Instagram Help Center

You can create ads from Instagram once you've converted your account to a business account. In addition to creating ads on Instagram, you can also use Facebook tools to create ads that appear on Instagram.

There are three ways to run ads that appear on Instagram:

• Create ads directly from Instagram. Once you convert your profile to a business account, you'll be able to promote posts and stories from your Instagram Account.
• Create ads from your Facebook Page. If you manage a Facebook Page, you can link an Instagram account to that Page. When you create promotions from your Page, your ads can appear on Facebook and Instagram.
• Create ad campaigns in Ads Manager. If you're familiar with Facebook's advertising, Ads Manager provides comprehensive tools to create your ads and you can select Instagram as a placement.

Each of these tools can be used to create ads on Instagram. Before creating ads, you should convert your profile to a business account and connect it to a Facebook Page you manage to make the most of our business tools.

It's up to you how much you want to spend on your Instagram promotion. You'll choose a Total Budget, which is the total amount you want to spend on the promotion. You'll also set a Duration for your promotion, which is the number of days you want your promotion to run. Keep in mind that you'll never spend more than the Total Budget you set.

There are two ways to pay for your Instagram Promotions:

• Pay in the Instagram App. You can select a payment method at the end of setting up your promotion.
• Connect your Facebook Ad Account. You can connect a Facebook Page you manage to your Instagram business account to use the same payment method that you use for your Facebook ads.

You can run ads directly from the Instagram app. Once you've converted to a business account, you can use the Promotions button from your profile to run post and stories ads.

To promote your Instagram Post:

1. Go to your profile.
2. Tap the post you'd like to promote.
3. Below the post's image, tap Promote.
4. Fill in the details of your promotion by setting things like Audience (who you want to reach), Budget (how much you want to spend) and Duration (how long you want your promotion to run). Tap Next once you've completed these details.
5. To complete your promotion, tap Promote.

Once you've tapped Promote, your promotion will be reviewed to ensure it meets our ad policies. Promotions are generally reviewed in 60 minutes, but in some instances, the review process may take longer. Your promotion will begin running after it's been reviewed and approved.

You can promote active stories and stories that have been featured in your highlights or archived.

To promote an active story:

1. Go to your profile.
2. Tap your profile picture to access your story.
3. At the bottom of the story's image or video, tap Promote.
4. Fill in the details of your promotion by setting things like Audience (who you want to reach), Budget (how much you want to spend) and Duration (how long you want your promotion to run). Tap Next once you've completed these details.
5. To complete your promotion, tap Promote.

Promotions look similar to organic posts and stories but have a few differences.

• Promotions have a Sponsored label beneath the handle in the corner.
• Promotions may include a call-to-action button at the bottom of the promotion, if one was added when the promotion was originally created.
• Promotions can be vertical or horizontal on Instagram.

Here's an example of what a promotion looks like on Instagram:

When you promote on Instagram, your ad will appear in people's feed and stories. If you want your ad to only appear in one placement, you'll need to create your promotion in Ads Manager.

When you promote through the Instagram app, you'll select an Audience for your promotion. It's recommended that you create an audience based on the types of customers you'd like to reach.

Here's how people can see your promotion:

• People within the audience you set will be eligible to see your promotion.
• If someone sees your promotion and tags another person in the comments, the tagged person person will be able to see your promotion.

Additionally, the original version of your post from before it was promoted will still exist on your Business Profile. This original post can still be seen in the Instagram feeds of your followers as well as anyone visiting your Business Profile.

We recommend paying for your Instagram ads by linking a Facebook Page to your Instagram business account and using your Facebook ad account. You can also pay for Instagram promotions from the Instagram App by adding a payment method after creating your ad.

To delete a post after you've promoted it, you must first delete the promotion (even if the promotion has already finished).

When you create a promotion from your business profile, Instagram uses a connected Facebook Page to identify a connected ad account. If you switch the Facebook account connected to your business account on Instagram, it can potentially lead to permission errors. Make sure the Facebook account you use is for your Instagram business profile is connected to a Facebook Page that you manage.

If you're having trouble promoting posts and stories from your profile it may be caused by the following:

• You're not using a business account: In order to promote and create ads from Instagram, you'll need to convert your profile to a business account.
• If you have a business account, but are still encountering issues: It's likely that you're not a Page admin of the Facebook Page that's connected to your business's Instagram account. To resolve this issue, reach out to the admin of the Facebook Page and ask them to add you as an admin.

If you are unable to promote your story, it may be due to the following:

• Aspect ratio is not 9:16 or between 4:5 and 1.91:1. If you're having trouble capturing a story with the correct aspect ratio, we recommend taking the story with the camera in the Instagram App.
• Includes tappable elements. @ mentions, hashtag stickers, location stickers, question sticker and polls, are all elements that make a story interactive. Interactive stories can't be promoted at this time.
• Out of date. If you're promoting an image or video that has been shared in the past, it may not be able to be promoted.

Note: Some creative tools are not available to be used as part of an ad creative (for example: music stickers, GIFs, etc.)

Please review our Advertising Policies and Community Guidelines to ensure you are meeting the standards for placing creative on our platform. We recommend promoting stories that have performed well organically and that show your businesses in a honest and real way. Learn more about the ways stories can be used to build your business on Facebook IQ.

The best way to grow and strengthen your audience is to create high quality, on-brand content that people want to see in their Instagram feed. Creating strong content also increases the likelihood that your account will be discovered by non-followers from Search & Explore or Activity, where people can see posts that their followers have liked.

You can also grow your audience by making Instagram part of your day-to-day business and marketing. For example:

• Post a sign at your retail locations with your Instagram account, or share it in communications like emails and postcards
• Mention your account in the press
• Announce your Instagram account on other platforms like Facebook or Twitter with a link to your account, or provide a link on the homepage of your website

The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) takes effect on May 25, 2018, and creates consistent data protection rules across Europe. It applies to companies (regardless of where they are based) who process personal data about individuals in the EU.

While many of the principles build on current EU data protection rules, the GDPR has a wider scope, more prescriptive standards and substantial fines. For example, it requires a higher standard of consent for using some types of data and broadens individuals' rights with respect to accessing and porting their data.

Businesses who advertise with Instagram and the Facebook companies can continue to use our platforms and solutions in the same way they do today. Each company is responsible for ensuring their own compliance with the GDPR, just as they are responsible for compliance with the laws that apply to them today.

More information and frequently asked questions

For more information about specific ad products and frequently asked questions about the GDPR, visit our GDPR microsite.

We know you come to Instagram to connect with the people and things you love, and we are committed to helping ensure our community is well informed about interactions on the platform. To align with this goal, logged-in users can now view the active ads an account is running across Instagram. When you click into the active ads of an account, you will be able to view the ads' creative, copy and call-to-action.

In addition to viewing the active ads on that account, you will also be able to see the following:

• Date Joined: This is the date the account was created. This helps people understand how long the account has been on Instagram.
• Country: This is the country location based on the account's activity. This helps people understand if the account is accurately representing their location on Instagram.
• Former Usernames: This includes changes made to the account's username, and helps people identify whether the account is authentic or misleading.
• Accounts With Shared Followers: People will be able to see other public accounts that have the most followers in common with the account they're viewing. This helps people identify accounts with similar interests.

How does this impact me as an advertiser?