HOW TO SET UP INSTAGRAM ADS

A STEP-BY-STEP GUIDE
 Instagram ads made simple!

So, you’re doing all the right things on Instagram —

engaging with relevant accounts, using targeted hashtags,
posting great content and showing up in your stories
constantly. And yet, it still feels like nobody is seeing or
responding to your epic content. Or at least, not as many as
you’d like. Sound familiar?

Yep, it can be frustrating when you feel like your social

media growth has hit a plateau. “If only there was a way I
could just get the right people to see this content, because
I know they’d find it useful” you might exclaim. Well, as it
turns out, there is! Enter, Instagram ads.

If you’re a creative person, the world of targeting and

boosting and budgets might feel super overwhelming. But
the good news is, it’s nowhere near as confusing as it
seems! And when done well, Instagram advertising is totally
worth your time and investment.

In this easy-to-follow guide, we’ll cover everything you

need to to create killer Instagram ads and make sure you
get as much bang for your buck as possible.

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 here’s what we’ll cover
- Why Instagram ads?

- Posts vs stories

- To boost, or not to boost?

-How to set your budget

-Nailing your creative: What should you post?

-How to set up your ads

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 WHY INSTAGRAM ADS?

Firstly, let’s address the elephant in the room.

You may have heard that Facebook is the powerhouse

when it comes to paid advertising and in some cases, yes
that’s true. There are more in-depth targeting options on
Facebook (in fact, it’s kind of creepy what you can do on
ads manager!) and more different areas where your ads can
be displayed — think, on marketplace, in messenger, in the
groups directory etc.

However, having more options isn’t always the best thing

when you’re starting out. Let’s be real, it can be kinda
overwhelming and lead to decision fatigue! Instagram is the
perfect place to test the waters and find your footing.

Plus, if you have a younger audience (like Gen Ys and Zs)

data shows that they spend more time on Instagram than
Facebook — and we always want to target users where
they’re actually hanging out! According to Timothy Masek,
Senior Marketing Manager at marketing agency Ladder,
Instagram ads are also at least twice as cost-effective as
running ads on Facebook.

Ultimately, you may end up advertising across both

platforms, but Instagram is a great place to start.

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 POST VS STORIES

Where should you be posting your Instagram ads,

exactly?
One of the first decisions you’ll likely make when
you’re setting up is where on Instagram to post your
ads. After all, users are now spending almost as much
time on Instagram stories as they are on feeds now —
and currently, you can’t post your ads on both ads and
stories at the time.

The answer to the post vs. stories debate depends

primarily on what your goals are. Taking up your
entire, vertical screen, Instagram stories tend to be
more interactive and immersive than feed posts.
They’re often a good option if your goal is reach
(showing your content to as people as possible),
video views and boosting web traffic.

In our experience, Instagram Stories ads can help you

to achieve a low cost-per-click when set up correctly,
so definitely give these a try when you can!

However, remember that people are often quickly

swiping through stories. So, if brand awareness or
engagement are your goals, you might be better off
going for Instagram feed ads.

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 TO BOOST, OR NOT TO BOOST?

When you’re creating an Instagram feed in your post, you may

have noticed the little ‘promote’ button in the bottom right
corner. We know it’s tempting! After all, with just one little
click, you could show your content to a broader audience.

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But unfortunately, easier doesn’t always mean better. The

problem with boosting is the lack of options and controls.
Compared to setting up ads in Facebook’s ad manager,
you’re really limited in your audience targeting, as well as
where you do and don’t want your content to be shown.
By spending a few extra minutes setting up your ads
properly, you’ll get far more out of your investment.

The good news is, we’ll guide you through exactly how to
do in this guide!

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 How to set your budget

Let’s talk money. How much should you be spending on

your ads?

We know it can be kinda scary parting ways with your

hard-earned cash for something that you might not see an
immediate return on. But by being smart and strategic about
your advertising budget, you don’t have to worry about
flushing your money down the drain.

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The good news is, with Instagram ads, you won’t ever spend
more than you want to. The first step is to figure out how
much you’re comfortable spending, and over what time
period. You could start with as little as $10 per day, and watch
how your ad performs before you up your budget or tweak
your creative. It’s totally fine to start small!

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 How to set your budget

You’ll also want to decide whether you’re going to use

automatic or manual bidding for your budget. Essentially,
when you’re running ads, you’re competing with the
customers attention and the more bids you win, the more
impressions of your ads get shown.

With automatic bidding, Instagram uses an auction system to

determine which advertisers get their ads shown. But with
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manual bidding, you set a cost control against the objective
you’re trying to achieve — telling Instagram how much you’re
willing to spend to achieve your goals. While manual bidding
can be a more cost-effective option, automatic tends to be
best for beginners until you get a feel for how it all works.

