Your customers spend their evenings on Instagram, flicking through Reels and Stories. You post there yourself, a few times a week, and now you want to pay to reach people who do not follow you yet. The app keeps offering a “Boost” button. Meanwhile someone mentions Ads Manager, placements and ad identity, and it all starts sounding like a different job.
It is not, really. Instagram ads for business run on the same Meta advertising system as Facebook ads. What changes is how people use Instagram, which affects what your ads should look like and where they appear. This post explains how to run ads on Instagram properly: the app versus Ads Manager, the placements, the formats that suit the platform, and the profile checks to make before you spend.
Two ways to run ads on Instagram
Promoting from the Instagram app
With a professional account (business or creator), each post and Reel shows a button to promote it. You choose a goal from a short list, such as more profile visits, more website visits or more messages, pick an audience and a budget, and the post runs as an ad. It is quick and works from your phone.
The limits are the same as boosting on Facebook: few objectives, the post must run as it was written, and the reporting is thin. Our comparison of when a quick boost is enough and when to build a campaign applies to Instagram promotions too.
Using Ads Manager
Ads Manager gives you the full set of objectives, lets you write ads for people who do not know you, choose or exclude placements, test several versions and track results on your website. You build the campaign once and decide whether it runs only on Instagram or across Meta’s apps.
A practical approach many small businesses use: promote the occasional post from the app for reach, and run any campaign that is meant to produce enquiries or sales from Ads Manager.
Instagram placements and what each one is like
A placement is where the ad appears. Instagram has several, and people behave differently in each.
| Placement | How people use it | What suits it |
|---|---|---|
| Feed | Scrolling past photos and videos from accounts they follow | A strong single image or a carousel that rewards a swipe |
| Stories | Tapping quickly through full-screen moments | Vertical image or short clip, message clear at a glance |
| Reels | Watching short full-screen videos, often with sound | Vertical video that feels native, not like a TV advert |
| Explore | Browsing for new things they might like | Visually striking content that invites a closer look |
| Profile feed and search results | Looking at a particular account or search | Ads that work as ordinary posts |
In Ads Manager you can leave placements automatic, which lets Meta spread delivery across Facebook, Instagram, Messenger and partner apps, or choose manual placements and tick only the Instagram ones.
Instagram only, or all of Meta?
Automatic placements usually give Meta more room to find cheaper results. Choose Instagram only when you have a real reason: your customers are mostly younger Instagram users, your creative is built for Reels and looks odd elsewhere, or your brand lives on Instagram and the Facebook Page is an afterthought. If you go Instagram only, check costs for a couple of weeks against an automatic placement test.
Formats that suit Instagram
Instagram is a visual, mostly vertical platform. Ads that look like they belong there do better than ads that look like they were made for a newspaper.
- Vertical video for Reels and Stories. Fill the screen. A phone-shot clip of your product in use, your team at work, or a quick before-and-during of a service. Our guide to short video ads made on a phone covers filming and the opening seconds.
- Carousels for the feed. Several images or clips in one ad. Good for a product range, the steps of a service, or a set of designs.
- Single images. Still useful in the feed, especially with a clear offer. Use a square or vertical crop so it takes up more of the screen.
- Collection and catalogue ads for stores with a product catalogue connected to Meta.
Keep the key message away from the very top and bottom of vertical formats, where the app places your name, buttons and captions. Preview each placement in Ads Manager before publishing; the preview shows where things get covered.
Get your Instagram profile ready before you pay
Many people who see an Instagram ad tap your account name before doing anything else. If the profile looks empty or confusing, the ad has done its job and the profile undoes it. Check these first:
- Professional account. You need a business or creator account to promote posts and to see Insights. The walkthrough for switching to a professional Instagram profile explains the options.
- Clear bio. What you sell, where you are, and how to contact you, in plain words.
- Contact buttons and link. Call, email or WhatsApp buttons, and a working link to your website or booking page.
- Recent posts. A grid that shows real work, posted within the last few weeks, so the account looks alive.
- Highlights. Saved Stories that answer common questions: prices, location, delivery, reviews.
- Connected to the right Facebook Page and business. So Ads Manager can use the Instagram account as the ad’s identity and messages arrive in the right inbox.
Ad identity: which account the ad comes from
When you create an ad in Ads Manager, you choose which Facebook Page and which Instagram account the ad represents. If the Instagram account is connected, the ad shows your Instagram name and picture on Instagram placements, and comments and likes collect on that account. If it is not connected, the ad can still appear on Instagram using your Facebook Page details, which looks less natural and sends people to a profile that may not exist on Instagram.
Connect them properly in your business settings and confirm the right account is selected each time you build a new ad.
Instagram ads for business: choosing what to optimise for
The same objectives apply on Instagram as on Facebook. For a small business, the useful ones are usually:
- Messages to Instagram Direct or WhatsApp, if your customers like to ask before buying.
- Leads with an instant form, for services that need a callback.
- Sales with purchase tracking, for online shops.
Avoid optimising for profile visits or follows unless you have a clear plan for those people. Followers are pleasant, but they are not customers until they do something. For the full picture of how objectives, audiences and tracking connect, the plain-English Meta ads guide for small firms covers each step, and our digital marketing hub shows where paid social fits with search and email.
Mistakes that waste Instagram ad budgets
- Reusing a wide video. A horizontal clip shown in Reels sits in a thin strip with empty bars around it and is swiped away.
- Text-heavy graphics. A poster full of words is hard to read on a phone in the second or two people give it.
- Sending people to a profile with nothing on it. If the ad drives profile visits, the grid has to persuade them.
- Ignoring the comments. Questions under an ad are buying signals. Answer them, or hide spam, the same day if you can.
- Judging on likes. A Reel ad can collect hearts from people who will never buy. Count messages, forms and orders instead.
Frequently asked questions
Can I run Instagram ads without a Facebook Page?
Promoting a post from the Instagram app has been possible with just a professional account, but Ads Manager campaigns generally expect a Facebook Page as part of the business setup. Creating a simple Page, connected to the Instagram account, keeps your options open and makes access easier to manage.
Why are my Instagram ad comments different from my normal post comments?
Ads built in Ads Manager are separate posts, even if they use the same photo as an organic post, so they collect their own likes and comments. You can reply to them from the Instagram app or Meta Business Suite. Promoting an existing post from the app keeps all engagement on that one post.
Do hashtags help Instagram ads reach more people?
No. Paid delivery is decided by your targeting, objective and budget, not by hashtags in the caption. A few relevant hashtags do no harm if the ad also appears as a post on your profile, but long hashtag blocks make the ad text harder to read.
If you would like your Instagram ads planned around the profile you already have, our Instagram and Facebook ads service sets up the account links, placements and tracking with you.
Next in this series: Facebook Ad Creative: Ad Images and Text That Work
