How to Run Ads on Instagram

If your organic reach on Instagram feels stagnant, ads can be the fastest way to get your brand in front of exactly the right people. But navigating the world of paid social can feel overwhelming, with its talk of ad sets, objectives, and custom audiences. This guide will walk you through everything you need to know, from simply boosting a post for quick results to building out a sophisticated campaign a pro would be proud of.

Why Even Run Instagram Ads?

Unlike organic posting, where you hope the algorithm shows your content to the right followers, Instagram Ads give you total control. With around two billion active users, the platform offers an enormous and highly engaged audience you can reach with a precision that was once unimaginable.

Here’s the simple truth:

• Targeting is incredibly specific. You can target users based on their age, location, interests, behaviors (like a recent Crate & Barrel purchase), and even their interactions with your website or app.
• It drives real business results. Whether you want more website traffic, app downloads, online sales, or just messages in your inbox, you can create a campaign designed to do exactly that.
• Your brand gets discovered. Ads put your products, services, or content directly into the feeds, Stories, and Reels of people who are likely to be interested but don't follow you... yet.

Your Pre-Flight Checklist: What You Need First

Before you spend a single dollar, make sure you have a few essentials squared away. Getting this foundation right will save you major headaches and make your campaigns more effective.

1. A Professional Account: You need an Instagram Business or Creator account to run ads. If your account is still set to Personal, you can switch it for free in your settings under "Settings and privacy" >, "Account type and tools" >, "Switch to professional account."
2. A Connected Facebook Page: Instagram is owned by Meta, and all professional-grade advertising is run through the Meta Ads Manager, which is tied to a Facebook Page. Make sure your Instagram account is linked to your brand’s Facebook Page.
3. A Clear Goal: What, exactly, do you want to accomplish? "Get more visibility" is too vague. A good goal is specific, like "get 100 people to sign up for my newsletter" or "sell 50 units of my new product this week."
4. An Understanding of Your Audience: Who are you trying to reach? The more you know about their demographics, interests, and pain points, the better you can tailor your ad to grab their attention.
5. A Pre-Decided Budget: Decide what you're willing to spend, whether that’s $5 per day or $500 for a week-long campaign. Knowing this upfront helps you manage your ad spend and measure your return on investment.

Two Paths to Advertising on Instagram: Boost vs. Ads Manager

There are two primary ways to create an ad on Instagram, and the one you choose depends on your goals and how much control you want.

The Quick Boost: Good for a Start

Boosting lets you take one of your existing posts and turn it into an ad directly from the Instagram app. It’s incredibly simple and a great way to get started. You choose a post that's already performing well, tell Instagram what you want people to do (visit your website, profile, or send you a message), define a simple audience, and set a budget. It's fast, but it lacks the granular targeting and customization options of Ads Manager.

Ads Manager: The Powerhouse for Growth

Meta Ads Manager is the all-in-one professional tool for creating and managing ads across Instagram, Facebook, Messenger, and the Audience Network. It's where you go when you're ready for more control. Here, you can define hyper-specific audiences, A/B test different ad creatives and text, choose exactly where your ads appear (e.g., only in Reels), and get much more detailed performance analytics. The learning curve is a bit steeper, but the results are often much better.

How to Boost a Post on Instagram: The Step-by-Step Guide

Ready for the quick and easy route? Boosting a post takes just a couple of minutes directly inside the Instagram app. Here’s how to do it.

1. Pick a Post to Boost: Go to your profile and find a post that has already performed well organically - one with good engagement (likes, comments, shares). This is a strong indicator that a wider audience will respond to it, too. Below the post, you'll see a "Boost Post" button. Tap it.
2. Choose a Goal: Instagram will ask what you want to achieve with your ad. The options are straightforward:
   • More Profile Visits: Good for growing your followers and brand awareness.
   • More Website Visits: Ideal for driving traffic to a blog post, product page, or landing page.
   • More Messages: Encourages users to start a conversation with you via Instagram DMs.
   • More Leads: Collects basic customer information with an on-platform form.
3. Define Your Audience: This is where you decide who sees your ad. You have a few options:
   • Special Requirement: Only use this if your ad relates to credit, employment, housing, or social issues and politics.
   • Automatic: Instagram will target people similar to your existing followers. This is a simple, effective option if you're just starting out.
   • Create Your Own: This gives you more control. You can build an audience based on location (country, city), interests (e.g., "skincare" or "small business marketing"), age, and gender.
4. Set Your Budget and Duration: Decide how much you want to spend per day and for how many days the ad will run. Instagram will give you an estimated reach based on your budget. You can start with as little as a few dollars per day.
5. Review and Launch: Give everything one last look - your post, goal, audience, and budget. If it all looks good, tap "Boost Post." Your ad will then go into a brief review process with Meta, and you’ll be notified once it's live.

A Pro's Guide to Using Meta Ads Manager

If you're ready for maximum control and better results, it's time to graduate to Meta Ads Manager. The process is more involved, but it unlocks the full power of Instagram advertising.

