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    3 Easy Ways to Create Instagram Ads

    by Kristi Hines / January 8, 2018

    social media how toWondering how to easily create Instagram ads?

    In this article, you'll discover three easy ways to create Instagram ads.

    #1: Promote an Instagram Post With the Instagram App

    If you have an Instagram business account, you can create promotions with the Instagram app to boost the visibility of a post on your profile.

    3 Easy Ways to Create Instagram Ads by Kristi Hines on Social Media Examiner.
    3 Easy Ways to Create Instagram Ads by Kristi Hines on Social Media Examiner.

    Choose a Post to Promote

    To get started, navigate to your profile and select the post you want to promote. Then tap the Promote button on the post page.

    Instagram ads create promotion with app

    Alternatively, you can go to your Instagram Insights, scroll to the Promotions data, and tap the Create Promotion link.

    Instagram ads create promotion with app

    Select the post you want to promote and then tap the arrow at the top right.

    Instagram ads create promotion with app

    Configure the Objective and Action Button

    Instagram lets you choose from several objectives for your promotion. You can direct your target audience to visit your website, view your profile, get directions to a specific address, or call the phone number listed on your business account.

    Instagram ads promotion objective

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    To direct your target audience to visit your website or view your Instagram profile, choose Get More Profile and Website Visits. On the following screen, tap on Destination to enter your website address or choose your profile.

    Instagram ads create promotion destination

    Enter the website URL you want your target audience to visit or choose your business profile.

    Instagram ads create promotion destination

    If you enter a website URL, you can choose from the following action buttons.

    Instagram ads promotion action button

    To direct your target audience to get directions to a specific address or call the phone number on your business account, choose Reach People Near an Address. On the following screen, tap Select Button Text for the action button.

    Instagram ads promotion action button

    Choose to give your target audience directions to a specific address or the option to call the number on your Instagram business account.

    Instagram ads promotion action button

    If you choose to offer directions, you'll need to add your location's address.

    Instagram ads promotion action button

    Define a Target Audience

    Once you've saved your objective and action button, tap on Automatic for Audience to create a target audience for your promotion.

    Instagram ads promotion define audience

    You can define your target audience by multiple locations, up to 10 interests, age, and gender.

    Instagram ads promotion define audience

    Set a Budget and Duration

    To set the budget and duration for your promotion, tap on either the default budget or duration.

    Instagram ads promotion set budget

    You can select a total budget for the entire Instagram promotion, as well as any duration that spends at least $1 of your budget per day.

    Instagram ads promotion set budget

    When you finish setting up your promotion and entering your payment information, you can tap the Preview tab to see your promotion as your target audience will. To submit it for review, tap the Create Promotion button at the bottom of your screen.

    Instagram ads promotion submit

    View Insights

    After your promotion has been approved, Insights will collect stats about your promotion within a few hours. To view them, select the post you promoted on your profile. When you tap View Insights, you can see the insights for your promotion.

    Instagram ads promotion insights

    Demographics for your Instagram promotion's performance include gender, age, and location.

    Instagram ads promotion insights

    You can also tap the Original tab to see Insights for your post's performance without Instagram promotions or ads.

    Instagram post insights

    #2: Create Instagram Ads for the Facebook News Feed in Facebook Ads Manager

    Facebook has updated Ads Manager to include some of the best features of Power Editor so everyone can get the most out of their Facebook and Instagram ads. To create an Instagram ad in Ads Manager, use this link to choose or create ad accounts outside Business Manager, and this link to view or create ad accounts inside Business Manager.

    Create a New Ad Campaign

    Click the green Create Ad button at the top right of Ads Manager to create a new Instagram ad.

    Instagram ads create campaign

    If you previously started but didn't finish setting up a Facebook or Instagram ad, you'll be prompted to pick up where you left off. Choose Start Over to create a new Instagram ad from scratch.

    Instagram ads create campaign

    Choose an Objective

    The first step is to select the marketing objective for your Instagram ad campaign.

