Facebook ad creative that works
Hooks, offers and formats that stop the scroll in Malta.
Facebook & Instagram ads · Language
Facebook ads in Maltese or English?
How to choose, and how to test.
Most Malta businesses write every ad in English out of habit. Sometimes that is right. Sometimes a short line in Maltese gets far more attention. Malta Digital writes and tests ads in both, in Meta ads management from €1,249 a month plus ad spend.
No Maltese filterin Meta’s audience languages, checked 9 Nov 2026
Short answer
Write in the language your buyer uses at home. For local, family and Gozo offers, test Maltese. For foreign residents, tourists and most Sliema or St Julian’s audiences, use English. Meta has no Maltese language filter, so test two ads to the same audience. Malta Digital plans this in Meta ads management in Malta.
Key takeaways
- Should Facebook ads in Malta be in Maltese or English? It depends on the buyer. Maltese often fits local and family offers. English fits foreign residents, tourists and harbour towns. Test both for your offer.
- Can I target Maltese speakers on Facebook? No. Maltese was not on Meta’s list of audience languages when we checked on 9 November 2026. Target Malta, leave language empty and test two ads.
- Do Maltese-language ads cost less? There is no fixed rule. An ad that feels made for the reader often gets more attention, which can lower cost per result. Only a test shows it for your offer.
The basics
Why the language of an ad matters in Malta.
An ad has about a second to feel like it was made for you. Language is one of the fastest signals. A line in the words you use at home can feel close and local. The same line in formal English can feel like a big brand, or like a tourist ad.
Malta is unusual. Almost everyone reads English, so an English ad is rarely misunderstood. That makes it easy to forget that being understood is not the same as being noticed.
This guide helps you decide which language to use for your Meta ads in Malta, and how to prove it with a fair test instead of a guess.
The data
What the official numbers say.
NSO’s Census 2021 report says Maltese is still the main language across all age groups of Maltese nationals. But nearly a quarter of children under 10, and 14.7% of those aged 10 to 19, consider English their first language from early childhood (NSO Malta: Census 2021 Final Report, volume 3 (main language spoken), opened 9 Nov 2026).
It also varies by place. The highest rates of Maltese nationals speaking English from early childhood were in Swieqi (37.7%), Sliema and St Julian’s (just over a quarter) and Mdina (24.1%).
Then there are the people who are not Maltese. On Census Day, 115,449 non-Maltese people lived in Malta, more than one in five residents (NSO Malta: Census 2021 Final Report, volume 1 (population and migration), opened 9 Nov 2026). Many of them will not read an ad in Maltese.
What this means for ads: a Maltese-language ad speaks to the biggest group of local adults, but not to everyone. Younger buyers, some harbour towns and foreign residents lean English.
Meta settings
What Meta lets you do, and what it does not.
Meta’s audience language setting lists the languages you can choose. Maltese is not on that list when we checked on 9 Nov 2026. English (All), English (UK), Italian and many others are (Meta Business Help: About audience language settings).
Meta also says language targeting is optional. It is meant for reaching people who understand a language that is not widely spoken where you advertise. Meta already guesses language from signals like location, posts and device settings.
So you cannot target “Maltese speakers” directly. And if you set the language to English to be safe, you may cut out people who use Facebook in another language. For most Malta ads, leave the language box empty.
Meta does offer one ad in many languages, called dynamic language optimisation. You write a default version and add up to 48 more languages, and Meta shows each person the version that fits them (Meta Business Help: Create an ad using dynamic language optimisation, opened 9 Nov 2026). It does not work with every format or destination, and you can only pick languages Meta offers. For Maltese, a simple test of two ads is the reliable route.
| Option | What it does | Use it when |
|---|---|---|
| Leave language empty | Meta shows the ad to people it thinks will understand it | Most Malta ads, in English or Maltese |
| Choose a language (e.g. Italian) | Only people who use that language see the ad | The ad is written for one community, such as Italian speakers in Malta |
| Dynamic language optimisation | One ad, several language versions, Meta picks per person | Tourist or expat audiences across languages Meta supports |
| Two ads, same audience | A Maltese ad and an English ad compete fairly | You want to know if Maltese beats English for your offer |
Free tool
Free tool: which language should you test first?
Answer four quick questions. The picker suggests which language to lead with and what to test against it. It uses the census patterns above, not invented scores. Nothing leaves this page.
Ad language picker
Based on NSO Census 2021 language patterns and Meta’s language settings, read 9 November 2026.
Your language plan
This picker needs JavaScript.
How long your language test needs
Uses your own numbers. Our working rule: about 30 results per version before you call a winner.
Your test length
This tool needs JavaScript. The maths: days = 30 × 2 × cost per result ÷ daily budget.
When to use each
When Maltese wins, and when English wins.
Maltese tends to fit offers that feel local and personal: a village restaurant, a family clinic, home services, festa specials, a Gozo shop. A short Maltese hook can stop the scroll because it sounds like a neighbour, not an advert.
