• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Social Media Examiner

Your Guide to the Social Media Jungle

  • šŸ”„ Free Newsletter
  • ⭐ FREE Web3 Course
  • šŸ’” Society
  • šŸ—“ļø Our Events
    • Social Media Marketing World 2024
    • Other Industry Events
  • āš™ļø Tools
  • šŸŽ™ļø Podcasts
    • Social Media Marketing Podcast
    • Social Media Marketing Talk Show
    • Web3 Business Podcast
    • Our YouTube Channel
  • šŸŽÆ Partner With Us
    • Podcast Sponsorship
    • Email Sponsorship
      • Email Newsletter
      • Dedicated Email Blast
    • Event Sponsorship
      • Social Media Marketing World
    • Tools Sponsorship
  • šŸ‘‹ About Us
    • Our Story
    • Articles
      • Web3
      • Instagram Marketing
      • Facebook Marketing
      • YouTube Marketing
      • LinkedIn Marketing
      • TikTok Marketing
      • Expert Interviews
  • Search
  • 3 Ways to Use Instagram Stories Ads for Business

    by Ana Gotter / May 2, 2017

    social media how toDo you advertise on Instagram?

    Wondering how Instagram Stories ads can help your business?

    Instagram now lets businesses of all sizes deliver seamlessly integrated full-screen Stories ads to a highly targeted audience.

    In this article, you'll discover three ways to use Instagram Stories ads.

    3 Ways to Use Instagram Stories Ads for Business by Ana Gotter on Social Media Examiner.
    3 Ways to Use Instagram Stories Ads for Business by Ana Gotter on Social Media Examiner.

    AboutĀ Instagram Stories Ads

    Instagram stories appear above users' Instagram feeds and are available for viewing for 24 hours. Stories play continuously, advancing from one user's story to the next. Instagram Stories ads appear between stories from two different users whom you follow. They're for mobile placement only; they don't show up on desktop.

    Viewers can identify Instagram story ads with the tiny
    Viewers can identify Instagram story ads with the tiny “Sponsored” label below the company's name.

    These ads are seamlessly integrated into the platform, which is a great advantage for businesses. The ads are labeled “Sponsored,” but the text is so small that many users are likely not to even notice.

    The biggest disadvantage is that the ads are truly disappearing. Unlike other ads (and stories), viewers can't go back to watch them again. You have to make sure your content is engaging and interesting enough that it sticks with your audience long enough to make an impact.

    Although you create Instagram Stories ads using Facebook's exceptional ad system (including their phenomenal targeting), they'reĀ unlike any other type of ad format, so you need to approach themĀ in a different way.

    Some particularly important best practices for Instagram StoriesĀ ads include:

    Use clear, large branding. Because users can't check your ad later on, you need to get your point across quickly and let peopleĀ know where to find you afterward. To help your business's name stand out, use clear text that contrasts with the image or video. This will help users know whom to look up later.

    Using clear branding in your Instagram story ads will help users know how to find you after the ad has disappeared.
    Using clear branding in your Instagram StoriesĀ ads will help users know how to find you after the ad has disappeared.

    Keep the concept simple. Again, users can't rewind or watch Instagram StoriesĀ ads again, so keep the concept of your ad simple so they can follow the idea easily.

    Take advantage of the full screen. Unlike any other ad formats, your story ad will fill up the entire screen on the viewer's phone. To make the most of this, use full-length vertical images that could otherwise be cropped in regular posts. You can use the extra room to provide brand information and calls to action (CTAs).

    What types of content will perform best with Instagram Stories ads and what's the most effective way to use them? Here are three use cases that work well with this ad format.

    3 Days of World-Class Training—Zero Travel!

    Social Media Marketing World

    Travel to Social Media Marketing World off the table? Get all of the great content at a fraction of the price with an On-Demand ticket.

    That’s full access to recordings of every keynote, workshop, and session—the ones people travel thousands of miles to see. Don't wait. Get your On-Demand ticket and enjoy actionable content that you can watch anytime, anywhere.

    GET YOUR ON-DEMAND TICKET NOW

    #1: Drive Brand and Product Awareness

    Driving brand and product awareness is a great use for Instagram StoriesĀ ads, which makes sense considering Reach is the objective you use when creating your campaign. Choose an image or a quick video to capture users' attention. Also display your brand's name prominently enough to pique their interest so they go looking for your business after viewing the ad.

    Target used the Instagram StoriesĀ ad below to display the image of a board game, its name, and the price. The ad is quick and to the point, and the image is attention-grabbing enough to create product awareness and get users to look up the item after the ad disappears.

    Target used contrasting colors to highlight the product's name and price in this Instagram story ad.
    Target used contrasting colors to highlight the product's name and price in this Instagram Stories ad.

    #2: Call for UGC

    User-generated content (UGC) is the most influential form of media for marketing because businesses don't create it, users do. While you can't create it, you can encourage your audienceĀ to get creative.

    Tools Resource Guide

    Looking for something to make your life easier?

    Discover the tools we recommend to drive engagement, save you time, and boost sales across your entire marketing funnel or business.

