later!»
IMO — in my opinion. (IMHO means the same thing)
We use the expression «in my opinion» to express personal views, or politely disagree with someone else’s opinion. IMHO (in my humble opinion) is a bit more formal than IMO. A more formal way to disagree would be to
say «with respect…», or «forgive me for saying so, but…»
Example sentence: In my opinion, English is a useful language to learn.»
K — ok. ( the word ‘okay’ means the same thing)
We use the informal expression ok to 1) indicate that we agree with something, 2) to show we have understood something that has been said, or 3) to check that someone agrees with us. In a formal situation, we would say ‘yes, I
agree’ or ‘yes, I understand’, instead.
Example sentence: «Is it ok with you if I borrow your car?»
L8R — later (or L8RS)
We use the informal expression ‘later‘ to indicate we will do something at another time. If we plan to chat with someone again sometime soon, we might say ‘see you later‘ or just ‘laters‘ to say goodbye. In a
more formal situation we would say «see you later», or ‘see you soon’, instead.
Example sentence: «I’ve got to go now. Laters«.
LOL — Laugh out loud. (or LOLS, which means the same thing)
We use this expression when we find something so funny that it makes us laugh out loud. In spoken English, we would probably say ‘that was really funny‘, or «that was hilarious«, instead. Warning:
beware of clicking on links in messages that use LOL!, as scammers sometimes use it to trick people and spread computer viruses.
Example of a scam message: «LOL! is this you?» (followed by a link)
M8 — mate (friend)
Mate is an informal British English word for someone who is a very good friend. English people sometimes use it to informally greet close friends or introduce them to other people, in both offline and online situations.
Example sentence: «Hi — how are you doing, mate?»
MSG — a message
A message (or text message) is a communication which is sent electronically, either online or via a mobile phone or other device, such as a tablet. Social media sites like Twitter and Facebook allow you to send private (or direct)
messages, as well as public messages that everyone can read.
Example sentence: «Did you get the message I sent you yesterday?»
OMG Oh my gosh! (or Oh my God!)
An expression used to indicate that we are surprised, alarmed, shocked or impressed by a recent event or series of events, or a piece of news that we have just been told.
Example sentence: «OMG! You are not going to believe what just happened!»
PLZ — please.
Please is a polite English word that is commonly used to make requests in both formal and informal situations. In the UK, politeness is expected when asking people to do things for you, or requesting permission to do things.
Example sentence: «Could you shut the window, please?»
PPL — people.
An abbreviation of the word «people«, often used in informal texts such as sms and social media messages. For more formal electronic communications, you would use the word «people», instead.
ROTFL — Roll on the floor laughing.
Informal text message shorthand used to indicate something is very, very funny. A bit over used, as it is rare for something to be so funny that it makes people roll on the ground with laughter!
In spoken English, most people would
probably say ‘that had me in stitches ‘, or «that was hysterical» instead, although younger people might use it informally in face-to-face situations as well.
TTYL — talk to you later.
An informal expression used to say goodbye to friends and family who you chat with on a fairly frequent basis. Used in a similar way to L8R and L8RS. For formal communication, you would use «speak to you
later«, instead .
Example sentence: «I have to go now. Talk to you later.»
TY — thank you.
TY is Internet slang for the phrase «thank you». The abbreviated form is often used in online chat, instant messaging, email and forum postings. TYVM (thank you very much) means the same thing, and is
sometimes used in a similar way as well.
U — you.
U is informal text slang for the personal pronoun «you«. U is used to address someone in the second person in sms messages, online chats, and other forms of communication.
UR — you’re. (you are)
UR is an internet acronym for «you are «. It is an informal slang expression that people sometimes use when chatting to friends via text messages, Internet forums, and social media sites.
YW — you’re welcome. (you are welcome)
YW is an internet slang for «you’re welcome «. You’re welcome is a polite English expression people say in response to «thank you», which can be used in both formal and informal situations.
Other expressions you can use to reply to thanks that have the same or similar meanings are «you are very welcome» and «my pleasure!»
Instructions
Click on a card to start the game. Match the words and phrases that go together.
Click the ‘new game’ button to play the game again with a different set of words.
