Instagram Ads

Ads built for the thumb-stop moment.

Instagram is a visual-first platform — and advertising on it works differently to Facebook. Reels with native edits. Stories that don't look like ads. Feed posts that earn saves, not just impressions. Creative built for each surface.

your.brand

Each surface earns its own creative approach.

Repurposing a Feed static as a Reel is the fastest way to waste budget. Same for trying to force a Story into a Feed carousel. Each placement needs native thinking.

Reels

What works

Hook in the first 1.5s. On-screen text large and readable. Vertical-native composition. Native trending sounds outperform custom audio. Captions always on.

What to avoid

Static card with voiceover. Letterboxed landscape video. Logo lock-up in first 3 seconds. Brand-forward openers that wait for the punchline.

Stories

What works

Full-bleed image or video. CTA clearly positioned in lower third (thumb reach). Interactive elements (polls, sliders) for engagement. Single punchy message — no frame-by-frame build.

What to avoid

Dense text blocks. Feed-style square compositions with large borders. Multi-step brand story spread across 5 frames — viewer taps out at frame 2.

Feed

What works

Save-worthy value (how-to, before/after, checklist). Caption that earns the first line click-to-expand. Carousels for depth. 4:5 aspect ratio for maximum screen.

What to avoid

Square formats (smaller in feed). Generic product shots with prices. Caption that's just a CTA with no content hook.

Explore

What works

Standalone creative that works without brand recognition. Visual hook that makes the grid square pop. Lower sales-language, higher curiosity. Typically discovery-focused, not conversion-focused.

What to avoid

Assuming the viewer already knows your brand. Hard-CTA creative — viewers here are browsing, not shopping. Text-heavy images that don't scale down.

What drives IG performance in 2026

Two levers that matter more than targeting.

2.4×

CTR vs produced ads

UGC-style creative

Creator-looking content beats polished brand production on IG, every time. We coordinate with creators (paid or whitelisting), script the hook, edit for ad format. The stat above comes from our ecomm client accounts averaged over 12 months.

Our execution

Sourcing creators aligned with brand voice

Whitelisting vs paid partnership — when each wins

Scripting hooks that don't look scripted

Rights and usage windows documented

38%

Lower CPA on tagged product ads

Shopping tags

Instagram Shop still drives lower CPA than untagged catalogue ads for ecomm, despite Shop tab being deprioritised in-app. Tags work in Reels, Stories, and Feed — we implement tagging at scale and wire catalogue feed to Meta Commerce Manager.

Our execution

Catalogue feed validation (price, availability, brand)

Product tagging in organic + paid posts

Collection ads with dynamic catalogue

Advantage+ Catalogue campaigns where ROAS warrants

Engagement signals ranked

Not all engagement is equal on Instagram.

We track these in priority order when judging whether creative is working — before looking at CPA.

Saves

Strongest intent signal. Someone wants to come back to this. Saves predict conversion lift by 60%+ in our accounts.

Shares (to DM)

Social proof in action. Genuine word-of-mouth. Weighted heavily by the IG algorithm for distribution.

Watch-through (Reels)

For Reels specifically, % watched completely is the single best creative indicator. 65%+ is a strong cut-line.

Comments

Depth matters more than count. One substantial comment outweighs ten emoji replies. Sentiment analysis matters.

Likes

Lowest-signal engagement. Useful directionally only. Someone liking an ad has told you very little.

Where Instagram wins — and doesn't

Industries that get disproportionate lift.

Strong fit

Fashion & apparel

Beauty & skincare

Home & lifestyle goods

Food & drink brands

Hospitality & travel

Fitness & wellness

Jewellery & accessories

Art & design products

Mixed fit

Professional services (with strong visual output)

B2B SaaS with consumer-crossover

Local services (gyms, salons, restaurants)

Real estate (visual stock essential)

Education & courses (B2C mostly)

Not a good fit

Enterprise B2B with long sales cycles, regulated sectors (crypto, gambling, certain medical), or businesses with zero visual stock. Instagram can still contribute indirectly (brand awareness, talent brand) but direct response usually underperforms LinkedIn or Google Search for these.

Frequently asked

Instagram Ads questions.

Often yes, but not always. If you're paying for Meta Ads, including Facebook placement typically adds reach at marginal cost. But for some brands — beauty, fashion, lifestyle — Instagram-only campaigns genuinely outperform when Facebook audiences would dilute creative learning. We decide per campaign.

Yes — this is where whitelisting comes in. Creator runs the ad from their own handle with your ad account paying. Higher CTR than branded ads, compliant with Meta policy. We coordinate contracts, rights, and technical setup.

You can run paid ads without a big organic following, but Instagram Shopping requires a business account. We help set up the business account properly (shop approval, pixel, catalogue) as part of onboarding. No organic posting requirement to run ads.

TikTok rewards chaos and raw editing; Instagram still rewards a degree of polish and aesthetic. But the line blurs every year — Reels increasingly mimic TikTok. Creator content on IG can look almost identical to TikTok; UGC works equally well across both.

Related services

Pairs well with Instagram Ads

Older-skew Meta audiences

Your IG feed deserves creative that works.

Send us your best and worst-performing Instagram ads from the last 90 days. We'll tell you why each landed where it did, and suggest the first three creative tests we'd run next.