In this article
Key takeaways
- The median length of Gulf ad copy is 60 words: half the ads are shorter, half are longer.
- Saudi Arabia is the shortest (45 words) and Oman the longest (82); the gap between niches is bigger than the gap between countries.
- Emojis appear in 77% of the ads: the rule, not the exception, and least common in Saudi Arabia (70%).
- The platform cuts the copy after two or three lines: the product and the offer must show before "more", however long the rest is.
How many words do Gulf sellers write?
The median length of 160,000 recent Arabic ads is 60 words. That is not a rule set by Meta, but what the market actually writes: an ad the length of a short paragraph, neither one line nor an article. The overall number hides clear differences between countries:
| Country | Median words | Ads with emojis |
|---|---|---|
| Saudi Arabia | 45 | 70% |
| Kuwait | 59 | 80% |
| Bahrain | 64 | 82% |
| Qatar | 66 | 80% |
| UAE | 68 | 79% |
| Oman | 82 | 82% |
The Saudi ad is the shortest of the six countries and the Omani one the longest. Oman also has the highest share of discounts and cash on delivery (Ad offers in numbers): longer copy usually means more offers to explain, not more words about the product.
Length by niche and store platform
The gap between niches is much bigger than the gap between countries:
| Niche | Median words | Ads with emojis |
|---|---|---|
| Abayas | 35 | 75% |
| Perfumes and incense | 70 | 78% |
| Food, coffee and dates | 84 | 80% |
| Home and furniture | 87 | 87% |
| Skincare | 89 | 89% |
| Health and supplements | 94 | 89% |
| Kids and toys | 108 | 88% |
| Fashion and shoes | 122 | 92% |
| Hair care | 138 | 90% |
| Watches and accessories | 138 | 91% |
| Electronics | 133 | 93% |
| Makeup | 163 | 95% |
An abaya or a perfume sells on the picture and a scent described in two sentences, so their copy is the shortest. Makeup, electronics, hair care and accessories run much longer: the buyer asks about specs, results and warranty, and the ad answers before they ask, stacking offers on top (a gift, a bundle, cash on delivery).
The store platform changes the length too: ads for Salla stores (24 words) and Zid stores (25) are the shortest, Shopify sits at 39, and WhatsApp ads with no store at 56. When a store page explains the product, the ad only carries the hook and the offer; when the ad ends in a chat, the copy carries every detail. Read Salla and Zid store ads.
Emojis: the rule, not the exception
77% of the ads carry at least one emoji. The share ranges from 70% in Saudi Arabia to 82% in Bahrain, reaches 95% in makeup, and drops in ads for Salla stores (58%) and Zid stores (52%), which lean toward short, calm copy.
How do sellers whose ads have run for weeks use them? Not as decoration, but as punctuation:
- Bullets at the start of a line: a tick or a star before every feature, so long copy reads like a list.
- Offer markers: a gift emoji before the gift, a truck before delivery, a flame before the discount.
- A divider before the call to action: an arrow pointing to "order now".
What does not help: a whole line of emojis, or one between every two words. It makes reading harder and does not increase reach in a paid ad (Arabic ad copy).
The first line matters more than the length
Facebook and Instagram cut the copy after two or three lines and add "more". Most viewers do not tap it, so for most of them the ad is only what comes before "more". The right question is not "how many words?" but "what shows before the cut?".
- What must show before "more": the product, the offer or the benefit, and a hint of payment or delivery if it is an advantage.
- What can come after: specs, sizes, reviews, offer terms, common questions.
- Do not open with a greeting or the store name: "Welcome to our store…" wastes the most expensive line.
Test it on your competitors: in GccFY, sort the ads by longest running and read only the first two lines of each. You will notice that what lasted says what it sells before the cut (Ad running time).
The structure of copy that sells, short or long
Short and long copy follow the same structure; the difference is how many lines come after the cut:
- The hook (line one): the problem, the offer or the result.
- The offer, clearly (line two): the price, the discount or the gift, with the deadline if it is real.
- Trust: cash on delivery, exchanges, a warranty or reviews.
- The details (long copy only): specs, sizes and ingredients as bullets.
- The call to action: one clear verb that matches the ad's button: "order now" or "message us on WhatsApp".
When to go long? When the product is technical or its result needs explaining (makeup, electronics, supplements), or when the ad ends in a WhatsApp chat rather than a store page. When to stay short? When the product sells on the picture (abayas, perfumes) or the store page explains the rest. Makeup ads are an example of long copy that works.
Templates in three lengths
Our own wording in Arabic, with an English gloss; adapt it to your real product and offer:
| Angle | Copy (ours) |
|---|---|
| Short (the picture sells) | «عباية [القصة] بقماش [النوع] ما يشفّ. [السعر] ريال والتوصيل خلال [المدة]. اطلبيها الحين.» (Cut and fabric that is not see-through; price; delivery time; order now.) |
| Medium (a clear offer) | «[المنتج] يدوم من الصبح لآخر الليل. بـ[السعر] بدل [السعر] لين [اليوم]، والهدية [الهدية] مع كل طلب. الدفع عند الاستلام والتوصيل مجاني. اطلب الآن.» (Lasts all day; price before and after with a deadline; a gift with every order; cash on delivery, free delivery.) |
| Long (a product that needs explaining) | «[المشكلة]؟ [المنتج] يعطيك [النتيجة] خلال [المدة]. ✔ [الميزة الأولى] ✔ [الميزة الثانية] ✔ ضمان [المدة] واستبدال فوري. العرض: [العرض]. اطلبه الحين والدفع عند الاستلام.» (Problem question; result and timeframe; ticked features; warranty and exchange; the offer; cash on delivery.) |
| «[المنتج] بـ[السعر] ريال. المقاسات والألوان كلها في المحادثة: راسلنا على واتساب ونرد عليك خلال دقائق.» (Product and price; sizes and colours in the chat; message us on WhatsApp, we reply within minutes.) |
The rule at every length: the product and the offer before "more". More opening lines and templates by category in Arabic ad copy.