FACEBOOK • GETTY
Facebook users can unlock secret Easter eggs with the status bar
Facebook has been adding in some new Easter eggs recently, and users are able to unlock the secret features just by typing a few words in the status bar.
Facebook has a long history of adding Easter eggs to surprise and delight users as they stumble upon them.
Earlier this year — to mark the 20th anniversary of Harry Potter — users got a special surprise when they posted about the JK Rowling books.
If a Facebook user typed in the name of any Harry Potter house, the name would be displayed in the house’s colour and a magical effect would appear on screen.
And one of the most famous example of a Facebook Easter egg appeared in early versions of the world’s most popular social network.
Back in the day, Facebook users were treated to a surprise when they typed in the ‘Konami Code’ — an old cheat code from 80s video games.
When they entered those ten strokes on their keyboard, it would bring up a lens flare effect that moved around the screen as you scrolled.
That Easter egg was scrapped by Facebook back in 2009, but they have introduced new secret features recently.
Facebook for awhile has been experimenting with hidden animations that are trigged when users type specific words into the status bar.
For example, when «congratulations» or «xoxo» is typed these phrases bring up colourful animations or balloons or hearts.
And now Facebook is updating the list of words that triggers these animations, according to Mashable.
The words “rad”, “off”, “lmao” and “thank you so much” now trigger their own colourful posts and animation effects.
Facebook is also updating the animations that appear with reactions to “life events” like weddings and engagements.
When Facebook users react to a “life event”, all the different types of reactions will be animated when a user clicks on the update.
Facebook reveals a new way to watch your favourite shows
The Easter eggs are the latest way for Facebook to keep the news feed looking fresh for users.
Another way Facebook has tried to freshen up the news feed experience was by finally letting users post GIFs in comments earlier this year.
The long sought after feature became available in June, with Facebook now hooked up to the Giphy database giving you access to virtually any GIF ever.
To add a GIF into a Facebook comment, you simply have to click or tap the comments box as per usual.
GETTY
Facebook has a long history of hiding Easter eggs
In the bottom right hand corner there is a GIF icon alongside a smiley face for emojis and a camera icon.
All users had to do was click on the GIF icon and immediately they would be shown trending GIFs that they can scroll through.
Above the trending GIFs, there is a search bar where you can enter keywords to find the particular GIF you are looking for.
Other new features that Facebook have added this year is the new colourful status updates.
Users for the past few months have been able to start writing status posts in a bold font on top of a colourful, vibrant background.
Facebook began testing the feature last year before rolling it out to its two billion users in March.
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Every business owner is on the hunt for those silver bullet campaigns that will turn your organic website traffic, website pages, email newsletters, and other copy into dollar signs. Well, it doesn’t actually work that way. There are some staples, like quality and trust—that have to be woven up through the center of all your content to build that marketing material bridge from consumer to customer. The good news is, your word choice is your first line when building that trust, through your branded content, SEO efforts, online profiles, social media posts, and website and landing page copy, and more.
Words have the ability to inspire action in people—this is what copywriting is all about. But as many words as there are in the dictionary, coming up with natural, powerful, non-repetitive words and phrases that appeal to your audience is a challenge. This guide covers a list of words to give you a starting point in writing quality, trustworthy copy that will:
- Reduce risk
- Reduce uncertainty
- Build trust
- Invite purchasing
- Create urgency
- Spark curiosity
- Connect with your audience
- Communicate value
- Convey authority
- Infer growth or benefit
Consider this your guide to refer back to when you’re stuck on coming up with copy, whether for an ad, email, landing page, elevator pitch, etc. But don’t consider this your end-all. Use it as your launchpad to come up with your own words and phrases that reflect your brand voice and values.
And once you’ve gone through this list, check out our 273 (MORE!) Words to Use for Emotional Marketing Copy.
Marketing words & phrases that reduce risk
Minimizing a customer’s perception of risk will make them that much more comfortable making the decision to business with you. Try to use phrases in your marketing copy that communicate reassurance that they aren’t at risk of losing money or being tied into a long-term commitment. A sense of predictability or set of expectations is the goal here. Some words and related phrases include:
- Guaranteed or your money back
- You can unsubscribe at any time
- We won’t flood your inbox
- No obligation
- No purchase necessary
- Cancel at any time
- What do you have to lose?
