6 Tips for Success with Ads on Instagram

Looking to boost your discoverability on Instagram? Ads just might be the secret sauce you’ve been searching for. With more than 2 billion monthly active users, Instagram offers massive potential to get your brand in front of the right people at the right time. 

And Instagram ads are a powerful tool to reach your target audience and grow your business. But simply choosing to create Instagram ad campaigns isn't enough - you need a strategic approach to create Instagram ads that stop the scroll and inspire action!  

If you’re interested in learning how to make Instagram ads that convert to sales and help you grow your audience, keep reading.

The Basics of Instagram Ads

Before diving into ad creation, it's important to understand the fundamentals. Instagram ads appear in users' feeds and stories just like regular posts, identified by a "Sponsored" label.

There are several formats to choose from to advertise on Instagram: 

- Instagram Stories Ads: Full-screen vertical ads that appear between organic Instagram Stories

- Feed Photo and Video Ads: Single image or up to 60-second video ads in square or landscape format

- Carousel Ads: Carousel Ads consist of a series of 2-10 scrollable images or videos

- Collection Ads: A main video or image with four smaller images below, great for showcasing products

- Reels Ads: Up to 30-second full-screen vertical video ads that appear between other reels

As many as 80% of Instagram users take action, like visiting a website, after seeing an Instagram ad.

With the right Instagram advertising strategy and ad set, your brand can tap into this highly engaged audience and drive real business results. All it takes is a little know-how!

Related: Read our 7 fail-proof strategies to grow your followers on your Instagram account.

Developing a Powerful Instagram Ad Strategy

Let's get started with your Instagram ad strategy. Before worrying about the visuals and copy for your ad placements, define your ad campaign objectives.

Are you looking to increase brand awareness, drive website traffic, generate leads, or get direct sales? Your advertising goal will guide every decision in the ad creation process. 

Next, define your target audience with as much detail as possible.

Use Instagram's robust targeting options to zero in on the right demographics, interests, and behaviors that fit your ideal customer. You can also create Custom Audiences to retarget people who have interacted with your business before. 

With your objective and audience set, it's time to decide on budget and ad placements.

Instagram ads use a daily or lifetime budget model, and can be optimized for either cost per click (CPC) or cost per thousand impressions (CPM).

Start with a modest budget for your ad set, and scale up once you've dialed in an approach that works. For placements, you can choose to have your ads appear in Instagram feeds, stories, explore pages, or reels.

Also see: How to Create an Instagram Business Account Easily

Crafting Compelling Ad Creative

Now for the fun part - creating ad visuals and copy that drive action!

For imagery, use high-quality, eye-catching visuals that clearly represent your brand. Bright colors, intriguing layouts, and creative product shots tend to perform well.

You can even create your visuals with AI! Check out our AI art prompts guide.

And don't underestimate the power of video - a short, attention-grabbing video can stop your target audience from scrolling. 

Your advertising copy should be clear, concise, and catchy.

Lead with a strong hook that grabs attention and communicates the value of your ads on Instagram right away. Incorporate social proof like brief customer testimonials or impressive stats.

And always include a strong call-to-action that uses action-oriented words like "Shop Now" or "Learn More". Regardless of whether you're using a carousel, video, or some other type of ads, you need to make it clear what your audience should do next.

But effective ads on Instagram go beyond aesthetics - they are strategic too. Use A/B testing to experiment with different creative elements and find winning combinations. Some ideas to test include: 

- Headline and body copy

- Call-to-action text

- Ad format (carousel vs single image placements for example)

- Visuals (product shots vs lifestyle imagery)

- Video vs static image

Streamlining Ad Campaign Content Creation with AI

Want to maintain your authentic voice while scaling your Instagram ad content? If you already create long-form content like podcasts, YouTube videos, or recorded presentations, you can leverage AI tools like Castmagic to efficiently transform that content into copy that is ready to advertise on Instagram.

Instead of writing advertising content from scratch, Castmagic can analyze your existing audio or video content and generate Instagram captions that preserve your natural speaking style and messaging. These captions can then be repurposed as ads on your Instagram account.

Here's how to make it work for your Instagram advertising workflow: 

1. Upload your long-form content to Castmagic - whether it's a podcast episode, YouTube video, or recorded presentation

2. Use Castmagic's AI to automatically generate Instagram-optimized captions and hooks from key moments in your content

3. Let the platform identify compelling quotes and insights that can serve as attention-grabbing ad copy

4. Utilize the customizable prompts feature to ensure the generated content matches your brand voice and campaign objectives

For example, if you have a podcast episode about your product's benefits, Castmagic can extract the most compelling customer pain points and solutions you discussed, then format them into punchy Instagram ad copy.

