How to Run Ads on Instagram – Types | Working | Techniques H

 

If you want to get more from your Instagram marketing, it’s time to try Instagram ads. With 2 billion active users every month and the average person spending 53 minutes daily on the platform, Instagram offers a huge opportunity to reach more people. Instagram ads can help you grow your audience and expand your brand’s reach. If you're new to Instagram ads, this guide will show you how to run ads on Instagram.

Understanding Instagram Ads

Meta ads Instagram are a form of paid advertising that helps businesses promote their products, services, or overall brand presence. These ads are designed to blend seamlessly with regular posts, appearing in users’ main feeds, Stories, Reels, and the Explore page, making them feel like natural content.

 

When creating Instagram ads, businesses can choose from various formats, including Photo Ads, Video Ads, Carousel Ads, and collection ads, which group products together. Each format is designed to engage users in different ways and encourage interaction. Besides, Instagram offers detailed targeting options, allowing advertisers to reach specific audiences based on demographics, interests, behaviors, and custom lists. This targeted approach ensures that advertisements reach users who are most likely to have an interest in the brand’s products.

 

Investing in Instagram ads can significantly boost visibility, drive traffic to a business’s website or Instagram profile, and ultimately increase sales and brand recognition. Unlike regular posts, Instagram ads include links to your product, website, or direct messages (DMs), and are marked with Instagram-sponsored ads to indicate they are paid promotions.

Instagram Ad Types

Instagram offers innovative and effortless ways to convey your story and reach your audience. No matter the type of business, there’s an ad format that can help you achieve your marketing goals. In this section, we will explain the different types of Instagram Ads and discuss how to run ads on Instagram.

 

• Photo Ads: Share your story with beautiful, simple images. Photos can be landscape, square, or portrait.
• Video Ads: Like photo ads, but with the added impact of motion, sound, and visuals. Moreover, you can share your videos up to 60 seconds long.
• Carousel Ads: Give people more to explore by allowing them to swipe through additional photos or videos in a single ad.
• Stories Ads: These full-screen advertisements are displayed on Instagram Stories. They show an innovative and fascinating way to encourage action, backed by Facebook's powerful measurement tools.
• Ads in Explore: Reach people who are in a discovery mindset, looking for new accounts and content beyond what they already follow.

 

Each of these formats is designed to help you connect with your audience in different ways and make your Instagram marketing more effective.

Instagram Advertising Costs

The cost of Instagram ads depends on several factors, like how much you're willing to bid, the type of ad, and competition in your industry. According to a survey of 270 marketers, here’s what they found:

 

• Cost Per Click (CPC): $0 – $0.25
• Price/Cost Per Engagement (CPE): $0.03 – $0.08
• Cost per Mile (CPM): $0 – $4.00

 

For more up-to-date pricing, you can check platforms like Revealbot, though they mainly report on U.S. campaigns.

 

When setting your Instagram ad budget, aim for an amount that’s large enough to get meaningful results, but not so big that it feels risky. The goal is to find a balance where you can track performance without overcommitting.

How to Create Instagram Ads?

Before advertise on Instagram, ensure you have a few things set up. Follow the below checklist to help you get ready:

1. An Instagram Business Account

Instagram has two sorts of accounts which are personal and professional. If you want to run ads, you need a business account. While Creator accounts can run ads too, switching to a Business account gives you access to more features, like the "Contact Us" button.

 

Follow the below steps to switch to a Business account:

 

• First, open your Instagram profile and tap the three lines in the top right.
• After that, click Settings and Privacy, then go to Account Type and Tools under "For professionals."
• Next, tap Switch to Professional Account and follow the instructions to set up your Business account.

 

Note: You can also create a new professional account if you want to keep personal and business Instagram accounts separate.

2. A Facebook Page

To run ads on Instagram, you’ll need to link your Instagram account to a Facebook page. You can either:

 

• Boost existing posts directly from Instagram, or
• Create full ad campaigns using the Facebook Ads Manager.

 

To link your Instagram account to your Facebook page:

 

• Initially, log in to Facebook Ads Manager and go to Business Settings.
• Afterward, click Instagram Accounts under Accounts.
• Last, log in to your Instagram and connect your Business account.

 

Note: You can only link one Instagram account to each Facebook page.

3. A Payment Method

To run ads on Instagram, you’ll need to have a payment method set up in Facebook Ads Manager. You can add a credit card or bank details either when you run your first ad or by going to Billing and Payments in the Ads Manager beforehand.

 

Once you have these three things set up, you’re ready to check the below section that will discuss how Instagram ads work. 

 

Our Learners Also Read:- Best Social Media Marketing Strategy and Optimization For All Business

How to Run Ads on Instagram?

Instagram ads can appear in a few places, including the Instagram Feed and the Reels tab on profiles. Here's how you can set up ads for these placements:

 

Instagram Profile Feed Ads

 

• Ads may appear between regular posts when someone is scrolling through their Instagram Feed.
• Ads in the Instagram profile feed will only show on public profiles for users who are 18 or older.

 

Instagram Profile Reels Ads

 

• Ads may appear between Reels content when users are browsing through the Reels tab on a profile.
• Right now, you can't run ads only in the Profile Reels Feed. To show your ads in Reels, you need to also select Instagram Reels as an ad placement.

 

Steps to Run Ads on Instagram in Profile Feeds or Reels:

 

• First, go to Ads Manager and click Create.
• After that, choose your campaign objective (make sure it supports Instagram placements).
• Then, click the Continue button.
• Next, fill in your ad set details (Instagram audience targeting, budget, etc.).
• In the Placements section, select Manual Placements.
• Subsequently, choose either Instagram Profile Feed, Instagram Profile Reels, or both.

 

Note: Instagram Profile Reels are still being tested, so this option may not always be available.

 

• To run ads in the Profile Feed, you must also select Instagram Feed placement.
• To run ads in Profile Reels, you must also select Instagram Reels placement.
• You can also select other placements you want to include.
• Now, click Continue.
• Add the details for your ad’s format, identity, and links.
• In the end, preview your ad before submitting it for review.

 

Once your ad is approved, it will appear on the Instagram Profile Feed or Reels as you selected.

Concluding Words

Instagram ads help businesses reach a wide, engaged audience across the Feed, Profile Reels, and Stories. With Ads Manager, you can customize your campaigns based on your goals, audience, and budget. Instagram makes it easy to set up, preview, and target your ads for maximum impact. In addition, when you run ads on Instagram, it helps your business boost brand visibility and drive growth.

 

Frequently Asked Questions