    Instagram ads choose objective

    You can use the following objectives for the placement of Instagram ads in the news feed:

    • Brand Awareness – Reach people more likely to pay attention to your ads and increase awareness of your brand.
    • Reach – Show your ad to the maximum number of people.
    • Traffic – Send more people to a destination on or off of Facebook such as a website, app, or Messenger conversation.
    • Engagement – Get more people to see and engage with your Facebook page, Facebook page posts, or events (not stories).
    • App Installs – Send people to the store where they can purchase your app.
    • Video Views – Promote videos that show behind-the-scenes footage, product launches, or customer stories to raise awareness about your brand.
    • Lead Generation – Collect lead information from people interested in your business.
    • Messages – Get more people to have conversations with your business in Messenger to complete purchases, answer questions, or offer support (not stories).
    • Conversions – Get people to take valuable actions on your website or app, such as adding payment info or making a purchase. Use the Facebook pixel or app events to track and measure conversions.

    Name Your Campaign

    After you choose your objective, you need to provide a name for your ad campaign. Choose a naming convention that will help you identify the ad in your ad insights for future reference.

    Instagram ads name campaign

    Create a Split Test (Optional)

    If you want to split test throughout your campaign, check the box for Create Split Test. You can set up a split test for different creatives, delivery optimization settings, target audiences, or placements. The ad sets will be identical except for the variable you want to test, and you'll get an email and notification with the results when the test is over.

    Once you've named your campaign and checked the split test box if applicable, click Continue.

    Choose Your Destination

    Depending on the objective you selected, choose the destination your target audience should reach when tapping on your Instagram ad.

    Instagram ads choose destination

    Create an Offer (Optional)

    Some objectives, like traffic to your website, allow you to create an offer. To do this, toggle the switch in the Offer box to on, select your Facebook page, and click Create Offer.

    Instagram ads create offer

    On the following screen, configure your offer and click Create to finish.

    Instagram ads create offer

    Select a Variable for Split Testing

    If you checked the box to create a split test, you'll need to choose the testing variable.

    Instagram ads split test variable

    Select Creative to test up to five different ad creatives, which appear in the Ads Manager left sidebar menu.

    Instagram ads split test variable creative

    Choose Delivery Optimization to test up to five different ad sets with different delivery optimization options.

    Instagram ads split test variable delivery optimization

    Choose Audience to test up to five different ad sets with different target audiences.

    Instagram ads split test variable audience

    Click the Edit button under each ad set to see the full Audience targeting options, including the ability to select from your custom audiences.

    Choose Placement to test up to five different ad sets with different placements. For Instagram ads, you can see how an ad in the news feed performs compared to an ad in Stories. You can also split test Instagram ads in the news feed by device (iPhone vs. iPad) or operating system (iOS vs. Android).

    Instagram ads split test variable placement

    Define Your Target Audience

    In the Audience section, define the target audience for your Instagram ad.

    Instagram ads targeting

    From this screen, click Use a Saved Audience to select a saved audience from previous ad campaigns. If you don't have any saved audiences, you can use the options under Create New to define your target audience.

    If you've created custom audiences from a customer file (database or email list), website traffic using the Facebook pixel, app activity, offline activity, or engagement with your Facebook page or Instagram profile, you can select custom audiences to include or exclude in your target audience.

    Click the Create New drop-down menu in the Custom Audience section to create a new custom audience or lookalike audience on the spot from your customer audiences. Note that Facebook Ads Manager may take a while to process some custom audience options (like the customer file) so you want to do this in advance if you plan to launch your Instagram ad campaign immediately.

    Instagram ads targeting create new audience

    After you've selected, created, or skipped custom or lookalike audiences, you can further define your target audience by general demographics. Use the drop-down menu next to Locations and select an option to refine your location targeting. Your options are choose everyone, people who live in, people who have recently been to, or people traveling in a specific location.