This approach ensures your ads maintain consistency with your broader content strategy while saving you valuable time in the creative process.

The best part? Since the advertising content is derived from your actual words and explanations, it naturally carries your authentic voice and expertise. This can lead to better ad performance since the messaging feels genuine rather than overtly "salesy."

Making Data-Driven Optimizations

Creating the ad is just the beginning. To get the most out of your Instagram ad spend, you need to continuously monitor performance and make adjustments. Use Instagram's native Insights and your social media marketing platform's analytics to track key metrics like: 

- Reach: Number of unique people who saw your ad

- Impressions: Total number of times your ad was displayed

- Engagement rate: Likes, comments, shares, or saves divided by impressions

- Click-through rate: Clicks divided by impressions

- Instagram ads Cost per action: How much you paid per desired action (click, lead, sale, etc...) 

Look for opportunities to optimize based on this data. For example, if a certain audience demographic is responding well, consider allocating more budget there. If an ad is getting lots of engagement but few clicks, it may need a stronger CTA.

Not getting enough reach? Your audience targeting might be too narrow. 

Just like your ad creative, your performance optimizations should be rooted in a testing strategy. Change one variable at a time to pinpoint exactly what moves the needle. And don't be afraid to turn off underperforming ads - Instagram will often reward you with lower costs on your winners!

Creating Your Instagram Ad

Here's a simplified breakdown of creating an Instagram ad for your Instagram account: 

1. Go to Meta Ads Manager

You can find your Meta Ads Manager in your Meta business suite. The Meta business suite is also your Facebook Ads Manager.

2. Click "Create" and choose your goal

   - Want sales? Pick "Sales"

   - Want leads? Pick "Leads"

   - Want people to see your stuff to increase brand awareness? Pick "Awareness" 

3. Set up your ad campaign budget

   - Choose how much you want to spend per day to advertise on Instagram

   - Start small with your ad campaign and test what works

How much do Instagram ads cost? That's the beauty of the ads manager - you can choose how much you want to spend. Some experts think you should spend a minimum of $10 a day, while others believe spending a lot more per day on Instagram ads is the better play.

Our take - We say spend what you can afford, and scale up your ads on Instagram if it makes financial sense.

4. Determine who can see your Instagram ads (your target audience)

   - Select locations

   - Specify age ranges

   - Add interests related to your business

You can also choose whether your Instagram ads will be viewable on Facebook or solely on your Instagram account.

5. Create your ads on Instagram

   - Upload your image or video into the ads manager

   - Write your text (keep it simple and clear)

   - Add a strong call-to-action button like "Shop Now" or "Learn More"

   - Add the link to where you want people to go

Also see how to boost Instagram posts.

6. Review and publish!

   - Meta will review your ad before it goes live on your Instagram account

   - Unless there is an issue, Instagram ads usually go live within a few hours

   - You can track results in Ads Manager

Pro Tip: Start with a simple image ad before trying complex video campaigns. It's better to get comfortable with the basics first! 

Get the full run down on Instagram ads here. 

Putting Your Instagram Ad Know-How Into Action

Let's recap the six key tips for Instagram advertising success: 

1. Start with Strategy: Define clear objectives for your ad campaign - whether that's sales, leads, or brand awareness

2. Know Your Audience: Use Instagram's targeting options to reach the right people

3. Budget Wisely: Start small and scale up based on what works

4. Create Compelling Content: Use high-quality visuals and clear, action-oriented copy

5. Test and Optimize: Monitor your results and adjust your Instagram ads based on performance data

6. Stay Authentic: Keep your brand voice consistent across all ad content

Success with Instagram ads isn't about perfection - it's about getting started and continuously improving.

Whether you're launching your first ad campaign or looking to scale your existing efforts, remember that great ads start with authentic, engaging content that resonates with your target audience.

Want to make creating Instagram ad content easier? Try Castmagic free today and turn your long-form content into scroll-stopping Instagram ads that sound exactly like you. With Castmagic, you can automatically generate captions, hooks, and ad copy from your existing videos and podcasts - all while maintaining your authentic voice. 

If you're ready to streamline your Instagram ad creation, click here to get started with Castmagic for free, and see how easy it can be to create compelling ad content that converts!