- Free returns/full refund, no questions asked
- Try it first
- Book a demo
- Talk to [representative] to see if [business name or product] is right for you
Notice that the language here is not fancy jargon but everyday language that resonates with customers. In most cases, you should have a page that states your guarantee and return policies and how/why they work so customers can truly see that there are no catches. Of course, don’t offer anything you don’t promise or can’t describe in detail.
Marketing words & phrases that reduce uncertainty
Uncertainty is one of the biggest barriers to entry for any conversion action you’re trying to get your customers to perform within your funnel. Of course, the first step in reducing uncertainty is to build brand awareness, as the more familiar a consumer becomes with your brand, the more likely they are to trust and get to know you. The more they know about your brand, the more seamless their journey will be from browser to customer. Here are some powerful words that stand out to website visitors to help reduce uncertainty and boost confidence in engaging further with your business:
- First month/time period free
- See for yourself
- No hidden fees
- Check out a sample report
- Money-back guarantee
- The [business name] guarantee
- Risk-free guarantee
Marketing words & phrases that build trust
Reducing uncertainty is only the first part of the equation when writing effective marketing copy. You’ve also got to build up trust. Here are some phrases to include in your assets to give your customers more reasons to continue engaging with you:
- Check out our testimonials page
- See our reviews (Here’s how to ask for and get more of them)
- See our resource library
- Check out our FAQ section
- Chat live with a specialist
You’ll notice that some of the words and call to action phrases in certain sections overlap, since they help to communication different intentions depending on context.
Marketing words & phrases that invite purchasing
People must be able to visualize how your product or services will change their lives for the better. But the focus should not be on your product or service; it should be on the value your customers will get out of it and how easy it is for them to obtain it.
- [Achieve main benefit[s] you offer] and sign up today
- How can [business name or product] help you [achieve XYZ?] Find out for yourself!
- What do you have to lose?
- Give us a shot!
- What’s in it for you? [Then answer that]
- Take advantage of this special offer
- A bargain you can’t beat
- Do you want to/Are you ready to [insert benefits of your services here]?
- See the results you want/Real results
- Achieve growth/[other ultimate benefit your customers are seeking]
- Start achieving [XYZ] with [business name or product] now
- Become [adjective your customer wishes to become] with [business name/product]
Knowing the right feelings, benefits, and achievements to put into the brackets above will depend on your knowledge of your customer, but our copywriting psychology tips may help as well.
Marketing words and phrases that encourage urgency
Running a sales promotion for a finite period of time is a great way to get people to act. Try using these words in your next time-limited offer:
- Download now/today
- While supplies last
- For a limited time only
- Save your spot
- Sale ends [Saturday]
- Act now before time runs out
- Get it while it’s hot
- Last chance
- Don’t want to miss/Can’t-miss
- Offer ends soon
- Limited-time offer
- Download now
- Call today
- [Hours:minute:seconds] left to
Even if you aren’t running a finite offer, placing the word “now” or “today” after a call to action can make a difference in how it impacts the reader and encourages them to act.
GET THE GUIDE >> The Best Words & Phrases for Marketing with Emotion
Marketing words and phrases that spark curiosity
Copywriting strives to encourage customers to engage with you on many different levels. Whether you’re using words to get newsletter signups, more visits to your blog, or to write more compelling website copy, the key is to make them curious enough to take another step. And yet another step. Here are some words to bring about curiosity and engagement.
- What if…?
- Insider
- Scoop
- Special
- Learn how to…
- Join
- Discover
- Imagine…
- Uncover
- Get access to
- Unlock
- Find out
- See why
The key here is not to be too ambiguous. And to actually deliver on your promise. Make the value or key takeaway clear, then invite your audience to actually get there with the help of your business.
Marketing words and phrases that connect with your audience
Relating to clients on a personal level goes a long way in winning and keeping their business. As I’ve stated elsewhere in this post, think about your target audience’s problems, goals, challenges, and ideal situations. Describing these pain points and desires helps to demonstrate to your readers—in your website, promotional emails, landing page copy, and more—that you really know them, can empathize with them, and even be the answer to their problems. Try out these words and phrases as a starting point to this approach:
- Ever wish you could/Ever wish there was a…
- Finally, a …
- At last…
- Are you tired of…
- We get it…
- We’ve got you/We’ve got your back
- Discover what it’s like to…
- Look familiar?
