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

Social Media Examiner

Your Guide to the Marketing Jungle

  • 🔥 Free Newsletter
  • 🎙️ Podcasts
    • Social Media Marketing Podcast
    • AI Explored Podcast
    • Social Media Marketing Talk Show
    • Our YouTube Channel
  • 🌟 AI Society
  • 🗓️ Marketing Conference
  • đź‘‹ About Us
    • Marketing Events
  • Search
  • Embrace AI & MarketingGet Ongoing Training & SupportBEGIN YOUR JOURNEY NOW

    How to Make Instagram Ads That Stand Out

    by Ana Gotter / March 22, 2016

    social media how toWant to advertise on Instagram?

    Ready to take your Instagram ads to the next level?

    Instagram has quietly rolled out some great features to help advertisers grab attention and drive traffic.

    In this article you'll discover four features you can use to create Instagram ads that stand out.

    instagram ads features
    Discover four features you can use to make your Instagram ads stand out.

    Listen to this article:

    Where to subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTube Music | YouTube | Amazon Music | RSS

    #1: Drive Traffic to Your Website

    Until recently, Instagram ads only supported the objectives of mobile app installs, video views, and reach/engagement. Now you can choose from two additional ad objectives: Clicks to Website and Website Conversions.

    This is the first time businesses have been able to send users to their site from individual posts, rather than just through their sole profile link. This could be a game-changer in making Instagram a stronger sales tool.

    instagram ad example
    New Instagram ad objectives allow you to send users from Instagram to your website.

    You can use both of these objectives in photo, video, and carousel ads, so you'll be able to use every type of ad format for both clicks and conversions.

    Viewers will see a sponsored ad with an image, a description, and a clickable call-to-action button that will take them to your site. Call-to-action buttons include the options you're already familiar with from Facebook, including Book Now, Contact Us, Shop Now, and Learn More.

    To create these ads, choose either Send People to Your Website or Increase Conversions on Your Website for the objective.

    instagram ad objective
    Choose an objective for your ad.

    Next, you can add a pixel to your campaign. If you choose Increase Conversions on Your Website for the objective, you'll be asked to choose what type of conversion to optimize for.

    instagram ad choose conversion
    The Ads Manager prompts you to choose a conversion to optimize for and a pixel to track it.

    Now continue to create the ad as usual, and make sure that you select the appropriate call to action. The call to action is the only clickable part of the ad, so it needs to be appealing and match your offer.

    instagram ad call to action
    The call to action is the only link users can click, so it has added importance.

    #2: Stand Out With Landscape Images

    Previously, the images and videos you shared on Instagram had to be cropped into a square format. While that option is still available, you can now use landscape and portrait formats as well.

    These formats allow you to make your images taller or wider than the square format allows. This gives you more cropping options to ensure your images show everything you want in them. Plus, the unusual formats help your posts stand out in Instagram's feed.

    AI Business Society

    Ready to Unlock AI Marketing Breakthroughs?

    If you’re like most of us, you are trying to figure out how to use AI in your marketing. Here's the solution: The AI Business Society—a new AI marketing community from your friends at Social Media Examiner.

    The AI Business Society is the place to discover how to apply AI in your work. When you join, you'll boost your productivity, unlock your creativity, and make connections with other marketers on a similar journey.

    I'M READY TO BECOME AN AI-POWERED MARKETER

    When creating an Instagram ad, you choose the format of your image in the creative section. Once you upload or select your image, you'll see an option to crop it.

    instagram ad crop icon
    Click on the circular gray button to crop your images.

    When you click the gray button and select Instagram, the cropping window gives you two options for cropping your image. Click Original to crop it based on the image's original format (landscape or portrait), or click Square to crop it as a square.

    instagram ad cropping options
    Click one of the cropping options at the bottom of the screen.

    In the image below, you can see how different cropping options affect what users see in the feed.

    instagram ad format comparison
    This image demonstrates how different a cropped image can look.

    Keep in mind that carousel ads are currently only available in square formats.

    #3: Tell a Story With Carousel Ads

    To create image carousel ads for Instagram, you need to connect your Instagram account to Facebook. This is easy to do if you haven't done it already.

    Discover Proven Marketing Strategies and Tips

    Want to go even deeper with your marketing? Check out the Social Media Marketing Podcast! Publishing weekly since 2012, the Social Media Marketing Podcast helps you navigate the constantly changing marketing jungle, with expert interviews from marketing pros.

    But don’t let the name fool you. This show is about a lot more than just social media marketing. With over 600 episodes and millions of downloads each year, this show has been a trusted source for marketers for well over a decade.