A Quick Overview: Campaign, Ad Set, Ad

Before jumping in, it's helpful to understand the structure. Every ad campaign has three levels:

• Campaign: The top level where you set your main advertising objective (e.g., getting sales).
• Ad Set: The middle level where you define your targeting (audience), placements (where ads appear), and budget/schedule. You can have multiple ad sets in one campaign.
• Ad: The bottom level where you create your actual ad creative - the images, videos, text, and call-to-action button the user sees. You can test multiple ads in one ad set.

Step 1: Choose Your Campaign Objective

In Ads Manager, click the "Create" button to start a new campaign. Your first decision is choosing an objective. This tells Meta what you want your ads to achieve, and its algorithms will optimize delivery to get you that result.

The main objectives are:

• Awareness: Show your ads to a broad audience to increase brand recognition or reach. You're just trying to get your name out there.
• Traffic: Send people to a destination, like your website, app, or a specific landing page.
• Engagement: Get more post-engagement (likes, comments, shares), video views, or messages.
• Leads: Collect information from potential customers using options like on-platform forms or Messenger conversations.
• App Promotion: Get more people to install and use your mobile app.
• Sales: Find people likely to purchase your product or service. This is the go-to objective for e-commerce.

Step 2: Configure Your Ad Set (Audience, Placements, Budget)

Once you’ve selected an objective, you’ll move to the ad set level. Here, you'll define who you're targeting, where they'll see your ads, and how much you'll spend.

Audience Targeting: This is the most powerful part of Ads Manager.

• Core Audiences: Build an audience from scratch based on demographics (age, gender, language), location (country, city, zip code), interests (hobbies, brands they follow), and behaviors (purchase habits, device usage).
• Custom Audiences: Target people who have already interacted with your business. You can create audiences of website visitors, people who have engaged with your Instagram profile, or customers from an uploaded email list. This is perfect for retargeting.
• Lookalike Audiences: Build an audience of new people who are similar to your best existing customers. You can tell Meta to find users who "look like" your website purchasers or your most engaged Instagram followers. This is a fantastic way to find new customers.

Placements: This is where your ad will appear. While you can manually select placements (e.g., only show up in Reels or Stories), it's generally best to start with Advantage+ placements (formerly called "Automatic Placements"). This lets Meta's algorithm show your ads where they're most likely to perform well for your objective, giving you better results for less money.

Budget &, Schedule: You can set a daily budget (what you'll spend each day, on average) or a lifetime budget (a total amount for the entire campaign duration). You also set a start and end date for your campaign.

Step 3: Build Your Ad Creative

This is the fun part - designing the ad itself. You’ll select your Instagram account, and then you can either choose an existing post or create a new ad from scratch.

You can choose from several formats:

• Single Image or Video: The classic, simple format.
• Carousel: Up to 10 images or videos that users can swipe through, each with its own link. Great for showcasing multiple products or features.
• Collection: A visually rich, full-screen experience when a user taps your ad, perfect for e-commerce brands wanting to display a catalog.

For your creative, write clear and concise text (your primary text appears above the media), a compelling headline, and a crystal-clear call-to-action (CTA) like "Shop Now," "Learn More," or "Sign Up" to tell people exactly what you want them to do next.

Best Practices for Ads That Don't Get Ignored

Knowing the steps is one thing, creating an ad that actually works is another. Here are a few things to keep in mind:

• Focus on High-Quality, Authentic Visuals: Instagram is a visual platform. Use high-resolution images and videos. Content that feels native to the platform - like it could have been created by a friend - often performs better than overly polished, corporate-looking ads. Use vertical video (9:16 aspect ratio) for all your Reels and Stories placements.
• Write Copy That Speaks to a Single Person: Don't write for a "crowd." Write as if you're talking to one ideal customer. Address their pain points, speak their language, and show them how you can solve a problem for them.
• Stop the Scroll in the First 3 Seconds: Your video needs to grab attention immediately. Use movement, bright colors, or a compelling question right at the start before users have a chance to scroll past.
• Test, Test, Test: One of the biggest advantages of Ads Manager is the ability to A/B test. Create multiple versions of your ad - one with a different image, another with a new headline - and let Meta find the winner. You can also test different audiences to see which one delivers the best results. Never assume you know what will work best.

Final Thoughts

Running Instagram ads doesn't have to be complicated. By starting with a clear goal, a well-defined audience, and compelling creative, you can use the platform's powerful tools to grow your business, whether you're taking your first step with a boosted post or building out a sophisticated campaign in Ads Manager.

A strong ad campaign is always supported by a solid organic foundation. At Postbase, we designed a social media management tool made for today's visual, video-first world, making it clean and simple to plan your content calendar far in advance. By keeping your organic schedule consistent with a tool like Postbase, you create a seamless brand experience for new customers who discover you through ads, turning passing interest into a long-term following.