Instagram Reels Ads: Everything You Need to Know

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Instagram Reels are now available all over the world, so it was a matter of time when the platform would roll out Instagram Reels ads. It means that now you and your brand can leverage this engaging content type and reach new audiences on Instagram.

Generally speaking, there’s not much difference between Reels ads and all other ad types on Instagram. You just need to make an ad creative, write a copy and set up the targeting criteria. This is what we’ll talk about in this piece.

Can You Promote Reels on Instagram

You can promote both your existing Reels and create new videos just for the advertising, without uploading them on your Instagram page. Currently, you can only do so with Facebook Ads Manager, not on an Instagram native app as you do with regular feed posts.

What Are Instagram Reels Ads

According to Instagram, “Reels ads will appear in the most popular places to access Reels content. This includes the Reels tab, Reels in Explore and Reels in your feed. Once a user taps into a reel from the Reels Tab, Explore or feed, they will enter a viewer that exclusively shows reels that scroll vertically.”

These ads will help businesses reach greater audiences, allowing people to discover inspiring new content from brands and creators.

Reels ads are full screen and vertical, similar to ads in Stories, and will appear in between individual Reels. As with regular Reels content, these ads will loop and can be up to 30 seconds. People can comment, like, view, save and share Reels ads.

Where Will People See My Instagram Reels Ads

There are three different places where Instagram users can view your Reels ads, including:

  1. The Reels tab on home screen
  2. Explore page
  3. Their home feed

Instagram Reels ads are displayed in the same parts of the app where users discover organic Reels content. This is a great opportunity for brands to seamlessly capture their audiences’ attention when they’re scrolling through similar content.

How To Set Up Reels Ads On Instagram

Step 0. Preparation

You need preliminarily connect your Instagram account you want to advertise with your Facebook page (Settings​​→Accounts Centre→Set Up Accounts Centre)

The Instagram profile should be a Business or Creator account.

Also, make sure that you have already made the ad creative if you’re not going to use an existing Instagram post, including music, ad copy, and so on. Make sure that the ad creative for your Reels ads is the right size.

Instagram Reels Dimensions

The aspect ratio for a Reels is 9:16, and the ideal file size is 1080 pixels by 1920 pixels.

Step 1. Facebook Ads Manager

Then, log in to your Facebook profile and find the Ads Manager section. Now you can create your ads.

Start creating your ad unit by pressing the Create button.

Step 2. Advertising Goal

This step is super important.

Now you’re ready to choose your ad goal. Note that not every suggested goal can be reached with Reels ads. To create a Reel ad, you have to limit your choice to these:

  • Traffic
  • Conversions
  • Reach
  • Brand awareness
  • Video Views
  • App Installs

If you choose any other goal, you won’t see Reels in available ad placements.

Step 3. Campaign Details

All the next steps must be familiar to you if you have ever set up Instagram ads with Facebook Ads Manager:

  • Set up the daily budget
  • Schedule the ad date
  • Create your target audience settings

Step 4. Manual Placements

On the exact same page, after you set up the budget and audience targeting, find Placements and choose Manual placements. Those are places where your ad will be displayed.

If you want to test how your Reels ads will work, you should choose only this placement without mixing it with other placements. Thus you will see how your ads are performing and won’t risk losing money.

After you click on manual placements, find Instagram Reels in the Stories and Reels section. Click on Instagram Reels and uncheck all other options.

Step 5. Ad Customisation

Now you need to set up your ad creative: name your ad, choose an Instagram profile that will show the ad if not yet, upload a new video, use an existing post or create a video from scratch. You will also need to add an ad caption text and set the URL tracking.

Preview the ad creative before publishing it. During the preview, you’ll see if there are any flaws in the ad. If you like what you see, you can proceed.

Step 6. Publishing

After all, is set and done, press Publish. Your ad will be sent on review and then be displayed on Instagram Reels to people who meet your targeting criteria.

Instagram Reels Ads: Best Practices

If you want to get the most out of your Instagram Reels ads, we suggest you should keep these tips in mind.

Think Through the Script

As you already know, Reels are rather short videos of 15 to 30 seconds, so you need to make sure you include all the messages you want to say in that video. Don’t make it too long; otherwise, you might lose users’ attention. Try to say what you want to say in the first 10-15 seconds.

Also, consider adding more cuts in the video instead of shooting it with one take.

Leverage Instagram Reels Insights

Before you make your first Reels ad on Instagram, we strongly recommend you make Reels just for your Instagram account first, not for advertising. Upload several different Reels to your profile and see how your followers react.

Besides, Instagram now has Reels Insights, so take a look at them from time to time to know what content your audience likes.

Add Text and Music

Many users watch Instagram Reels and stories with sounds off, so make sure you add text to your videos if you want to say something with the content. But don’t let the text disappear too quickly, and don’t add too many sentences in one take. By adding captions, you make sure you let all viewers engage with your video.

This might seem contradictory to you, but although many people watch Reels without sounds, it doesn’t mean you don’t have to add music to your videos.

Audio is extremely important for Reels. If you add the right track to your Reel ad, it will help the video to blend with non-sponsored content and attract users’ attention. And if you use soundtracks that are trendy at the moment, that’s a bull’s eye!

Watch Reels of different creators and brands on Instagram to see which trends people currently engage with. Keep your Reels funny and don’t make them too salesey; otherwise, the viewers will simply swipe them up without any engagement.

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