How to Place an Advertisement on Instagram : Step by Step

Instagram has evolved from a simple photo-sharing platform into one of the world’s most powerful advertising channels, with over 2 billion active users worldwide. Whether you’re a small business owner, entrepreneur, or marketing professional, Instagram’s advertising platform offers unprecedented access to highly targeted audiences. This comprehensive guide walks you through the process of creating and launching your first Instagram advertisement.

Prerequisites: Setting Up Your Foundation

Before diving into ad creation, you need two essential components: a Facebook Page and an Instagram Business or Creator account. Instagram advertising operates through Meta’s Ads Manager, which requires connection to a Facebook Page since Facebook owns Instagram. If you haven’t already, convert your personal Instagram account to a business account by navigating to Settings, selecting Account, and choosing “Switch to Professional Account.” This unlocks advertising capabilities and provides access to analytics tools.

Step 1: Access Meta Ads Manager

Begin by logging into Facebook and navigating to Meta Ads Manager at business.facebook.com/adsmanager. Alternatively, access Ads Manager directly from your Facebook Page by clicking “Ad Center” or through the dropdown menu in the top-right corner of Facebook. First-time users will need to set up an ad account by providing business information, country, currency, and payment details. This one-time setup establishes your advertising framework.

Step 2: Create a New Campaign

Click the green “Create” button to launch the campaign creation process. Meta’s advertising structure operates on three levels: Campaign, Ad Set, and Ad. At the campaign level, select your marketing objective from options including awareness, traffic, engagement, leads, app promotion, or sales. For Instagram beginners, “Engagement” or “Traffic” objectives work well for building initial momentum. Choose whether to use Meta’s Advantage campaign budget (automated distribution) or manual budget control.

Step 3: Configure Your Ad Set

The ad set level determines where, when, and to whom your ads appear. Start by naming your ad set something descriptive like “Instagram Feed – Women 25-40 – Fashion.” Select your conversion location—typically your website, app, or Instagram profile. Now comes the crucial targeting phase. Define your audience by location (country, state, city, or radius), age range, gender, and detailed demographics including interests, behaviors, and connections. Instagram’s strength lies in its precise targeting capabilities; you can reach people interested in specific hobbies, shopping behaviors, or life events.

Choose “Manual Placements” rather than “Advantage+ Placements” to ensure your ads appear specifically on Instagram. Uncheck Facebook, Messenger, and Audience Network, then select your preferred Instagram placements: Feed, Stories, Reels, or Explore. Each placement offers unique advantages—Feed ads blend seamlessly with organic content, Stories provide immersive full-screen experiences, and Reels tap into Instagram’s fastest-growing format.

Set your budget as either a daily amount or lifetime budget with specific start and end dates. Instagram allows budgets starting as low as $1 per day, making it accessible for businesses of all sizes. Configure your schedule to run ads continuously or during specific hours when your target audience is most active.

Step 4: Design Your Advertisement

At the ad level, you’ll create the actual content users see. Select your Instagram account from the dropdown menu—this determines which profile appears on your ad. Choose your ad format: single image, video, carousel (multiple swipeable images), or collection. Instagram recommends square images (1080 x 1080 pixels) for Feed, vertical videos (1080 x 1920 pixels) for Stories and Reels, and videos under 60 seconds for optimal performance.

Upload your visual content—whether eye-catching images or engaging videos. High-quality, visually appealing content is essential since Instagram is a highly visual platform. Write compelling primary text (your caption) limited to 125 characters before truncation, though you can write more. Craft a clear headline and include a strong call-to-action button such as “Learn More,” “Shop Now,” “Sign Up,” or “Contact Us.”

Add your destination URL where users will land after clicking your ad. Instagram’s link functionality makes this particularly valuable since regular posts don’t include clickable links.

Step 5: Review and Publish

Before publishing, carefully review all elements using the preview panel showing how your ad appears across different placements. Check for typos, verify your targeting parameters, confirm your budget, and ensure all links work correctly. When satisfied, click “Publish” to submit your ad for Meta’s review process.

Instagram typically reviews ads within 24 hours, checking compliance with advertising policies regarding prohibited content, image text ratios, and community standards. Once approved, your ad goes live and begins reaching your target audience. Monitor performance through Ads Manager, tracking metrics like reach, impressions, clicks, and conversions. Use these insights to refine future campaigns, testing different images, copy, audiences, and placements to optimize your advertising strategy over time.

With these steps mastered, you’re equipped to harness Instagram’s advertising power, connecting your brand with millions of potential customers scrolling through their feeds daily.