When creating your first Instagram campaign, you’re going to need a step-by-step guide to keep you on track.

Moreover, it might be a bit confusing to use the Facebook marketing tools to do it.

However, that’s how it works – you can manage all Instagram campaigns in the Facebook Ads Manager and Power Editor. It’s actually really efficient – you can publish the same campaigns both on Instagram and Facebook.

In this chapter of our Instagram Advertising Guide, we’ll be covering the following topics:

  • How to advertise on Instagram?
  • How to create your first Instagram campaign in the Facebook Ads Manager?
  • How to set up an Instagram promotion inside the Instagram app?
  • What are the Instagram campaign best practices?

As you finish reading this guide, you’ll have sufficient knowledge for creating your first Instagram campaign (completely on your own).

How to Advertise on Instagram?

While it might sound unbelievable, there are five ways to create a paid Instagram campaign:

  • Within the Instagram app
  • Facebook Ads Manager
  • Facebook Power Editor
  • Facebook’s Marketing API
  • Instagram Partners

The easiest ways to set up an Instagram promotion is to use the Facebook Ads Manager, The Power Editor or Instagram’s app.

The Facebook Power Editor and Facebook’s Marketing API are for advertisers who want to create a large quantity of Instagram ads at once. Instagram Partners are experts who can help with buying and managing ads at scale while also creating content for you.

How to Create an Instagram Campaign

If you haven’t used the Facebook Ads Manager before, here’s a quick cheatsheet for navigating the tool:

 

Instagram ads campaign setup

Learn to navigate the Ads Manager tool

As you click on the “Create Ad” button in the top right corner, you’ll be guided through the step-by-step ad setup process.

 

Instagram campaign setup process

The full Instagram campaign setup process

Let’s take a closer look at each of the steps.

 

Step 1: Select Your Campaign Objective

The first selection you’re going to make is choosing your campaign objective – what’s your advertising goal?

Facebook will determine the campaign’s ad formats, bidding options, and auto-optimization depending on the campaign objective.

Here’s the complete list of Facebook campaign objectives available in the Ads Manager that also apply to Instagram ads:

  • Brand awareness
  • Local awareness
  • Reach
  • Traffic
  • Engagement
  • All installs
  • Video views
  • Lead generation
  • Conversions
  • Product catalog sales
  • Store visits
Facebook campaign objectives

Facebook campaign objectives

Step 2: Name Your Instagram Campaign

When naming your Instagram campaign, don’t forget to add the date range to better track and manage your campaigns later.

Instagram ad campaign

Use the same naming rules for all campaigns

Step 3: Set Up the Audience Targeting

In this phase of your Instagram campaign setup, you have two options:

  • Create a new Facebook target audience
  • Use a previously created audience

Take your time as your audience targeting is one of the key elements that determine your Instagram advertising costs and the results of your ads.

Learn more about Instagram ad targeting here.

Instagram ads targeting

You can use three types of audiences

Step 4: Set Up Your Ad Placement

As you reach the Ad Placement stage of your ad campaign setup, you’ll have plenty of options:

  • Facebook News Feeds (Mobile and Desktop)
  • Facebook Right-Hand Column
  • Instagram
  • Audience Network
  • Instant Articles
  • In-Stream Video

Naturally, you’ll want to select the “Instagram” ad placement, so that you’ll get a new Instagram campaign.

However, you can also select multiple ad placements and use Instagram as one of many options.

Instagram ad placement

Instagram ad placement

You can also combine multiple Facebook ad placements so that your ads appear in multiple apps and newsfeeds:

Here are the ad placements recommended by Facebook for every campaign objective:

  • Brand awareness: Facebook and Instagram
  • Engagement: Facebook and Instagram
  • Video views: Facebook, Instagram and Audience Network
  • App installs: Facebook, Instagram and Audience Network
  • Traffic (for website clicks and app engagement): Facebook and Audience Network
  • Product catalog sales: Facebook and Audience Network
  • Conversions: Facebook and Audience Network

Step 5: Set Up Your Instagram Campaign Budget and Bidding

Your Instagram advertising budget and bidding options are such important topics that we’ve covered it in-depth in a separate guide: Instagram Ads Cost and Bidding in 2018 – Everything You Need to Know

With all the different selections to make, trust us: you’re going to need that guide!

Instagram ad campaign bidding

Instagram campaign’s bidding can get confusing

Step 6: Create Your Instagram Ads

As the final step of the campaign setup process, you can select your preferred Instagram ad specs and insert your ad images and copy.

 

create Instagram ads campaign

Create a new ad or use an existing post

Fill in the details of your Instagram ad like the Headline, Text and Call-to-Action Button.

You can use the Ad Preview tool to see how your Instagram ad will look once it’s published.

 

Instagram ad preview

Check out the Ad Preview tool

Once you’re happy with the result, click on the “Place Order” button to send your campaign for review and publish it on Instagram.

If you’re unsure how to create highly performing Instagram and Facebook ads, read these guides:

How to Set Up an Instagram Promotion

If you want to promote an existing Instagram post, the quickest and easiest way to do it is inside the Instagram app.

However, you can’t use the app for setting up more complex campaigns with nor change the details of your Instagram post before promoting it.

Before you can promote you Instagram posts directly in the app, you must fill a few requirements:

Once you’re all set up, here’s how to create an Instagram promotion without leaving the app:

  1. Open your Instagram app
  2. Go to your profile
  3. Select the post you’d like to promote by tapping on the post
  4. Below the post’s image, tap on “Promote”
Instagram promotion

Tap on the “Promote” button

  1. Select on of the two available ad objectives: “Visit your Website” or “Call or visit your business”
  2. Fill in the details of your promotion by setting things like Audience (who you want to reach) and Budget (how much you want to spend)
  3. Set your campaign’s duration (how long you want your promotion to run). The ad starts immediately after you publish it.
Instagram promotion

Fill in your Instagram promotion’s details

  1. Tap the “Next” button
  2. To complete your promotion, tap the “Promote” button

Et voila! You’ve created an Instagram promotion in a few minutes!

Recommendation: Use the Instagram app to promote your posts for small ad campaigns. If you want to create an Instagram ads A/B test or run an extensive campaign, use the Facebook Ads Manager or AdEspresso to set up your promotion.

Now that you know how to set up your first Instagram campaign, make sure it’s perfect by learning all the Instagram ad design and copywriting hacks.