Sarah, a young life coach from Austin, is staring at her screen, frustrated. She’s been designing punchy, creative stories for Snapchat — full of energy, bright visuals, and perfect timing. Her audience loves them, but she’s not getting leads. Her Facebook Ads? Running. Engagement? Meh. Conversions? Even worse.
One afternoon, while scrolling through a Facebook group for digital marketers, she stumbles upon a phrase that changes everything:
“Use your Snapchat design energy as fuel for your Facebook retargeting fire.”
That’s when her journey began. And in this article, I’ll take you through her exact steps — with a twist: we’ll use Snapchat designs to make Facebook Ads retargeting smarter and more emotional.
Let’s dive in.
Why Snapchat Design Matters for Facebook Retargeting
Snapchat is fast, fun, emotional, and very you. But here’s the secret: the visual psychology that works on Snapchat can be transferred directly into your Facebook Ads funnel — especially when it comes to retargeting.
We’re not talking about copying filters. We’re talking about designing with intent. Let me break it down.
NLP Insight #1: Mirror Language = Mirror Conversion
On Snapchat, the tone is casual. Personal. Sometimes even chaotic. This natural tone is a goldmine for Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) techniques.
Take Sarah’s case. She noticed her Snapchat stories used phrases like:
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“Hey, you feel this too, right?”
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“Real talk.”
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“Lemme show you what worked for me.”
So she mirrored this language of familiarity into her Facebook retargeting ad copy. Instead of corporate tone, she used:
“You were just checking out my 1-on-1 program — I felt that too. Here’s what might help…”
Result? Click-through rate improved by 61%. People don’t like being sold to, but they love being understood.
Trick #1: Segment Based on Engagement Style, Not Just Clicks
Here’s a retargeting mistake most make: targeting people who just “visited” the page. But what if they weren’t engaged?
Use Snapchat swipe-up metrics to understand true intent. If someone watched your Snapchat story till the end and then swiped up — that’s gold. Retarget that behavior pattern on Facebook using Custom Audiences from IG or Facebook Video Views.
Sarah’s Hack: She created a lookalike audience based on Snapchat viewers who DMed her. Then, she retargeted them on Facebook using testimonial-driven carousels.
✨ Design Trick: Make Static Ads Look Like Stories
People on Facebook scroll past static ads — unless they feel like they’re missing out on something live.
Take a cue from Snapchat:
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Use vertical designs with movement-like effects.
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Add chat-style overlays (e.g., “LIVE NOW” or “TAP TO WATCH”).
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Emphasize real faces, unfiltered expressions.
Pro Tip: Use tools like Lottie animations to give still images micro-motion. Facebook allows GIF-like looping inside Carousel formats now — use that to mimic story motion.
NLP Insight #2: Create Anchors Through Repetition
On Snapchat, Sarah used a particular background color (lavender) and her signature emoji () in every story. These visuals created an unconscious anchor.
When people saw her Facebook Ads with those same visual cues — boom! Recognition.
It’s classic NLP. You create anchors through repetition — color, symbol, tone — then reuse them where you ask for action (like a retargeting ad).
Advanced Retargeting Funnel Inspired by Snapchat Flow
Let me share Sarah’s exact funnel, simplified:
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Snapchat Story → Personal story with CTA to swipe up.
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Swipe-Up Landing Page → Mini training video with pixel tracking.
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Facebook Retargeting Ad #1 → Testimonial carousel with NLP copy mirroring her Snapchat tone.
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Facebook Retargeting Ad #2 (3 days later) → Direct offer + anchor visuals.
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Facebook Messenger Bot → Triggers if the ad is clicked but cart is abandoned.
Each step feels like a continuation of a conversation, not a sales pitch. That’s key.
Hidden Trick: Retarget Based on Dwell Time Emotion
Using Facebook’s custom metrics and heatmaps, Sarah measured how long users stayed on the landing page after watching her Snapchat story.
Those who stayed 30+ seconds were added to a hot list. For this segment, she used highly emotional language and before/after stories (again, Snapchat-style).
NLP tip: Embed “you might be wondering…” language to simulate internal dialogue. Example:
“You might be wondering if this would work for you — that’s fair. I had the same thought before I saw this…”
This creates mental alignment and increases trust.
Final Thoughts: Snapchat is the Stage, Facebook is the Close
Think of Snapchat as the movie trailer — fun, emotional, colorful. But your Facebook Ads? That’s where the ticket is sold.
Design your creative flow like this:
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Repeat visuals, tone, and rhythm
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Apply NLP to deepen trust
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Use behavior-based segmentation (not just link clicks)
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Keep the language human, not scripted
And most importantly?
Don’t treat each platform like a silo. Let Snapchat’s raw energy fuel your Facebook retargeting intelligence.
Because the real secret is: the story doesn’t end on Snapchat — it just begins there.