Instagram advert is an effective way to share your content with the platform’s one billion users. They’re invaluable for rising your followers, constructing your brand, and driving sales.
The important thing to a successful Instagram ad strategy is experimenting and refining. Rapidly generating and testing adverts will help you learn quickly what works greatest for your brand and your target audience. You don’t need to spend a ton of time on each one—you just need to know the most important elements of an awesome advert.
In this post, we’ll guide you through creating an ideal Instagram advert in only 10 minutes. We also have a step-by-step breakdown of the art of Instagram ads, when you need a more detailed primer.
Note: To run the Instagram advert, you’ll need to set up an Instagram business account and then link to your company’s Facebook Page.
Ready? Let’s go!
Minute 1: Set your purpose
Decide what action you need people to take once they see your Instagram advert. An Instagram advert isn’t like a Swiss army knife: it should have only one goal.
Are you promoting a new product? Sharing a limited-time offer? Raising awareness about your brand? Select the objective that best aligns with your advertising target. It needs to be clear and easy, to you and your viewers.
This goal is the foundation of your advert, so keep it in mind for the next 9 minutes.
Minutes 2 + 3: Consider your audience
Next, take a few minutes to decide who you need to reach with your advert. Understanding your followers is key to creating adverts that catch their attention and make them want to click on. When you have them, audience personas could be useful here too!
Here are a few ideas to remember:
Stay focused
In case your purpose is to reach as many people as possible, it could be tempting to leave your audience filters wide open. However honing in on a specific segment or demographic will provide you with more useful data about your audience’s preferences and interests, and ultimately help you refine your advert strategy.
Do you want to share an in-store promotion or drive registration for an upcoming time? Narrow your followers by location, like the instance above. Attempting to reach new customers? Use a lookalike audience to search out people who share similarities with your existing customers.
Don’t wear out your welcome
There’s one thing that all audiences on Instagram have in common: a short attention span. You don’t want people to get bored of your Instagram advert, so set it to expire after a week or two. Then you can take what you’ve learned and put it in action for your next 10-minute advert.
Minutes 4 + 5: Add a compelling image
Now we’re ready for everybody’s favorite a part of Instagram: the visuals.
Adverts on Instagram can take the form of images or videos, in the Feed or as Stories. For the purposes of this 10-minute overview, we’re sticking with the OG: a Photo Advert.
Right here’s how to decide on an excellent photo, fast:
Choose a representative image
Your advert needs to be aligned with the rest of your brand identity, as well as the landing page that your followers will see once they click on (more on that at minute 9!) Think of it as a window display for a shop: it’s a curated take a look at what’s inside.
To that end, ensure your picture aligns with the rest of your brand identity! When somebody clicks on your advert, the experience on the other side should mirror the look of your advert.
Stick to high-quality photos
Instagram has always been a visuals-first platform, and that rule applies to adverts too. No matter how incredible your offer is, in case you’re leading with a lackluster picture, your followers will just scroll on to the perfectly-lit brunch post below.
When you need a crash course in Instagram photos, you could learn how to take an awesome photo using only your phone and how to edit to perfection.
The maximum size for an Instagram photo is 1936 x 1936 pixels. Stick to that size to make sure your picture isn’t blurry or grainy and looks sharp on every screen.
Showcase the offer
When you’re selling a specific offer and aiming for conversions, it could help to include the offer right in the picture. Just ensure you’re not sacrificing quality for directness. Your advert still needs to stand out and appeal to your viewers. To paraphrase Tyra Banks: Convert, but make it fashion.
Evoke emotion
Think about your followers again. How would you like them to feel once they see your advert? What will appeal to them and make them want to click on?
For example, you could appeal to their sense of humor by utilizing a cheeky visual or a humorous photo.
Or you can create a different type of mood that displays your brand or offer. For example, Flax Sleep is making a tranquil, cozy vibe that makes you want to crawl into bed—which is perfect because they’re a bedding firm.
Minutes 6 – 8: Craft your copy
Stunning photos could be the foundation of Instagram, however, captions are invaluable for driving engagement and displaying your brand’s personality.
You do not need to be a wordsmith to create a killer caption. Just follow a few simple principles.
Stay focused
Keep in mind six minutes ago if you set a goal for your marketing campaign?
No matter your advert goal is should be reflected in your caption. Use direct, compelling language, in order that your followers are clear about what’s waiting beyond that click on.
Don’t overthink this! Imagine how you would describe your offer or merchandise in a single sentence to a friend. It doesn’t need to be fancy to achieve outcomes.
A useful shortcut when writing captions are to borrow wording from your landing page. This consistent messaging will build trust and reinforce your offer.
Use your character count wisely
You may include up to 2,200 characters in an Instagram advert caption. But unless you’re promoting some type of quantum mechanical time machine, you probably don’t need that much space to explain your offer.
Since only the first few lines will be seen without clicking for more, place the most important details at the beginning of your caption.
Don’t feel like you need to use up every character if you could make your point in less. Your picture is worth a thousand words, so your caption could be brief!
Create urgency
How can you compel people to act now? Encourage followers to click by emphasizing that your offer is limited in time or quantity. Right here’s an effective example from Girlfriend:
Show your personality
Your adverts are a part of your overall brand identity, and they need to reflect your values and character. Don’t get so concentrated on the details of your offer that you abandon your authentic voice.
Particularly if you’re concentrating on awareness (rather than conversions or engagement), your caption is your chance to make a memorable first impression.
Minutes 9 + 10: Add the finishing touches
You’re nearly done! Just a few final steps as you wrap up your advert.
Select your destination
Where are you sending people once they click on your advert? A clear, focused landing page will drive conversions and reinforce your offer.
Wherever you send them, ensure the next step — whether it’s a purchase, subscription, or sign up — is crystal clear!
Add the CTA
Instagram has a menu of CTA buttons, which will appear between your picture and caption. Select the one that aligns with the message in your copy and the purpose of your marketing campaign.
Preview your masterpiece
Time to take a moment to check your work and take a look at the advert as a whole. Don’t race through this step! You still have one whole minute.
Is an important part of your offer getting cut off? Rearrange your copy. Is your CTA redundant? Edit your caption, or switch up your CTA choice.
That is also your moment to triple-check spelling, grammar, and tone. It’s wonderful (and embarrassing) how simple it’s to miss your own typos. For peace of mind, I always ask someone else to have a glance before I take my adverts to live.
And that’s it! You nailed the perfect Instagram advert in only 10 minutes. The best part is, this advert cycle will provide you with new insights to inform your social media marketing strategy. Good luck!