- Experience a world free of…
- You deserve…
The underlying strategy with these words is the bridge after bridge strategy—the third of five effective copywriting formulas we cover in this post. The idea is to identify your potential customers’ pain points, then lead them down the imaginary road toward their new and improved self/situation made possible by your business. When people can visualize their better situation, the steps to get there become more appealing to them. To be clear, this is not a form of manipulation. It’s effectively articulating the problem your business solves or the ultimate benefit it brings to its customers.
Marketing words and phrases that communicate value
In addition to reducing uncertainty, it’s important to give that extra boost of confidence that your product, service, or special deal is worth it. Quality will never stop being important to the consumer and addressing it in your marketing and ad copy is essential:
- Top/top-notch
- Premium
- Best value
- Equivalent to
- New
- Safe
- Secure
- Efficient
- Quality
- Custom-built
- Only
- First
- Quickest
- One-of-a-kind
- Harness the power of
- [Location]’s best
- Get the most out of your money
Note that these are more broad statements of value to start with. Think about what is of most value to consumers within your niche—is it handmade? Eco-friendly? On-demand? Locally-sourced? The more specific, the better.
Marketing words and phrases that convey authority
Using authoritative words does not automatically grant you authority—writing quality content, promoting your business across various channels, building your reputation, and optimizing for Google’s ranking factors to get on the first page of Google helps with that as well. But if you are a stand-out business in your industry, niche, or community, try using words like these in your marketing content:
- Ultimate
- Top
- Best-in-class
- Premium
- Top-rated
- Expert-approved
- Cutting edge
- [Location]’s best
- [Location]’s only
- Leading
- [Location]’s #1
- Specialized
- Proprietary
Marketing words and phrases that infer growth or benefit
Getting tired of using the same words over and over again to convey the positive benefits your business will bring? Try some of these:
- Boost
- Improve
- Amplify
- Enhance
- Achieve
- Learn
- Reach
- Grow
- Prosper
- Fruitful
- Gain
- Reap the benefits
- Ramp up
Marketing words and phrases that convey savings
Price is a part of any consumer’s decision-making process. Use these phrases to convey to your audience that they are getting a good deal:
- Save now
- Affordable
- Get your money’s worth
- Without breaking the bank
- Easy on your wallet
- Without breaking the bank
- While staying within your budget
- Avoid unnecessary fees
- Earn rewards
- Collect
Language is powerful and using the right words will be the difference between marketing phrases that work and those that fall flat. Remember that a word or phrase that bodes well for one campaign doesn’t necessarily mean it will work across the board. As always, be strategic and conduct A/B testing to confirm you’re using these emotional marketing phrases properly.
Facebook’s ad policy is strict, and all ads are carefully checked. Even a well-written, clean vaping ad will not be allowed because Facebook does not support the sale of tobacco products.
Facebook checks ads for certain words and phrases that violate the policy, and will often reject ads that contain them, even if the ad doesn’t actually violate any ad rules.
Before you launch an ad campaign on Facebook, keep in mind that you should be very careful in creating ads there. Overly targeted or misleading ads will be rejected by the platform.
To avoid tagging your ad, check its copy, and make sure that it doesn’t violate the ad placement rules. Then request a manual view and describe in detail why you think the ad meets the requirements. Your ad will be checked by a Facebook moderator. If it is approved, it will start working. If not, you will get feedback about which policies the ad violates.
In fact, rejecting ads is one of the biggest challenges during the promotion of a business on Facebook.
What happens if you see this message? You will get a checkbox in your Facebook account and your ads will not be displayed until you fix them. If you receive several warnings like that, Facebook may block your advertising account. In this case, there are, of course, workarounds, but it is better to be careful and not get into this situation.
Avoiding these problems is as easy as following the tips below. Just remember: tips will not apply equally to everyone. Some Facebook advertising accounts, namely those that have more advertising history, can get away much easier than newcomers or not very active advertisers. This is why many accounts are finding it increasingly difficult to get their ads approved.
