What Are Instagram Ads?

Instagram Ads allow brands to advertise online while also showcasing their creative side through images, videos, and other visual content.

Instagram shows advertisements throughout the Feed, Stories, Explore page, and other sections.

They have a similar appearance to regular posts but are always marked as sponsored to clarify that distinction.

Additionally, they frequently include additional elements than a standard post, including links, CTA buttons, and product catalogs.

Types Of Instagram Ads

There are different categories of Instagram ads, depending on their format.

1. Photo Ads

There are 2 types of Instagram photo ads – A single photo ad and a Carousel ad.

The photo ad looks just like another regular post, except it's labeled as sponsored.

This type of ad is great if you have a specific product you want to promote or simply don't have enough content to share. Another great trick is to use it as a teaser – one photo at a time, making your followers curious and wanting more. 

2. Stories Ads

Every day, more than 500 million people watch Instagram stories. Using images or videos is an excellent advertising opportunity since Stories allow both. They will appear organically among other users' stories, reaching a broad audience.

3. Video Ads

Video ads have 3x more engagement than photos. Videos are an excellent tool to show what your brand is about. It makes room for a more sincere relationship with your audience.

They are more willing to work with you and make purchases from you when they feel like they know your brand.

On Instagram, video ads can be placed in a variety of ways.

These options include Stories, Reels, In-Stream video ads, and Explore.

4. Carousel Ads

A carousel ad is a format where you can combine several photos or videos into one ad.

The average post engagement rate for carousel postings is 1.92 percent, as opposed to 1.74 percent for photographs and 1.45 percent for videos.

5. Collection Ads

People may find, browse, and buy products and services from their mobile devices in a visual and engaging way by using the collection format in the Instagram feed.

A cover image or video is followed by three product images in an Instagram collection ad.

6. Explore Ads

Advertisers have the chance to reach out to new audiences, be a part of what's popular and relevant culturally, and connect with consumers who are eager to learn something new by running ads in Explore.

Use current feed assets to your advantage in this new placement to reach more people in more locations.

7. Shopping Ads

These ads are designed to lead users not following you to your product detail page. They will get more information about the product and how to buy it by tapping a product tag.

8. Reels Ads

Like regular videos, Reels ads can be up to 60 seconds long. People can leave comments, like, save, share or skip these ads.

Best Instagram Ads Examples

Let's review examples from each category and see why they stand out.

1. Lego

Lego is a world-famous toy brand. They make building toys and brick sets for creating endless models. In addition, they are known for their creative campaigns, bright colors, and stunning visuals.

What makes this Photo ad great?

• Creative image – This visual is an exciting solution, appealing to kids and parents. It shows what you can build with their elements using your imagination.

• Bold colors – These fun and vibrant colors match the logo and the representation of the brand.

• Brand awareness – Lego doesn't simply put an image of their brick set and calls it done. They create a fun and engaging community, showing what you can achieve with their products, and raising brand awareness further.

• CTA using hashtags – By inviting their followers to share their work using relevant hashtags, they can use UGC for further engagement.

This is another ad for this campaign but in Video format.

What makes this Video ad great?

• This animated stop motion video sparks joy. It’s a fun and creative way of showing the product.

• The bottom half of the video shows 3 images of the actual sets, which is very informative.

• CTA – Clicking on the Learn More feature leads you to the Lego product page.

2. Moleskine

Moleskine is an Italian manufacturer of quality journals, notebooks, books, bags, and other stationery.

They are famous for their high-quality and impeccably made notebooks with genuine leather covers.

Lately, they've come up with the Smart writing system that instantly transfers your handwritten notes from the paper to the screen

What makes this Photo ad great?

• It shows the product – It is clear what product you are selling.

• Setting – Since the ad is active during summer, it captures the vibe of someone sitting on a beach and doodling in their Moleskine notebook.

• Clear CTA – The simple Learn more CTA leads interested viewers to the product page.

• Short and concise text – The focus is on the photo, with a brief product explanation.  

Moleskine incorporated its campaign theme through different formats, such as this Video.

What makes this Video ad great?

• It shows how to use this product – Since this is an innovative product, it is vital to show potential customers how to use it.

• Clearly defined audience – This ad targets artsy people already familiar with the brand who are willing to take their art to the next level.

