Navigating the world of digital advertising can be difficult, especially for beginners. For example, look at how many types of Instagram ads there are!
Which one should you choose? Which one is more beneficial for your business?
In this short article, we’ll have a look at the different types of Instagram ads to help you have a clearer idea.
There are 8 main types of Instagram ads:
Let’s have a closer look at each one of them.
These are single-image ads that appear in users’ Instagram feeds. They are a simple yet effective way to showcase products or services and can be used to drive traffic to a website or landing page.
Video ads are similar to photo ads, but they use videos instead of images to convey the message. Instagram videos can be up to 60 minutes long, but you should prefer much shorter videos for your ad.
Video ads are a great way to tell a brand story or showcase a product in action.
Carousel ads allow businesses to showcase multiple images or videos within a single ad unit. Users can swipe through the images or videos, giving them a more immersive experience.
Instagram Stories ads are full-screen ads that appear in between users’ stories. These ads are a great way to create interactive and immersive experiences for users and this is why engagement is often higher with this type of ad.
Collection ads are designed for e-commerce businesses and allow users to shop directly from within the ad. These ads feature a cover image or video and multiple product images below, making it easy for users to browse and purchase products.
Explore ads appear in the Explore section of the Instagram app, where users discover new content. These ads are a great way to reach a new audience and increase brand awareness.
Instagram Explore ads do not appear directly in the Explore section, but are shown after someone clicks on a photo or video from Explore.
Designed for e-commerce businesses that have a shop on Instagram, Shopping ads take users directly to a product description page within the app. From there, your customers can easily make a purchase.
After the launch of Reels, Instagram has also allowed Reels Ads. These ads are usually videos, up to 60 seconds long, that are shown between Reels.
💡 Besides a nice picture or video, ads need a copy, too!
Find out how to write an ad here
When you’re creating your ads, it’s important that you follow Instagram’s formats and specs. Ads should likely attract new clients or users, so you want to make the most out of it.
Here are the Instagram ads formats and specs:
Photos can be shown both horizontally or vertically, but Meta suggests a square format with a 1:1 ratio.
Like pictures, videos can be horizontal or vertical, too, even though vertical videos are better suited for Stories and Reels ads.
Carousels can contain both photos and videos.
Stories ads, too, can be both videos or images.
Collection ads are a mix between a carousel and a single photo or video ad.
These ads appear in the “Explore” section of Instagram and can help you reach new audiences. You can refer to the specs of photo and video ads.
Reels allow you to reach a broader audience, as they have higher impressions if compared with other formats.
Now that we’ve examined the different types of Instagram ads, let’s wrap it up with 3 best practices that can be useful in all your digital marketing strategies.
Then don’t forget that to run Instagram ads you need to ensure compliance with privacy laws!
Wondering how?
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