You, to You, Your
Ok, let’s deal with the first case. Here is an example of an ad: «Are you a busy mom, working hard, and you don’t have time to cook for your family?»
Facebook doesn’t appreciate the ads which speak too directly, or openly affect the pain of the target audience.
Just as Google’s algorithm knows which keywords you type to get your page higher in search results, Facebook’s algorithm knows when you use too many «you» or «your» words to directly call out viewers on the Internet. Although sometimes ads with the words «you» or «your» may pass, in most cases such ads can cause problems, so it is better not to use those words.
Just keep in mind that Facebook wants your ads to merge with your news feed and not differ much from the posts created by your friends.
Don’t panic, we will figure everything out. A good idea is to use stories, reviews, and personal experiences to ensure that your ads are not rejected. Delete as many «you» or «your» references from the text as possible. The ad that we gave as an example above can win if you rewrite it like this: «Dinner is ready! Fast food delivery for busy families.»
It Becomes Too Personal
Facebook does not approve of touching upon someone’s personality. Here we mean direct or indirect mention of race, religion, age, etc. Facebook will block ads with the questions «do you practice Christianity?» or «Are you over 30?», as they indicate the personal characteristics of the target audience.
Sensitive Content
Another example: «Tired of diets that do not give the promised result? Do you want to easily lose 20 kg, not counting calories?»
Oh, sensitive topics are strongly forbidden in 2022. Be careful with the health, weight loss, cosmetics, anti-aging products, dietary supplements — they all fall under the «sensitive topics» label and they are closely monitored by Facebook.
It is simple enough to avoid using pain points or «negative» words such as diet, weight loss, fat, depression, anxiety, stress, fear, shock, fright, etc.
The solution is pretty clear: use positive language instead of negative (this advice is applicable to any sphere of life). Focus on what you want people to feel after using the product. For example, instead of «Lose 10 kg this summer!» try «Feel easy, be in shape this summer. Join my free fitness class!»
Earn Million in One Hour
It’s becoming hot — catch the next example: «Get $3 000 within the next month! Join my free webinar to learn how to do this.»
Facebook doesn’t like offers to get rich quick and «earn», schemes, opportunities to work from home, and big — or even small — claims that may not be available to everyone. Facebook is addressing this issue in accordance with its policy.
Always check this out: if a message sounds too good to be true, it probably isn’t true.
Be very thoughtful using any words on the topic of earning money or working from home, because otherwise your ads may be banned or even lead to your account being blocked. The best way to avoid this is to use a description of your offer advantages in your ad.
So: «Earn a six-figure sum and work for yourself with this innovative technique» will turn into: «Learn the 5 most important habits that every successful entrepreneur needs to keep in mind.» This text does not seem to be a scam and is likely to play well with the Facebook algorithm.
Cursing Words
Profanity is not a good idea over here. Even if it’s just a word or two, Facebook won’t skip it.
Family is really significant for the Facebook community. Therefore, this social media prevents cases when a child who is next to a parent may see a bad word in an ad. The use of sexual images, explicit topics, and intimacy is also prohibited.
Solution: try to make your ads in a way that you can safely show them to your child. People try to circumvent these rules and attract the attention of the audience by adding spiciness. But remember that Facebook can read between the lines, even if you use groups of characters «&% #% @% #% $ &», and such ads will quickly be blocked.
Corona Words
Facebook does not want us to take advantage of the circumstances. But it is pretty messy because if we do not talk about Corona, we may be considered “insensitive” — seems like we do not care about what is happening in a marketplace. So, we need to notice an elephant in the room but in a way that makes Facebook happy.
The recipe here is the following: do not use the words “Pandemic, Corona, Coronavirus, infection, anxious, disease”. They are overused, so Facebook blocks ads with such content. Likewise, avoid the following phrases: “confirmed case, positive case, social distance”. It is ok to use them separately though.
How to speak about the biggest problem of recent years? Here are some substitutions for the words mentioned before: write “stuck at home” instead of “Corona”, “chaos” instead of “anxious”, “trying times” instead of “pandemic” and “well-being” instead of “health”. People will understand you anyway.
Do you manage to avoid Corona words?