3. LEVI’S

LEVI'S is a renowned clothing company, primarily famous for its jeans.

However, they have been around for quite some time and made legendary clothes.

What makes this Video ad great?

• Following the brand's overall aesthetic, this video is light and casual, without being in your face.

• Informative caption –We learn from the caption what this ad is about. Following the CTA, we can learn more about this collection from their website.

4. Starbucks

Even if you are not a coffee lover, you've heard about Starbucks. Loved by many, they offer a variety of coffee flavors to enjoy wherever you are.

What makes this Photo ad great?

• Setting – When you look at this photo, you can feel the cozy atmosphere of home. It invites you to buy this product, but in a subtle way.

• Colors – The color scheme is soothing and easy on the eyes.

‍What makes this Video ad great?

• It shows 3 different coffee blends in one video but remains in the theme.

• The caption is short, with only key sentences, but it conveys the message.

• In the caption, it uses the relevant Hashtag.

5. Bookdepository

Bookdepository is one of the biggest online bookstores in the world.

What makes this Photo ad great?

• It's funny – Since many people enjoy summer vacations, this is a perfect ad for this time of the year.

• Font – The retro, 70's inspired font goes perfectly with the theme

• It's informative – After the vibrant and humorous photo catches your attention, you can find all the relevant information in the caption.

6. Cartier

Cartier, as a brand, is associated with luxury. In this ad, they showed how timeless their products are by showing celebrities wearing their jewelry through decades. 

  What makes this Video ad great?

• It's nostalgic – These stunning photographs show some long passed time but are still valuable today.

• It draws attention to the product – In every photo, the piece of jewelry is marked with a prominent red color to stand out.

• You can see 3 images of the product in the bottom half of the video.

7. Dogostore

This store is famous for having unique prints on its shoes and bags.

In this ad, they chose the Carousel ad to showcase different products at once.

 What makes this Photo ad great?

• The background is simple, and the colors go well together, but the picture is not busy.

• Text – The focus is on the product, with only necessary information in the image.

8. Spotify

Spotify is a well known digital music streaming service.

This ad catches your attention and makes you want to watch until the end.

What makes this Video ad great?

• It is fun and engaging – It uses humor and well-known family trips situations to draw attention to their service.

• It's informative without overpowering the video.

• Simple CTA

9. Domestika

Domestika is an online creative community where many professionals offer well-designed and engaging courses.

In this Carousel Ad, Domestica shows some of the courses they offer.

What makes this Photo Ad great?

• Simple yet visually pleasing images 

• The product is shown on the clean background

• Every image has a separate caption

 10. McDonald's

One of the most famous fast-food chains, Mcdonald's, is easily recognizable.

They opted for the Carousel ad in this case. So let's see what makes it stand out.

What makes this Photo Ad great?

• Using brand colors in a subtle way

• Using real-life situations makes this ad relatable

• CTA – Clear call-to-action invites the customer to order their products

Now that you've seen some great examples, how to choose the best format?

Stories, Video, and Reels ads are better for driving video views. In contrast, Shopping and Collection ads will be best for driving eCommerce purchases.

How Can Glorify Help You With Instagram Ads?

If you are still unsure about different formats and how to be consistent without compromising image quality – don't worry!

Glorify has all the means necessary to help you along the way without wasting time.

1. Templates library offers hundreds of customizable templates.

Simply type in Instagram in the Search box and choose the one you want.

Since templates are fully adjustable, you can change the background, font, or colors.

2. If you already have a design you like and want to use for different platforms, Smart resize is the tool. It allows you to stay consistent without compromising on the image quality.

3. Brand it like a pro with the Brand kit. You can upload your own font and colors or create a logo. If you are unfamiliar with designing, use templates or predefined color palettes.

4. Be creative using Icons, Shapes, Lines, Effect, and more.

5. When you are happy with the final result, you can save it , or download it.

Also, Glorify is a beginner-friendly app, but if you need extra help – you can find video tutorials explaining everything you need to know in detail.

Conclusion

Instagram is an excellent platform for advertising. Using Instagram for business can increase audience engagement, revenue, and brand exposure.

Finding customers where they are already spending time on Instagram is a great strategy.

Start creating engaging Instagram ads today using Glorify!