    CHECK OUT THE SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING PODCAST NOW

    Facebook carousel ads are well-known and frequently used, and they're also available for Instagram ads. Businesses typically use Facebook carousel ads to feature multiple products or benefits in one ad, in an effort to increase sales. However, one of the best uses for Instagram's carousel ads is storytelling.

    Although Instagram can be used as a selling platform, businesses use it more often for engagement, building brand rapport, and increasing followers. Telling a story or narrative through multiple images can help you accomplish all of these goals.

    instagram carousel ad example
    Tell a story with multiple images in an Instagram carousel ad.

    You can create a carousel ad in the creative section of the ad setup process. As soon as you get to the creative page, you're asked how you want your ad to look. You can choose a single image, a video, or multiple images in one ad. For carousel ads, choose the Multiple images in one ad option.

    instagram create carousel ad
    Choose Multiple Images in One Ad to create an image carousel ad.

    Next, you need to enable Instagram ads carousel placement. When you hover over the ad preview, you might see a message that Instagram ads placement is disabled. Just click the Add button on the Instagram tab to enable it.

    instagram ads placement
    You need to enable Instagram ads placement before you can create an Instagram ad.

    Next, on the left, scroll down to the section labeled Images and Links. This is where you can upload images and set headlines and descriptions. Make sure you click the Crop Image button for each image so it will be cropped automatically to fit Instagram's dimensions. If you don't, there's a good chance you'll just get an error message when previewing your Instagram ad placement.

    instagram ads crop images
    Crop all of your images so they'll fit the required Instagram ad dimensions.

    Once you've created your ad, preview it and make sure it looks the way you want before you submit it. Instagram is, after all, a highly visual platform.

    #4: Pique Interest With Video Ads

    While Instagram ads started only with sponsored images, you can now use sponsored videos. Instagram video ads are most successful when you use no more than one filter throughout the video and capture viewers' interest in the first few seconds. If you don't, users will keep scrolling in the news feed.

    Instagram ads can be up to 60 seconds in length. Other recommended video specs include:

    • .MOV or .MP4 format
    • A minimum resolution of 720
    • A widescreen aspect ratio of 16:9

    To create an Instagram video ad, you can choose from a variety of objectives. To keep it simple, let's look at the Video Views objective. When you choose a video for the visual portion of your ad, you'll be asked to upload a video, browse your library, or upload several images to create a video slideshow (this is a newly released feature).

    instagram image slideshow
    You can create image slideshows to run as video ads on both Facebook and Instagram.

    Once you've chosen your video, select the image you want to show when the video isn't playing (before the video starts and after it ends). You can also upload an SRT file to create video captions.

    instagram video ad thumbnail
    Choose a thumbnail and add captions to your video.

    The dimensions of the video you upload are important. If your video doesn't fit Instagram's dimensions, the Ads Manager will instruct you to change it.

    instagram video ad dimensions
    The Ads Manager will let you know if your video doesn't meet the dimensions necessary to run on Instagram.

    Make sure to preview the video before you run the ad, and update the text if you need to.

    Final Thoughts

    Instagram ads, which had their massive rollout late last year, have been hugely popular with businesses and marketers. Instagram has added new features since its release, but unlike Facebook ads, some of these features have been rolled out quietly.

    These four Instagram ad features won't apply to every campaign, but they can help you advance relevant campaigns and expand the types of ads you can run.

    What do you think? Have you used any of these features on Instagram ads? Which will you try next? Share your thoughts, experiences, and knowledge in the comments below.

    features for ads on instagram
    Tips on four Instagram features you can use to make your ads stand out.
    AI EXPLORED

    Curious About How to Use AI?

    Our newest show, AI Explored, might be just what you're looking for. It's for marketers, creators, and entrepreneurs who want to understand how to use AI in their business.

    It's hosted by Michael Stelzner and explores this exciting new frontier in easy-to-understand terms.

    Pull up your favorite podcast app and search for AI Explored. Or click the button below for more information.

    I WANT TO LEARN MORE ABOUT AI

    Tags: Instagram, Instagram Ads, Instagram Video Ads

    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 »

    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 (43 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 →

    AI

    Next Frontier 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 17th 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 385,000 marketers!

    Simply click the button below to get the free report:

    Footer

    Your Guide to the Marketing Jungle
    Copyright © 2025 Social Media Examiner®
    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 social media marketing industry report
    • Our generative AI marketing industry report
    • Sponsorship opportunities
    • RSS