46 votes
Yes — 70%
No — 30%
Don’t Be Aggressive
If you use mostly capital letters and exclamation marks, you will definitely not be liked by Facebook. For example, the ad «STOP!!! DO not PASS BY, you DEFINITELY NEED to come HERE!!!”. It a priori implies aggression, and it seems as if you are shouting at the network users. Use capital letters only when they are really necessary, or to emphasize significant words. Try not to use exclamation marks, but if you need to emphasize the importance of your intentions, you can use emojis.
The Word “Facebook”
Here’s one word you should avoid, with ONE exception.
You don’t want Facebook to suggest any relationship or collaboration between them and your company.
Copyright Infringement
Don’t use text (or pictures of course) that violates a third party’s privileges.
When you see a great ad headline, landing page copy, etc., let it inspire yours. Don’t swipe that over.
Tobacco, Drugs and Weapons
It comes without saying that advertising such products is prohibited on Facebook. So, it is better to avoid the words “cigarettes, vaporizers, guns, ammunition, explosives” etc.
Forbidden Topics
Let’s now emphasize the general topics you should avoid in your ads if you are looking for eco-friendly content that will attract subscribers. They are not prohibited, but they are highly flammable — they are very likely to ignite a discussion:
- Politics,
- Religion,
- Sex minorities,
- Gender identification,
- Conspiracy theories,
- Feminism and body positivity.
Much depends on the content delivery and the overall orientation of the page. These topics are undesirable for the business and public accounts, whose purpose is the promotion of products or services. Here you need positively colored content that works to attract and retain subscribers. Humor is allowed, but cynicism should be avoided. Even if the post itself is not negative, it may appear in the comments, because people may have radically different views on the listed topics.
Toxic comments in business publics are not beneficial at all. People come here for the specific purpose of learning more about the product, not letting off steam. And the dirt in the comments can easily ruin a carefully constructed promotion strategy. Another thing is entertainment communities, where content on the verge of a foul works well for promotion.
Conclusion
If you are too lazy to remember all the rules on Facebook, remember the main principle: advertising must be ethical. If you think that your publication might offend, deceive, or mislead someone, then it probably won’t work. In addition, It can be useful to use Facebook’s ad Library for inspiration from your competitors or similar industries that succeeded.
If you think that you did everything correctly and your ad was rejected by mistake, you can contact Facebook using the following form.
by Kate Woodford
It’s recently come to my attention that there’s a huge number of English phrases and idioms containing the word ‘face’. There are so many that this is the first of two posts, as ever focusing on the most frequent and useful. I hope you enjoy it!
We’ll deal first with phrases that convey something about the expression on someone’s face. If an emotion is written all over someone’s face, their face very clearly shows it: She was clearly appalled by the idea – it was written all over her face.
In UK English, someone who has a face like thunder or who looks like thunder looks very angry: He walked into here with a face like thunder. / She didn’t say anything but she looked like thunder.
Two ‘face’ expressions are used to convey a look of disappointment. We talk about a long face, meaning ‘a face showing sadness or disappointment’: There’ll be some long faces when I tell the kids the holiday is cancelled. We also say that someone’s face falls when they suddenly look very disappointed and unhappy: I told her Karl wasn’t coming and her face fell.
If you keep a straight face, you manage not to smile or laugh, usually when you are joking: I tried to pretend I was cross with her, but I couldn’t keep a straight face.
In UK English, we sometimes say that someone’s face was a picture, meaning that they looked very surprised, (either because of something good or something bad): Her face was a picture when she saw what he was wearing.
We make (and in UK English also pull) a face when we form a strange or funny expression with our face, often to show that we don’t like something: William looked at his plate and pulled a face.
Other ‘face’ idioms, as you might imagine, relate to how things appear to be on the surface. For example, we say that someone puts a brave face on it (or puts on a brave face) when they are determined not to appear upset, even though they feel it: She must have been disappointed by the news but I think she put a brave face on it.
We use the phrase on the face of it to say how a situation seems when we don’t know all the facts. On the face of it, it seems like a really good offer, but I think we need to look into it.
If you take someone/something at face value, you accept what they seem to be, without questioning them at all: I took her at face value – I saw no reason to doubt what she said.
We’ll continue the ‘face idioms’ theme in a couple of weeks. Be sure to check in with us regularly.