English fits when the buyer is a foreign resident or a tourist, when the product is technical, and in harbour towns where many locals grew up speaking English. It also fits most B2B offers.
Many of the best ads mix the two, the way people talk. A Maltese hook with an English price line. Or an English ad with one Maltese word that feels local. Keep it natural. Forced Maltese reads worse than plain English.
| Business | Lead with | Test against |
|---|---|---|
| Village restaurant, takeaway | Maltese hook | English version |
| Home services, trades | Maltese or mixed | English version |
| Clinic or aesthetics | English | Maltese hook for over-35s |
| Rentals, expat services, gyms in Sliema | English | Usually no Maltese test needed |
| Tourism and Gozo stays for visitors | English or the visitor’s language | Language versions by market |
Not sure which language your customers answer?
Apply now. We will suggest the first test and write both versions.
Proof
Proof: copy that fits the buyer sells.
Language is one part of copy that fits the buyer. In a store we ran ads for, Meta tracked $150,527.84 in purchases from $28,130.74 of spend between 1 May and 25 July 2025, a 5.35 ROAS. The work behind it was steady testing of hooks, offers and words.
Want ads written for the people who actually buy? Apply now for bilingual Meta ads
Testing
How to test Maltese against English.
Keep everything the same except the language: same image, same offer, same audience, same budget. Then the only thing that can explain a difference is the words.
The cleanest way is an A/B test in Ads Manager, so nobody sees both versions. Our Facebook ads A/B testing guide walks through it. Run it for at least a week, and judge on cost per lead or sale, not likes.
Translate the meaning, not the words. Ask a native speaker to write the Maltese version from scratch with the same idea. Then make sure the form or page after the click works in the same language, or at least does not feel like a jump.
Our method
How we write bilingual ads.
We start with your customers, not with the language. Who buys, how old they are, where they live and how they talk to you on the phone. That usually tells us which language to lead with.
Then we write both versions by hand, test them against each other and keep the winner. We repeat this when the offer or season changes, because the answer can change too.
You approve every ad before it runs. The ad account stays in your name, and the monthly report shows which language won and what it cost. See how we do it on Meta ads management in Malta, or read our guide to Facebook ad creative.
Mistakes
Language mistakes we fix most often.
Setting the language to English. It can quietly cut out people who use Facebook in another language. Leave the box empty unless the ad is for one community.
Machine-translated Maltese. It reads wrong and people notice. Have a native speaker write it.
A Maltese ad that lands on an English-only form. Keep the next step familiar, or say clearly what comes next.
Maltese ads for tourists. Visitors will scroll past. Use English or their own language.
Deciding by opinion. The owner likes one version, the designer likes the other. Let a fair test decide.
A few straight answers
What you might be wondering.
Should Facebook ads in Malta be in Maltese or English?
It depends on the buyer. Maltese often fits local and family offers. English fits foreign residents, tourists and harbour towns. Test both for your offer.
Can I target Maltese speakers on Facebook?
No. Maltese was not on Meta’s list of audience languages when we checked on 9 November 2026. Target Malta, leave language empty and test two ads.
Do Maltese-language ads cost less?
There is no fixed rule. An ad that feels made for the reader often gets more attention, which can lower cost per result. Only a test shows it for your offer.
How many people in Malta are not Maltese?
On Census Day 2021, 115,449 non-Maltese people lived in Malta, more than one in five residents, according to NSO.
Can one Facebook ad show in several languages?
Yes, with dynamic language optimisation you can add up to 48 extra languages. It does not work with every format, and you can only pick languages Meta supports.
Should I mix Maltese and English in one ad?
Often, yes, if it sounds natural. A Maltese hook with an English price line is common. Forced Maltese reads worse than plain English.
Does Malta Digital write Facebook ads in Maltese?
Yes. We write and test ads in English and Maltese as part of Meta ads management, from €1,249 a month plus ad spend.
Sources
Where these facts come from.
- Meta Business Help: About audience language settings, opened 9 Nov 2026 (Maltese not in the list)
- Meta Business Help: Create an ad using dynamic language optimisation, opened 9 Nov 2026
- NSO Malta: Census 2021 Final Report, volume 3 (main language spoken), opened 9 Nov 2026
- NSO Malta: Census 2021 Final Report, volume 1 (population and migration), opened 9 Nov 2026
- Eurostat tps00001 (population on 1 January 2026), via the Eurostat API, opened 9 Nov 2026
Keep reading
Related guides.
Facebook ads A/B testing
One variable, 7 to 30 days, a free planner and result reader.
Facebook ads targeting in Malta
Which settings are hard limits and which are only suggestions.
A useful first step
Want ads that speak your customers’ language?
We write ads in English and Maltese, test them properly and keep the winner. Meta ads management from €1,249 a month plus ad spend, with the ad account in your name.
Step 1 of 2
Apply now for bilingual Meta ads
A few quick questions, about a minute. We usually reply within 2–3 hours.