Learn How to Capture Attention and Drive Results with Stories Ads

Facebook Business

April 15, 2019

Stories have become beloved around the world by offering people a way to communicate creatively in an authentic, interactive, playful and short-form format. Today, over one billion stories are shared each day across Instagram, Facebook, Messenger and WhatsApp Status. Facebook earnings report, October 2018 And since stories are where people are already engaged, this presents an opportunity for business to connect with customers and drive results.

Given the characteristics of content people enjoy in stories, we know that creative is critical to the success of ad campaigns in stories. And while there is no exact formula for creating a high-performing stories ad, our Creative Shop and Marketing Science teams ran a series of tests to better understand the impact of specific creative elements in stories, and we put together a list of tips for you to consider when building stories ads.

Capture attention with speed and variety

People consume stories content quickly, so we recommend creating ads that lean into speed to capture attention. And since top performing ads have shorter, more succinct scenes, "How can Marketers Create Compelling Instagram Stories Ads" by Facebook IQ, Mar 2018. aim to move your audience through a series of fast-paced scenes to keep viewers engaged.

You can also play with a mix of motion and static image assets to capture attention throughout your ad and inspire your audience to take action. According to a recent study, campaigns with a mix of asset formats have a 75% chance of driving higher value for lower-funnel metrics, such as sales, than campaigns with video-only or static-only assets. Facebook data, global, Sep 2018 - Oct 2018. Analysis of aggregated results from 8 multi-cell brand lift studies and 8 multi-cell conversion lift studies.

Enhance your story with sound and text

A recent Facebook IQ study found that 80% of stories ads with voice-over or music drove better lower-funnel results than ads without sound. Facebook data, global, Dec 2018. Analysis of aggregated results from 10 Facebook Ads Manager split testing studies, testing creative with voice-over, music and no sound. We recommend using music, sound or voice-over to add another creative, attention-grabbing element to your ad experience or to share more information about your brand or product.

You can also land important takeaways or brand messages with text overlays. Test which methods work best for your business and consider using text to emphasize key messages and drive results.

Focus on your brand and business objective

Incorporate your brand and key messages early on in your stories ad to help capture attention and drive brand awareness. And be sure to build your ad with your business objective in mind, so you can drive the results you care most about. A recent Facebook IQ study found that product-focused creative has a 73% chance of driving better lower-funnel metrics than people-focused creative. Whereas people-focused creative has a 75% chance of driving better brand performance than product-focused creative, so be sure to choose the creative direction that best aligns with your business goal. Facebook data, global, Dec 2018. Analysis of aggregated results from 7 multi-cell conversion lift studies and 2 Facebook Ads Manager split testing studies. The two cells tested contained creative that: emphasized the call-to-action and had no emphasis on the call-to-action.

And lastly, be sure to emphasize your call to action (CTA) to drive your audience in the right direction. A recent Facebook IQ study found that campaigns that emphasized the CTA had an 89% chance of driving more conversions than ads that did emphasize the CTA. Facebook data, global, Dec 2018. Analysis of aggregated results from 7 multi-cell conversion lift studies and 2 Facebook Ads Manager split testing studies. The two cells tested contained creative that: emphasized the call-to-action and had no emphasis on the call-to-action. Experiment with different ways to call your audience to take action through animation, arrows or asking them to swipe up.

Visit Facebook IQ for more information about the creative research and findings, and more tips to build successful stories ads.

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