6 Types of Instagram Ads You can Run

Instagram has become one of the most preferred social media platform for users, business owners and marketers alike.

Many people are using it as a tool to boost their business using content and various types of Instagram Ads.

But there are many who are not able to use this social media properly.

They don’t know how to target their customers on this platform and end up spending a lot of effort & money without getting any profitable result.

Instagram Ads are one of the most effective ways of building communities, creating awareness, and boosting sales (or leads) for any business.

If you are using Instagram for marketing purposes, then you should definitely check out these 6 types of Instagram ads which will help you to increase your ROI.

1. The Boost Post Instagram Ad

This is probably the most common amongst types of Instagram Ads and the simplest to run. You can use it when you have an image or a video that needs some more attention.

So, what you need to do is just boost the post so it will get more engagement.

You can either choose the “Boost” option which is available at the bottom right corner of the post or you can click on the plus (+) symbol which is on the top left corner of the screen.

Unlike other ads, you don’t need to go to “Facebook Ad Manager” in order to run Boost Post ads. You can directly run them through the Instagram App.

But here’s the thing, do I recommend running Boost Post ads?

Honestly, if you are new to running ads, you can use it to get acquainted with online advertising. It is very simple and will help you get some attention on your content.

But if you want to generate Sales and Leads, this might not be the ideal option.

Because these ads are focused on getting engagement on your posts (likes, comments, shares etc). They are not focused on actual conversions (Sales/Leads).

So if you want to get ROI from your Instagram Marketing efforts, you will have to run proper Ad Campaigns from the Facebook Ad Manager (yes, that’s where you can run your Instagram Ads from too)

2. The Stories Instagram Ad

You can use this type of ad if you want to promote something like an event or a sale. It is very much similar to the “Boost” option except it is used for stories only.

The Instagram Stories ads are in vertical format – 1080px X 1920px or 9:16 aspect ratio.

These are different from Boost Post Ads because they only appear while people are watching the stories of the accounts they follow. And people can tap the link sticker (or swipe up) on the story ad to go to the landing page.

It should be noted that this type of Instagram Ad does not allow users to engage (Like, Comment, Share). It just allows people to view the Ad and navigate to the landing page.

Just keep an eye on the audience and see which stories are they viewing most and are interested in. Then create a story around that and run an Instagram ad with that story.

3. The “Geofence” Instagram Ad

This is one of the best tools for local businesses.

You can set a geofence around a certain area and then only people who fall into that area will see your ad.

For example, if you own a restaurant, you can set a geofence around your restaurant and then only your customers will see your ad.

This will increase the response rate as the audience is more interested in what they can get by visiting your place.

You should use this option very carefully though and cap the frequency of such ads or else you may annoy your audience.

4. The Instagram Feed ads

As the name suggests, this is the most common among types of Instagram Ads.

You can use both. Just make sure your photos or imsges are of high quality and are attention grabbing (Click to learn how to make perfect Instagram Ads).

If you are using real imagery, make sure you take high-quality photos and don’t upload low-resolution photos.

Below are the optimum sizes for Instagram Image Ads:

• Instagram Image Ad Square Size (1:1 aspect ratio) – 1080 x 1080 px
• Instagram Image Ad format – PNG (preferable) or JPEG
• Instagram Image Ad maximum size – 30 MB

Below are the optimum sizes for Instagram Video Ads:

• Instagram Video Ad Square Size – 1080 x 1080 (1:1 aspect ratio)
• Instagram Video Ad Portrait Size – 1080 x 1350 (4:5 aspect ratio)
• Instagram Video Ad format – MP4 or MOV
• Instagram Image Ad maximum size – 30 GB

These types of Instagram ads can be run for any objective like Awareness, Consideration, or Conversions.

5. The Instagram Carousel Ads

Sometimes you need to say more on an ad than what 1080 x 1080 pixels permit you to. In that case, you can run Carousel Ads.

These types of Instagram Ads allow you to show multiple slides of images or videos that a user can swipe through.

These work amazingly well for e-commerce product campaigns.

I have also seen these perform well for my remarketing campaigns.

Below are guidelines to make an ideal Instagram carousel ad:

• Recommended resolution of each slide (card) of Instagram Carousel – 1080 x 1080 x (1:1 aspect ratio)
• Recommended format – PNG or JPG
• Maximum size for each slide (card) – 30 MB
• Total number of slides (cards) that can be added in an Instagram Carousel Ad – 2 to 10 cards can be added

6. The Instagram Reels Ads

Instagram Reels Ads are the newest amongst the types of Instagram Ads.

These are vertical video ads, similar to the Story Ads.

These ads appear only when a user is scrolling through the Instagram Reels.

These types of Instagram Ads work great for all products and services, provided the creative is snappy and visually gripping.

The Instagram Reels ads are in vertical format – 1080px X 1920px or 9:16 aspect ratio.

Conclusion

No matter how comfortable are you with Facebook & Instagram Ads, they are a very handy tool to grow any business.

Apart from just knowing what creative or copy to show users, it is important to make use of the right format of Instagram Ads to create the right impact.

Hopefully, you have got a better idea about the types of Instagram Ads you have at your disposal.

🔔 If you want to Master Facebook & Instagram Ads from beginner to advanced level, check out our specialisation course where we give you in-depth training in Facebook & Instagram Advertising. Click here to learn more.

Also, follow Young Urban Project on Instagram to get digital marketing tips & tricks daily