    Instagram ads targeting location

    If you want to choose major cities across the globe, click on Worldwide. To choose cities within a specific country, click on that country and select Only Include Cities from the drop-down arrow that appears.

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    Instagram ads targeting location

    You can then click on the number of cities and filter them by population size, allowing you to target either smaller cities or larger metropolises.

    Instagram ads targeting location

    Under Detailed Targeting, define your target audience by additional demographics, interests, behaviors, and Facebook-specific activities.

    Instagram ads detailed targeting

    In Connections, define your target audience based on whether they've engaged with your Facebook pages, apps, or events.

    Instagram ads connections

    Once you've finished defining your audience, click the Save Audience button at the bottom to save your target audience for future use in ad campaigns.

    Instagram ads save audience

    Select Placements

    For Instagram ads in the news feed, switch from Automatic to Edit Placements to select Instagram ads in the feed.

    Instagram ads placement

    Set Up Delivery Optimization

    The Delivery Optimization section allows you to configure ad delivery details relevant to the marketing objective you chose for your Instagram ad campaign, starting with Optimization for Ad Delivery. This lets you tell Facebook the results you want.

    Instagram ads delivery optimization

    If you see the Conversions option for your Optimization for Ad Delivery, you get to choose a conversion window from the time someone views or clicks on your ad until the time they complete your chosen conversion goal, such as making a purchase or signing up for your email list.

    Instagram ads delivery optimization conversions

    Bid Amount allows you to tell Facebook how much you're willing to pay to get the results you want from your ad (the number of link clicks, landing page views, impressions, or reach). You can choose to let Facebook set the bid amount, giving you a better chance to beat the competition, or set a specific amount so you don't spend more than a certain amount per result.

    Instagram ads delivery optimization link clicks

    When You Get Charged allows you to select whether you will be charged per impression (each time your ad appears in your target audience's news feed) or per click (each time your ad is clicked).

    With Ad Scheduling, you can choose when an ad is shown to your target audience based on their time zone or the time zone selected in your ad account.

    Instagram ads scheduling

    If your ad campaign is time-sensitive and you've chosen a manual bid amount, you can change the Delivery Type option for your ad campaign from standard to accelerated, with the noted caveats below.

    Instagram ads delivery type

    Set a Budget and Schedule

    Next, set your total ad campaign budget and the date range you want your ads to run. If you're running split tests, you can also check the box to end the test early if a winning ad set surfaces among your creative, delivery optimization, audience, or placement variables.

    Instagram ads budget schedule

    Select an Ad Identity

    To start on your ad creative, name your ad and choose the associated Facebook page and Instagram account you want linked to your ad. If you haven't associated an Instagram account with your Facebook page, click the Add an Account button.

    Instagram ads identity

    This option lets you log into an existing Instagram account or create a new Instagram account to link to your Facebook page. Note that you're only required to have a Facebook page to create an Instagram ad, but if you're going to advertise on Instagram, it makes sense to have an Instagram profile for ad visitors to follow as well.

    Instagram ads connect account

    Choose an Ad Format

    Depending on the marketing objective you selected for your Instagram ad campaign, you can choose from the following ad formats for your Instagram ad in the news feed: Carousel, Single Image, Single Video, Slideshow, or Collection.

    Instagram ads format

    For most ad formats, you can select Add a Full-Screen Experience to turn your news feed ad into a more robust experience with Canvas.

    Instagram ads canvas builder

    If you choose a full-screen experience, you can use a pre-built template or click on the advanced Canvas builder to customize your own design.

    Instagram ads canvas builder

    If you don't choose the full-screen experience, you'll be prompted to add images or video based on the ad format you select. You'll get the recommended specs for images…

    Instagram ads choose images

    …as well as the recommended specs for videos.

    Instagram ads choose video

    Based on your chosen marketing objective for your campaign and ad format, configure the destination, call to action, and text for your ad.

    Instagram ads destination cta text

    Click Advanced Options to configure optional items for your ad including a display link, URL parameters for tracking purposes, Branded Content partners, offline tracking, and conversion tracking.

