A guide to advertising on Instagram
With over a billion users per month, it’s no surprise that advertising on Instagram is so popular. With the right visuals, you can generate leads, make sales, and build awareness around your brand or products.
But how do you make a striking Instagram ad? And what is the best type to choose for your goals?
In this article, we’ll explore the different Instagram ads types along with what each is best suited for. We’ll also provide a step-by-step guide to creating ads that grab your viewers’ attention and show you a design tool that will save you a ton of time.
Instagram ads types
Here’s a breakdown of the types of Instagram ads you can use along with details on what each is best for.
1.Story ads
Instagram story ads appear as users scroll through stories immersing them in content as they appear across the full screen. This builds trust as they appear while the user views stories from people they follow. Story ads can be created in both photo and video formats.
Like Instagram stories, story ads disappear after 24 hours. This short timeframe makes them ideal for capturing real-time engagement.
Specifications
- Picture size 1080 x 1920 pixels (9:16 ratio)
- Video resolution: At least 1080 x 1080 pixels
- Video duration: 1 second to 60 minutes
- Video minimum width: 500 pixels
2.Image ads
Image ads or photo ads appear directly in the feed alongside Instagram posts. The perfect way to showcase your brand or products, they’re especially effective if you can include strong visual branding to create recognizable content.
Call-to-action buttons such as “Shop Now” or “Learn More” can also be integrated into the image to drive traffic and revenue.
Specifications
- Square posts: 1080 x 1080 pixels
- Landscape posts: 1080 x 566 pixels
- Portrait posts: 1080 x 1350 pixels
3. Video ads
Instagram video ads can be viewed by users both in the feed and through stories. They’re often more engaging than static ads and you can do more with them… For example, you might tell a story, demonstrate your products, or create a sense of community with user-generated content.
You can also use text overlays to deliver key messages for viewers who have their videos set to mute by default.
Specifications
- Video resolution: At least 1080 x 1080 pixels
- Video duration: Up to 60 minutes
- Video minimum width: 500 pixels
4. Shopping ads
Shopping ads, sometimes called ‘shoppable’ ads, are designed to more directly promote a specific product. They include direct links to a purchase page and users are able to hit a ‘tap to view products’ button for easy shopping. Shoppable ads can also use video content instead of photos.
Specifications
- Resolution: At least 1080 x 1080 pixels
- Minimum width: 500 pixels
- Minimum aspect ratio: 400 x 500
- Maximum aspect ratio: 191 x 100
5. Carousel ads
Carousel ads let users swipe through a compilation of images and videos. This makes them perfect for showcasing collections of products or telling a story that can’t be captured in one picture.
You can also give each slide a link to different products or services, which is great for more complex marketing strategies.
Specifications
- Resolution: At least 1080 x 1080 pixels
- Number of carousel cards: 2 to 10
- Video duration: 1 second to 2 minutes
6. Explore ads
The ‘Explore’ section of Instagram is where users go to discover new accounts and ads here are designed to blend in seamlessly with other content. They’re shown after someone clicks on a photo or video which makes them feel like they are continuing their content discovery journey rather than being interrupted by an ad.
Since these ads will be amongst popular content made by regular creators, it’s a great place for content that’s in line with trends.
Specifications
- Square posts: 1080 x 1080 pixels
- Landscape posts: 1080 x 566 pixels
- Portrait posts: 1080 x 1350 pixels
7. Reels ads
Reel ads are exclusively designed to be video-based, taking advantage of Instagram’s short video content format that’s grown in popularity in recent years. These ads are great for reaching younger audiences who tend to spend more time on TikTok.
Users can share and comment on reels ads so be sure to focus on highly engaging content.
Specifications
- Ratio: 9:16
- Resolution: At least 1080 x 1080 pixels
- Minimum width: 500 pixels
- Video length: Up to 15 minutes
How to create highly engaging Instagram ads with Picsart
Whether you’re creating a reel or a carousel ad, it’s the visuals that will grab your viewers’ attention and make them take action. So how can you create great images and videos? Picsart offers dozens of eye-catching ad templates for you to customize.
Here’s how to get started on desktop:
- Select one of our Instagram ad templates. These come in a range of dimensions designed to perfectly fit Instagram’s requirements.
- Edit the template to match your brand identity or style by using the tools listed on the left and top sidebars. You can add images, change fonts, tweak colors, and more.
- When you’re finished, select “Export” in the top right and download your design.
And on mobile:
- Select templates in the top bar and search for what you need — for example “Instagram ads.”
- Customize the font, images, colors, and more.
- When you’re finished, select “Next” and “Save.”
Tips to create effective ads
Ready to get creating? Check out these final tips first!
- Capture your audience within seconds. In images, this might mean using bright colors while, in a video, you might opt for a striking start.
- Brand consistency. Use the colors, logo, and style that’s already used across your website to ensure the ad is quickly recognizable by your target audience.
- Keep text to a minimum. Add easily readable text onto your image to reinforce your message, but keep it to a few words so as not to overwhelm viewers.
Boosting your success with advertising on Instagram
Instagram ads are an easy way to put yourself right in front of your target audience and get them interested in your brand! But without high-quality design tools, you can end up creating something underwhelming…
Picsart was created to help non-designers make amazing visual content. In one platform, you can edit videos, perfect images, and use templates to get a headstart.
Start creating today and see how your ads shine.
