How to Create the Perfect Instagram Ad in 10 Minutes

by Michelle Cyca October 29, 2018

Instagram ads are a great way to share your content with the platform’s one billion users. They’re invaluable for growing your followers, building your brand, and driving sales.

The key to a successful Instagram ad strategy is experimenting and refining. Rapidly generating and testing ads will help you learn quickly what works best for your brand and your target audience. You don’t need to spend a ton of time on each one—you just need to understand the most essential elements of an awesome ad.

In this post we’ll guide you through creating a perfect Instagram ad in only 10 minutes. We also have a step-by-step breakdown on the art of Instagram ads, if you need a more detailed primer.

Note: To run Instagram ads, you’ll need to set up an Instagram business account and then link to your company’s Facebook Page.

Ready? Let’s go!

Bonus: Download a free checklist that reveals the exact steps an adventure photographer used to grow from 0 to 110,000 followers on Instagram with no budget and no expensive gear.

Minute 1: Set your goal

Decide what action you want people to take when they see your ad. An Instagram ad isn’t like a Swiss army knife: it should have only one purpose.

Are you promoting a new product? Sharing a limited-time offer? Raising awareness about your brand? Choose the objective that best aligns with your advertising goal. It should be clear and simple, to you and your audience.

This objective is the foundation of your ad, so keep it in mind for the next nine minutes.

Minutes 2 + 3: Consider your audience

Next, take a couple of minutes to decide who you want to reach with your ad. Understanding your audience is key to creating ads that catch their attention and make them want to click. If you have them, audience personas can be helpful here too!

Here are a couple of tips to keep in mind:

Stay focused

If your goal is to reach as many people as possible, it might be tempting to leave your audience filters wide open. But 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 ad strategy.

Want to share an in-store promotion or drive registration for an upcoming event? Narrow your audience by location, like the example above. Trying to reach new customers? Use a lookalike audience to find people who share similarities with your existing customers.

Don’t wear out your welcome

There is one thing that all audiences on Instagram have in common: a short attention span. You don’t want people to get bored of your ad, 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 ad.

Minutes 4 + 5: Add a compelling image

Now we’re ready for everyone’s favorite part of Instagram: the visuals.

Ads on Instagram can take the form of photos or videos, in the Feed or as Stories. For the purposes of this 10-minute overview, we’re sticking with the OG: a Photo Ad.

Here’s how to choose an excellent photo, fast:

Pick a representative image

Your ad should be aligned with the rest of your brand identity, as well as the landing page that your audience will see when they click (more on that at minute 9!) Think of it as a window display for a shop: it’s a curated look at what’s inside.

To that end, make sure your image aligns with the rest of your brand identity! When someone clicks on your ad, the experience on the other side should mirror the look of your ad.

Stick to high-quality images

Instagram has always been a visuals-first platform, and that rule applies to ads too. No matter how incredible your offer is, if you’re leading with a lackluster photo, your audience will just scroll on to the perfectly-lit brunch post below.

If you need a crash course in Instagram photography, you can learn how to take an excellent 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 ensure your photo isn’t blurry or grainy, and looks sharp on every screen.

Showcase the offer

If you’re promoting a specific offer and aiming for conversions, it can help to include the offer right in the image. Just make sure you’re not sacrificing quality for directness. Your ad still needs to stand out and appeal to your audience. To paraphrase Tyra Banks: Convert, but make it fashion.

Evoke emotion

Think about your audience again. How do you want them to feel when they see your ad? What will appeal to them and make them want to click?

For instance, you can appeal to their sense of humor by using a cheeky visual or a funny photo.

Or you could create a different kind of mood that reflects your brand or offer. For instance, Flax Sleep is creating a tranquil, cozy vibe that makes you want to crawl into bed—which is perfect, because they’re a bedding company.