    Instagram ads advanced options

    Confirm Your Ad

    Once you've completed setting up your campaign and ad creatives, click the green Confirm button to submit your ad for review. If you've configured everything correctly, you should see the following.

    Instagram ads confirm

    #3: Create Instagram Stories Ads in Facebook Ads Manager

    The steps for creating an ad for Instagram Stories in Facebook Ads Manager are similar to those above, with the following exceptions.

    Choose an Objective

    You can choose from the following objectives for the placement of Instagram ads in Stories:

    • Brand Awareness – Reach people more likely to pay attention to your ads and increase awareness of your brand.
    • Reach – Show your ad to the maximum number of people.
    • Traffic – Send more people to a destination on or off of Facebook such as a website, app, or Messenger conversation.
    • App Installs – Send people to the store where they can purchase your app.
    • Video Views – Promote videos that show behind-the-scenes footage, product launches, or customer stories to raise awareness about your brand.
    • Lead Generation – Collect lead information from people interested in your business.
    • Conversions – Get people to take valuable actions on your website or app, such as adding payment info or making a purchase. Use the Facebook pixel or app events to track and measure conversions.

    Select Placements

    For Instagram ads in Stories, you want to switch from Automatic to Edit Placements to select Instagram ads in the feed.

    Instagram Stories ads placement

    Choose an Ad Format

    Depending on the marketing objective you chose for your campaign, you may have the following ad formats available for your Stories ad.

    Instagram Stories ads format

    For either of these ad formats, you can also add a full-screen experience to turn your Stories ad into a more robust experience with Canvas.

    If you choose a full-screen experience, you can select a canvas you've already created or click the + button to launch the advanced Canvas builder to customize your own design.

    Instagram Stories ads canvas builder

    If you don't choose the full-screen experience, you're prompted to add images or video, based on the ad format you select. You'll get the recommended specs for images in Stories…

    Instagram Stories ads add images

    …as well as videos in Stories.

    Instagram Stories ads add video

    Based on your chosen marketing objective for your Instagram ad campaign and ad format, configure the destination and call to action. Because you're creating for Instagram Stories, make sure any text you want displayed is on the image or video itself.

    Instagram Stories ads destination cta

    Monitor Your Instagram Ad Campaign

    Once you've submitted your campaign for review, you can monitor its progress and results in the Ads Manager dashboard.

    Instagram ad campaign results

    Click on the campaign name to reveal the ad sets within your campaign. There may be two or more if you created a split test.

    Instagram ad campaign results

    Click on the ad set names to reveal the ads within the set. There may be two or more if you created multiple ads using different images or video.

    Instagram ad campaign results

    Hover over a campaign name, ad set name, or ad name to access links to view charts, edit, or duplicate for each respective property.

    Instagram ad campaign results

    Click View Charts to see the results of your ad campaign, ad set, or ad.

    Instagram ad campaign results view charts

    Click Edit to update the details of your ad campaign, ad set, or ad.

    Instagram ad campaign edit

    Click the clock icon to see any activity related to the ad campaign, ad set, or ad.

    Instagram ad campaign activity history

    Click Duplicate to create a new ad campaign, ad set within your ad campaign, or ad within your ad set based on the original.

    Instagram ad campaign duplicate
    Want more like this? Explore Instagram for Business!
    .
    Conclusion

    As you can see, the Instagram app and updated Ads Manager allow you to create Instagram ads for the news feed and Instagram Stories with precision so you can get the best results for your advertising budget.

    What do you think? Do you run Instagram promotions? Have you tried Instagram Stories ads? Let us know in the comments!

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    Tags: Instagram, Instagram Ads

    About the authorKristi Hines

    Kristi Hines is a freelance writer, ghostwriter, and copywriter who develops blog content, ebooks, emails, lead magnets, and website copy for marketing agencies, B2B, and SaaS.
    Other posts by Kristi Hines »

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