How to write PPC report commentary clients actually read
Good PPC report commentary tells the client what changed, why it changed, what it means for their goal and what you’ll do next. Here is a simple structure, worked examples and a template you can copy.
Good PPC report commentary answers four questions for every number that matters: what happened, why it happened, what it means for the client’s goal, and what you will do next. Two or three sentences per point is usually enough. Clients rarely read the charts closely; they read the summary and the notes, and they judge your agency by them.
This guide covers the structure we recommend, before-and-after examples you can adapt, phrases to avoid, and a template for the summary at the top of the report.
Why clients skip the numbers
Most clients don’t open a report to study click-through rates. They open it to find out three things: are we on track, is anything wrong, and what is the agency doing about it. A table of metrics answers none of those on its own. The commentary is where you answer them.
That is also why commentary takes the most time to write. Pulling the numbers is mechanical. Deciding which three of forty numbers matter this week, and explaining them in plain words, is judgement.
The four-part note
Write every note in the same order. Clients learn where to look, and you stop staring at a blank box.
- What happened. The change, with the number and the comparison period. “Cost per lead rose from $48 to $61 week over week.”
- Why. The cause, as far as you know it. If you don’t know yet, say what you are checking.
- So what. What it means for the client’s goal, not for the account. Are they still on track for the month?
- Next. The action you are taking, or the decision you need from them, with a date.
Keep one idea per note. If a paragraph covers spend, creative and tracking at once, split it into three notes and lead with the one that matters most.
Examples: before and after
The figures below are made up to show the structure. Each “before” is the kind of line that appears in many reports; each “after” uses the four parts.
When cost per lead goes up
CPL increased this week due to increased competition.
Cost per lead rose from $48 to $61 week over week. Two competitors started bidding on your brand terms on Tuesday, which raised brand CPCs by about a third. You are still on pace for 180 leads this month against a target of 170. We are adjusting brand bids and will review the impact on Friday.
When spend is behind
Spend pacing is slightly under target.
Spend is at 41% of the monthly budget with 50% of the month gone. The new Performance Max campaign is still in its learning period and spending below its daily cap. If it hasn’t caught up by the 20th, we’ll move $1,500 to Search, where cost per lead is steadier. No action needed from you.
When something worked
The new creative performed well.
The testimonial video launched on Meta on the 3rd now drives 38% of leads at a cost per lead 22% below the account average. We’ll give it a larger share of the budget next week and brief two more videos in the same style. Could you send over two or three customers who might be willing to record one?
When the data looks wrong
Conversions were down this period.
Reported conversions dropped 60% on the 12th, but leads in your CRM didn’t. The site update that day removed the conversion tag from the thank-you page. We reinstalled it on the 14th; the two days in between are missing from Google Ads and are noted on the chart. Real lead volume was normal.
The last example matters most. A note that admits a gap protects your credibility. A report that silently shows a 60% drop gets you a worried phone call. If this happens often, our guide to why Google Ads, Meta and GA4 never match covers the usual causes.
How to write the summary at the top
The summary is the only part some clients read. Keep it to three lines: where they stand against the goal, the most important thing that happened, and the most important thing you are doing next.
Where you stand: [Goal metric] is [number], [on track / ahead / behind] against the [period] target of [target].
What mattered most: [One change, with its number and cause].
What we’re doing next: [One action, with a date]. [Any decision we need from you.]
Phrases to avoid in client reports
- “Performance was mixed.” Say which parts went up, which went down, and which matters.
- “Due to the algorithm.” It explains nothing. Name the change you saw, or say you are still investigating.
- Unexplained acronyms. Write “cost per lead” the first time, even if the client has seen CPL before.
- Passive voice for problems. “The tag was removed” hides who fixes it. “We reinstalled the tag on the 14th” doesn’t.
- A recommendation without a date. “We’ll monitor” is not a next step. “We’ll review on Friday” is.
A checklist before you send
- Does the summary say whether the client is on track for their goal?
- Does every note have a number, a cause, a meaning and a next step?
- Are comparison periods stated (week over week, month over month, year over year)?
- Is any missing or odd data called out, not smoothed over?
- Would the client understand it without opening the account?
- Is there anything you need from the client, and is it obvious?
Where AI helps, and where it shouldn’t decide
AI is good at the first draft: spotting which metrics moved most, describing the change in plain words, and checking that every note follows the same structure. It is bad at the context that makes commentary useful, such as last week’s budget conversation or the launch the client delayed. An AI-written report that goes out unread will eventually say something confidently wrong.
That is how BotLane’s Client reporting lane works. Lane pulls the numbers, reconciles them and drafts the commentary in your agency’s tone, flagging anything missing or odd. The account lead adds what only they know, then approves it. Nothing reaches the client until a person on your team says yes. For the wider process, see automated client reporting for agencies.
Common questions
How long should PPC report commentary be?
Long enough to cover the three to five changes that matter, at two or three sentences each, plus a three-line summary. If it runs past a page, you are probably describing metrics that didn’t change anything.
Should weekly and monthly reports have the same commentary?
No. Weekly notes are short and operational: what moved and what you did. Monthly commentary steps back to trends, results against goals and the plan for next month.
Should commentary include industry benchmarks?
Only when they help the client judge their own numbers, and only from a source you can name. A benchmark without a source invites the question “says who?”.
See Lane prepare the work
Lane prepares the reports, replies and reminders. Your team approves every one before it goes out.