Why you should start with Instagram Stories Ads

Informative

Why you should start with Instagram Stories Ads

Sanne Kruis

The Marketing Manager of The Next Ad.

Jan 12, 2018

Since the launch of Instagram Stories in 2016, the feature has been growing and maturing into a channel of its own. Catch your audience’s attention in a split-second and be part of the story.

Back in the days, in 2016, Instagram launched Instagram Stories, a 24-hour, self-destructing video and photo stream, which is similar to Snapchat Stories. The feature has since been growing and maturing into a channel of its own. Catch your audience’s attention in a split-second and be part of the story with Instagram Stories Ads.

What is Stories (Ads)?

Over 250 million people use Instagram Stories every day, which makes Stories one of Instagram’s most useful features. Stories are temporary videos or photos that are strung together to form a slideshow gallery that tells a story.

Running ads on Instagram Stories allow you to insert a short advertisement between users’ stories. The ads fit the format of a story, keeping the user experience consistent and flow uninterrupted.

The Next Ad presents …

With the new release of The Next Ad, we now support the ad format Instagram Story. You’re able to create Instagram Stories Ads using Video or Photo, including the ability to create Multiple Ads. Currently, Instagram Stories can only be linked to an ad set that is exclusively set up for the Instagram Stories placement. Please note that they can’t be linked to ad sets that contain other placements.

As Instagram is part of Facebook, there are a lot of benefits for you as an advertiser. Ads that run on Stories in Instagram use the same targeting and measurement tools as ads that run on Facebook. You can capture audiences who have seen ads in their stories and target them on Facebook or Instagram feed. You can also run stories ads targeted at audiences that have seen your ad on Facebook or Instagram feed.

Airbnb & Instagram Stories

Why should you use Instagram Stories Ads? In the pre-launch of Stories Ads, Airbnb ran a campaign reaching incredible results which will prove it.

Airbnb ran a series of 15-second video adverts in stories to build awareness and buzz around its largest product launch to date: experiences on Airbnb. With its Stories campaign, the company saw a double-digit point increase in advert recall. Additionally, when people were asked to identify a company for travelers to find and book local tours, activities, and experiences, the campaign saw a statistically significant lift in those that selected Airbnb.

How to get started

So, now you know what Instagram Stories Ads is about and why it’s beneficial to you in multiple ways, it’s time to walk you through the guide how to get started.

7 easy steps to create your first Instagram Stories Ads Campaign

Go ahead and create a campaign
Select the buying type you prefer: Auction or Reach & Frequency
Followed by one of the following objectives that support Instagram Stories Ads: Brand awareness, App Installs, Reach, Video views, Conversions, Lead Generation or Traffic
In the Ad Set (Audiences) section, create an ad set and click Placements to select the Instagram Stories placement. Good to know is that Instagram Stories can’t be combined with any other placements at the same time.
Go on to the Ads section and start creating an Instagram Stories Ads as Photo, Video or Multiple Ads.
In the next and final step before publication, go on to the campaign optimisation section and turn on Hyper Optimisation for the best performance.
You’re ready to go! Publish the Instagram Stories Ads!

Tips & Tricks

Use live action content
Instagram Stories mainly feature real-life scenes. Graphic videos will break up this user experience and doesn’t match what people are seeing in other Stories. Therefore graphics are more likely to clearly stand out as an ad.

Re-engage with fans
Existing fans are more likely to engage with your ad since they already showed their interest in your content. Therefore it would be highly relevant to target people with Instagram ads that have liked your content on Facebook’s platform.

Follow the recommended Ad Creative specs for Instagram Story:

Length: Up to 10 seconds (Photo) and 15 seconds (Video)
Recommended Aspect Ratio: Vertical (9:16)
Sound: Enabled with captions include
Recommended format: .mp4, .mov or .gif
Resolution: 1080 x 1920 pixels (600 x 1067px minimum)
File size: Up to 4 GB max

Track performance of your Ads using UTMs
Stories Ads offer you multiple call to action buttons. Make sure you have a clear call to action that leads people to swipe up for a link to your website. Include a UTM parameter – using our automatic UTM builder in the ad creator – to track how people are engaging with your content.