What is an Instagram Story Ad?

An Instagram Story ad is a full-screen, vertical short video, infographic, or image that appears in between users' Stories.

Its purpose is to capture attention and prompt users to take action. Furthermore, Instagram Story ads can be a great way to promote your brand or product.

What Makes Instagram Story Ads so Popular?

Let’s see what makes Instagram story ads so popular:

1. They're visually appealing and eye-catching. And we aren’t talking only about visuals here.

What makes Instagram Story ads so captivating is their sheer size. Since they take up a large portion of the screen, it is almost impossible to miss them. 

2. They're easy to create and don't require a lot of time or resources. 

3.  They play on FOMO ( Fear of Missing Out). 

Viewers can’t save Instagram Story ads, so they tend to react on their impulses and click the link or a CTA button.

4. They offer a unique way to tell your brand's story and connect with your customers on a more personal level.

In addition, statistics show that customers love stories, too. 

According to the survey from Ipsos, 50% of the surveyed say they visited a website to buy a product or service after seeing it in Stories. 

The same source says that 58% of the surveyed say they became more interested in a brand or product because of seeing it in Stories.

Now that we’ve covered the basics let’s dive in and check the best Instagram Story Ad examples for the following year so you can see how to boost engagement, tapi into a new audience and raise brand awareness.

8 Best Instagram Story Ad Examples

There are two main types of Instagram Story ads: video ads and still image ads. We’re going to show you the best examples from both worlds.

Instagram Story Video Ads

1. Show Your Product in Action

Considering that viewers can’t try your product or service before buying it, it’s great to show your product in action.

The guys behind this app had the same thing in mind, so they demonstrated how their product works.

Furthermore, they included a clear and visible CTA.

The following example followed the same logic.

This company also showcased its products and showed the layers of a mattress.

The colors also blend in perfectly and all the hues of blue create a night and relaxing atmosphere, perfect for diving into bed and falling asleep. 

Bonus Tip: Simba also segmented its audience into the group which visited its site and the group that added a product to their basket. 

And then, Simba started testing various types of ads to discover what works best for each segment of a customer journey.

The main takeaway? Try different types of content and visuals until you hit the jackpot. It takes a lot of effort and testing.

2. Ask Questions

Another great way to make your ads more engaging is to ask questions. 

For example, you can ask your audience to give their feedback on your product or service. Moreover, you can ask them to share their thoughts on your new product or what they would like to see your brand creates in the future, etc.

Asking questions has multiple benefits. 

Not only does it increase engagement, but it also shows your audience that you care about their opinion, and ultimately that you care about your customers.

3. Know Your Audience

It is crucial that you know your audience. You can have the most creative and visually striking images, but it is in vain if they aren’t tailored to your audience.

Therefore, create visuals that your audience can identify themselves with. Take a look at the example below.

Pepe Jeans wanted to cater to a younger audience, and the whole ad, although black and white, has a youthful and energetic vibe.

Furthermore, it stars Dua Lipa, the brand ambassador and a popular artist among the younger generation. 

Working with influencers is an excellent way to spread the word and have a wider reach. 

Of course, they don’t have to be a celebrity. You can find lots of micro-influencers important for your line of business.

Another great example of knowing your audience comes from TIJN Eyewear. Using a GIF-style ad, they displayed 8 products in an energetic way.

This is an effective way to display more than one product and build brand awareness.

Although video ads are generally more popular, it doesn’t mean that static images are less powerful and impactful.

Now, let’s check some of the best Instagram Story ad examples of images and key takeaways.

Instagram Story Image Ads

1. Pique Interest

A great way to get your audience interested is to pique their interest.

For example, the Instagram Story ad above slowly reveals the content until the last frame. 

A good thing about this type of ad is that it has an element of fun or quiz in it. And let’s be honest, who doesn't like games?

This brings us to our next example.

2. Use a Poll Feature

If you use still images, you can make your ads more interactive with poll stickers. They are fun and have that ‘game’ element we’ve mentioned.

In addition, they do require a viewer to stop for a second and interact with your brand.

Having polls as an option gives your ads a more personal and natural touch, and is less salesy. 

3. Show Your Logo

No matter what kind of visual or copy you use, don’t forget to include your brand’s logo. Together with a CTA, it is an essential part of your Instagram Story Ad. It is a way for a new audience to remember you.

Including a logo helps you raise brand awareness and become recognizable immediately.

4. Include Audio

Whether you create a video or image Instagram Story ad, it would be a pity not to include audio. 

It is redundant to talk about the positive and powerful effects of music. Music is such a powerful trigger.

You can select various sound effects, voice-overs, and music. A 2018 survey showed that over 60% of viewers view stories with the sound on.

It will definitely engage your audience more and draw them in.

The time has come to see how you can create engaging and captivating Instagram Story ads even if you are a non-designer.

How to Create Instagram Ad Stories with Glorify?

Glorify is a graphic design tool but also a powerful social media and marketing campaign tool that helps create converting visuals

It especially targets eCommerce store owners and non-designers and offers them an intuitive dashboard where you can create stunning visuals very quickly and in a few clicks.

This versatility is best seen in Glorify’s features. Let’s just mention the ones important for creating Instagram Story ads:

• Template gallery with hundreds of templates in the right size for all your business needs.

• Photo editing tools to resize, edit, remove background, change the font, colors, etc.

• Marketing transformation which offers pre-made templates that you can use across all marketing campaigns.

• Brand Kit that helps you stay uniform and consistent across all the channels and centralize all your branding assets in one place.

• Highlight product feature that highlights the most prominent features of your product, but it is also handy for creating charts and diagrams,

• And many more.

So what happens when you land on Glorify’s dashboard?

You will see two panels, one on the left and one on the right. 

The left hosts all the editing features and tools, whereas the right hosts layers, text changes, fonts and sizes, BG remover, etc.

When you click on the “+” button, as in the image above, you will get a selection of images, shapes, arrows, brand kits and logos, effects, etc., which you can use to edit the image.

You literally just need to click on the elements you want to add and change.

It is super intuitive and smooth. Once you are satisfied, you can save your design in multiple formats.

Wrapping It Up

Creating Instagram Story ads is a necessity if you really want your brand to be seen and recognized. 

Don’t forget to keep it simple and clean, and have your target audience in mind while creating. Make sure to include your brand logo as well.

Our examples are there to inspire you and get you started, but we all know that coming up with ideas takes time.

However, with Glorify, you can at least save time when it comes to design.

So, sign up today to create Instagram story ads that will set the trend in 2023.