    Whether you need help planning content, organizing social posts, or developing your strategy, you’ll find something for every situation.

    FIND YOUR NEXT FAVORITE TOOL
    A CTA for the creation of UGC is a great way to use Instagram story ads. It's quick and to the point, and calls for a specific action that users can remember after the ad disappears.
    A CTA for the creation of UGC is a great way to use Instagram Stories ads. It's quick and to the point, and calls for a specific action that users can remember after the ad disappears.

    You can use Instagram Stories ads as a call for users to create UGC. Because most users like to be prompted about what types of content you're looking for, this is a great opportunity to get a ton of engagement and UGC created just for your business.

    #3: Announce Discount Sales

    Everyone loves a sale, and using an Instagram Stories ad to announce a discount or sale is a surefire way to grab users' attention quickly.

    Express used this story ad to announce a 40% off (almost) everything sale, and they put the sale exceptions in small text underneath the larger announcement text to cover their bases.

    Nothing grabs attention quite like sales or discounts, and announcing them with an Instagram story ad can provide motivation for users to head to your site and convert.
    Nothing grabs attention quite like sales or discounts, and announcing them with an Instagram Stories ad can provide motivation for users to head to your site and convert.

    Create Your Own Instagram Stories Ads

    You create Instagram StoriesĀ ads with Facebook's ad system, either through Power Editor or Ads Manager. You need to choose Reach as your objective, which is currently the only objective enabled for Instagram Stories ads.

    Reach is the only campaign objective you can currently use for Instagram story ads.
    Reach is the only campaign objective you can currently use for Instagram Stories ads.

    After you choose your page and audience, set the placement. Select the Edit Placements option, and then click on the down arrow next to Instagram and select Stories.

    When you choose Instagram Stories as the placement for your ad, it will automatically run only on this placement.
    When you choose Instagram Stories as the placement for your ad, it will automatically run only on this placement.

    Under the creatives, choose either a single image or a single video; you can't use any other type of visual format for these ads. The recommended image size is 1080 x 1920 pixels, or an image ratio of smaller than or equal to 9:16.

    You can choose Single Image or Single Video ad formats for Instagram story ads.
    You can choose Single Image or Single Video ad formats for Instagram Stories ads.

    Unlike other ad types, you won't be adding a link to your site or CTA buttons. Include anything you want users to know as image text overlay.

    Want more like this? Explore Instagram for Business!
    .
    Final Thoughts

    Instagram Stories ads are a new ad format that most businesses haven't had access to on any platform. While Snapchat does offer somewhat similar ads, they're too expensive for the majority of small- and medium-sized businesses.

    Now you have (or will soon have) the ability to run quick, seamlessly integrated video and image ads between other users' stories on a platform known for its high engagement and incredible ad targeting potential. These ads are accessible to businesses of all sizes and can help improve the results of your Instagram marketing efforts.

    What do you think? How will you use Instagram StoriesĀ ads for your business? Which use cases do you think will be most effective? Share your thoughts, knowledge, and experience in the comments below!

    3 Ways to Use Instagram Stories Ads for Business by Ana Gotter on Social Media Examiner.
    3 Ways to Use Instagram Stories Ads for Business by Ana Gotter on Social Media Examiner.

    Get Your FREE Course: Web3 for Beginners

    Web 3 for Beginners

    Curious about Web3, but don't know where to start or who to trust?

    Introducing Web3 for Beginners, a course taught by Michael Stelzner, the founder of Social Media Examiner.

    Learn the basics of Web3 and apply it to your business with this FREE comprehensive course.


    CLICK HERE TO GET FREE ACCESS

    Tags: Instagram, Instagram Stories

    About the authorAna Gotter

    Ana Gotter is a freelance writer specializing in social media and content marketing, though she writes on a variety of other niches and subjects. She can be contacted at anagotter.com.
    Other posts by Ana Gotter Ā»

    Get Social Media Examiner’s Future Articles in Your Inbox!

    Get our latest articles delivered to your email inbox and get the FREE Social Media Marketing Industry Report (39 pages, 50+ charts)!

    Industry Report Cover

    Worth Exploring:

    Facebook

    Marketing Help Explore More →

    Instagram

    Marketing Help Explore More →

    YouTube

    Marketing Help Explore More →

    Linkedin

    Marketing Help Explore More →

    Web3

    Marketing Help Explore More →

    Social Media Marketing Industry Report

    Get Free Report →

    Social Marketing Trends

    The data you've been missing!

    Need a new plan? Discover how marketers plan to change their social activities in the 14th annual Social Media Marketing Industry Report. It reveals what marketers have planned for their social activities, content marketing, and more! Get this free report now and never miss another great article from us. Join more than 400,000 marketers!

    Enter your email to get
    our free report:


    Footer

    Your Guide to the Social Media Jungle
    Copyright © 2023 Social Media ExaminerĀ®
    All Rights Reserved. Terms of Use | Privacy Policy.

    Helpful Links

    • About us
    • Our content via email
    • Our podcasts
    • Our YouTube channel
    • Our live show
    • Our industry report
    • Sponsorship opportunities
    • RSS
    • Accessibility