How to Run Ads on Instagram Without Facebook

Thinking you need to be a Facebook Ads Manager wizard to run ads on Instagram? Think again. You can create effective advertising campaigns directly within the Instagram app, no desktop, no complicated dashboards, and definitely no headaches required. This guide will walk you through exactly how to run Instagram ads without ever leaving the app, from setting up your account to launching and monitoring your first promotion.

Why Run Instagram Ads Directly From the App?

While the full-blown Facebook Ads Manager offers a massive suite of powerful, granular tools, it can also be incredibly overwhelming for newcomers, small business owners, or content creators. The interface is complex, filled with terminology and options that require a steep learning curve. The good news? Instagram built a streamlined advertising tool right into its own app for this exact reason.

Running ads directly from the Instagram app is brilliantly simple. It’s designed for speed and convenience, allowing you to react quickly to a post that’s performing well and put some money behind it in just a few taps. It’s the perfect entry point for anyone who wants to amplify their best content, drive traffic to their website, or get more people visiting their profile without getting bogged down in advanced campaign settings.

Before You Start: Two Essential Steps

Before you can boost your first post, there are two small but necessary things you need to have in place. If you've already done these, feel free to skip ahead.

1. Switch to a Business or Creator Account

To access advertising tools and performance insights, you need to be using a professional account. Personal accounts can't run ads. Switching is free, simple, and gives you a ton of benefits beyond just advertising.

• Go to your Instagram profile and tap the hamburger menu (three horizontal lines) in the top-right corner.
• Tap Settings and privacy.
• Scroll down and tap Account type and tools.
• Tap Switch to professional account and follow the on-screen prompts. You’ll be able to choose a category that best describes what you do (e.g., Artist, Blogger, Clothing Brand) and decide between a "Creator" or "Business" account. For most running ads, "Business" is the most direct choice.

2. Set Up a Payment Method

Instagram needs a way to bill you for your ads. You can add a payment method directly in the app.

• From your profile, tap the hamburger menu again and go to Settings and privacy.
• Tap Business tools and controls (or Creator tools and controls).
• Select Ad payments.
• Tap Payment methods and add a credit/debit card or PayPal account.

Once these two steps are complete, you’re ready to start promoting your content.

Step-by-Step Guide: How to Promote an Existing Instagram Post

Promoting a post that's already performing well organically is the easiest way to get started with Instagram ads. It’s already proven to resonate with an audience, so putting money behind it gives it a supercharged reach.

Step 1: Choose a High-Performing Post to Promote

Don’t just pick a random post. Scour your Instagram feed and look for content that has already generated solid engagement - lots of likes, comments, shares, and especially saves. These performance metrics are strong indicators that the content provides value and is worth amplifying. You can find these analytics by tapping the View insights link underneath any of your posts.

Step 2: Tap the "Boost Post" Button

Once you’ve selected your winning post, navigate to it on your profile grid. Below the image or video on the right-hand side, you’ll see a blue Boost post button. Tap it to begin the ad setup process.

Step 3: Select Your Goal

Instagram will ask you what results you’d like from this ad. Your choice here should align with your business objective for this specific promotion. The options are straightforward:

• More Profile Visits: This is a great choice if your goal is to grow your follower base. The ad’s call-to-action will be "View Instagram Profile," driving traffic directly to your page where users can choose to follow you.
• More Website Visits: If you want to drive traffic to your online store, blog, or landing page, this is the goal for you. You'll be prompted to enter a website URL, and your ad will feature a clickable button like "Learn More," "Shop Now," or "Sign Up."
• More Messages: Select this if your goal is to start conversations with potential customers. The ad will encourage users to send you a message via Instagram Direct. This is fantastic for service-based businesses, lead generation, or selling high-ticket items.

Step 4: Define Your Target Audience

This is where you tell Instagram who you want to see your ad. Getting this right is monumentally important for your ad's success. You have two main options:

Automatic Audience

If you choose “Automatic,” Instagram will create an audience for you based on people who are similar to your existing followers. For your very first ad, this can be a surprisingly effective, "set it and forget it" option to test the waters.

Create Your Own Audience

For more control, select “Create your own.” This opens up a simple but powerful audience-building tool where you can define your target based on a few key criteria:

• Location: You can target by country, state, city, or even set a local radius around a specific address. For a brick-and-mortar business like a cafe or boutique, targeting people within a few miles is a highly effective strategy.
• Interests: This is where you can really narrow down your audience. Think about what your ideal customer is interested in. If you sell hiking gear, you can target people interested in "hiking," "outdoors," and "camping." Be specific but not *too* narrow on your first go.
• Age &, Gender: Define the age range and gender of the people you want to reach.

Give your audience a memorable name (e.g., "Austin Coffee Lovers 25-45") so you can easily reuse it for future campaigns. This is where you can start experimenting and find out what really works for your brand.

Step 5: Set Your Budget and Duration

Next, you’ll tell Instagram how much you want to spend and for how long. You set a total budget for the campaign, and Instagram will work to spend it evenly over the duration you set.

Don't feel like you need a huge budget to see results. A great starting point is to run the ad for 3-5 days with a budget of $5-$10 per day. This is enough to gather some initial data on what’s working without breaking the bank. You can always increase the budget later or extend an ad that is performing well.

Step 6: Review and Launch Your Ad

Finally, Instagram will show you a summary of your entire ad setup: your goal, audience, budget, duration, and the payment method. Double-check everything to make sure it's correct. Once you're satisfied, tap the Boost Post button at the bottom.

Your ad will then be submitted for review, a process that usually takes a few minutes but can sometimes last up to 24 hours. Once approved, your ad will go live and start reaching a wider audience!

Beyond Posts: When to Use the "Ad Tools" Button

You’re not just limited to boosting existing posts. From your profile, you can tap the Ad tools button to create an ad from scratch. This allows you to promote content that doesn't live permanently on your profile feed, such as a Story, or simply run an ad using an image or video specifically shot for advertising purposes. The setup flow is nearly identical to boosting a post - you just start from the Ad Tools section instead.

Pros and Cons: App Promotions vs. Facebook Ads Manager

To give you the full picture, it's important to understand what you're getting - and what you're leaving behind - by using the in-app tools.

Pros of Advertising from the Instagram App

• Incredibly Simple &, Fast: You can launch a campaign in under five minutes.
• User-Friendly Interface: There's no technical jargon or confusing menus.
• Perfect for Beginners: It's the most accessible way to start digital advertising.
• Convenient: Do everything right from your phone, wherever you are.

Cons of Advertising from the Instagram App

• Limited Targeting: You miss out on advanced targeting options like Lookalike Audiences (finding users similar to your best customers) and detailed retargeting (reaching people who have interacted with your website or app).
• Fewer Customization Options: You can't perform A/B tests on different creatives or audiences, and you have less control over specific ad placements (e.g., you can't *only* run your ad in Reels).
• Less Detailed Analytics: While the in-app insights are helpful, they are far less comprehensive than the reporting available within the full Ads Manager.

Final Thoughts

Running ads directly on Instagram is a powerful and accessible strategy for growing your reach, driving traffic, and engaging with potential customers without getting lost in the complexity of the full Facebook Ads suite. By following the steps above, you can confidently turn your best-performing content into an effective tool for achieving your business goals.

While ads get your content in front of new audiences, managing the day-to-day organic strategy is where you build trust and community. We designed Postbase to streamline exactly that. Our visual calendar helps you seamlessly plan and schedule content across all your platforms, including those high-performing Reels and videos you'll want to promote later, so your organic and paid strategies work together perfectly, not against each other.