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 Nailing your creative

What should you post in your Instagram ads?

When you’re coming up with a creative concept for your first

Instagram ad, you may find that you are more drawn to
creating a photo-based ad rather than a video-based ad. But
don’t forget – there are a LOT of creative ways that you can
advertise on Instagram!

Here are a few options to consider:

Carousel ad that is video-based (multiple short videos) or

Image-based (multiple photos)

Instagram Stories ad that is video-based or image-based

Newsfeed ads that are a single image or a single-video ad (in

the newsfeed)

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 Nailing your creative

As always, the best option for is going to be the one that suits
your individual objectives and needs. Video ads can be great
for immediately grabbing the user’s attention and if you have
a product-based business, showcasing it in action. You can
even record an Instagram live and turn that into an ad!

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Image via ycharisma.com

Carousel ads (for example, with three images in a row) also tend to
stand out in both feeds and stories, which can help stop your
audience’s aimless scrolling. These types of ads are also great for
showcasing multiple products or features. You can easily make
carousel ads with images, text and graphics using a DIY design app
like Canva.

However, if you’re feeling a bit apprehensive or are pressed for

time, a single-image ad with fantastic copywriting is the perfect
starting point.

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 Nailing your creative

No matter what option you go with, you’re going to want to

make sure you have the right media sizes so your ad is
approved and doesn’t get cut off in the feed or story. Here
are the right sizes:

Landscape image ads for Instagram feed posts should be

1200 x 628 pixels, and have an aspect ratio of 1.9:1.

Square images should have a 1:1 ratio, and use 1080 x 1080
pixels.

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Vertical image ad sizes should be 600 x 750 pixels, with an
aspect ratio of 4:5.

Carousel ads use square images or videos, so use a 1:1

aspect ratio, or 1080 x 1080 pixels.

Instagram story ads use the dimensions 1080 x 1920 pixels,

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with an aspect ratio of 9:16. This is pretty much the same as

Instagram story or IGTV sizes.

When you’re creating video ads, be sure to keep your

individual videos 14 seconds long to ensure there are no
issues with approval. When creating Instagram Stories video
ads that have two or more ‘parts’ you may find that they won’t
be approved if the individual videos are 15 seconds long.

Another important thing to remember is that the ‘learn more’

button, call-to-action and navigation will take up the bottom
and right part of your ad on Instagram, while your name and
logo will take up the top left corner. So, be sure to keep that
in mind when you’re working on your creative.

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 How to set up your instagram ads

Let’s into the nitty-gritty! Here’s how you actually get your
Instagram ad up and running

Step One: Log into Facebook

Ads Manager from your desktop

The simplest way to get started

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with Instagram advertising is to
go through the Facebook Ads
Manager. Yep, Instagram ads are
run through Facebook. To get
here, all you’ll need to do is log
into the Facebook personal
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profile that is linked to your

Facebook business page. Then,
click the arrow in the top right of
your screen, and select ‘manage
ads’ from the drop-down menu

Step two: Select the account associated with the Instagram

account you want to run your ads from.

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 How to set up your instagram ads

Step Three: To get started creating your first Instagram ad, click the
‘create new ad’ button. Here you’ll be asked to choose your
objective, which you’ll have already decided on, and from there you
can start setting up your ad.

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Image via testerdigital.com

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 How to set up your instagram ads

Step Four: Here, you’ll upload your creative — which will already be in the
right sizes, add in any copy you want to accompany your content (note,
you’ll want to keep this very minimal on Instagram, less is more) choose the
audience you want to target and select your objective and budget.

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You’ll also need to add the link that you want to direct your audience to
(normally your website, but it could also be something like a lead
magnet if you’re trying to build your mailing list)

Then, you’ll be able to preview it before submitting. Once your ad is

approved by the powers-that-be, you’re off and running!

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E xc i t e d , o v e r w h e l m e d a n d i n s p i r e d ?

Now, you’re well on your way to becoming an Instagram ads master.

Yay! However, you don’t have to rely solely on paid ads to achieve
your marketing goals — whether that’s selling more products, growing
your following or just improving brand awareness. After all, as all of
our parents used to say, money doesn’t grow on trees!

Get results instantly, sign up for your 7 day free trial with Plann today!

By using Plann’s powerful scheduling, creation and analytics features,

you can achieve organic growth without spending a cent on ads.
Download the Plann desktop or mobile app to start planning and
scheduling your content today. Getting started is free and easy and
you can create your first post in just minutes.

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