How long do promotions pend on instagram


How to Create One in Minutes + 3 Best Practices

Instagram marketing can be a hit or miss. Especially as you start implementing your social media strategy, it might take a while for your posts to start performing well.

When it does, your first instinct is to figure out what worked well and replicate it in future posts – a great move. What you can also do is boost your post to double down on its performance with a broader audience.

Find out how Instagram promotions work, how to set one up, and best practices to keep in mind when running one.

How do Instagram Promotions work?

Instagram Promotions convert posts, Stories, Highlights, and Story Archives into sponsored posts. They allow users to broaden their reach, expand their brand awareness, and add calls to action to conversion-friendly content.

How are Instagram promotions different from ads?

Promotions give a second life to posts that have already been viewed and likely performed well. Ads, on the other hand, feature new content and are used as part of a campaign.

With a promotion, the goal is to reach a broader audience for more brand awareness and engagement. Or perhaps you want higher conversions on a particular post.

With an ad, however, you’re likely targeting a specific audience with a particular message in mind.

Whether it’s an ad or a promotion, it will show up the same way on Instagram with the "sponsored" label under the account name.

Instagram Promotion Goals

There are three main goals you can have when running an Instagram promotion:

  • More profile visits
  • More direct messages
  • More website visits

The goal you choose will determine where users are led after clicking on the CTA. While the first two goals will keep users on the social platform, the third will lead users to your landing page (LP).

Knowing your goal ahead of time is key to preparing your assets and having a plan for the influx in traffic, whether it’s on your profile, your DMs, or LP.

The first thing to know about running an Instagram ad is that you must have a business account. However, you may not have to link your Instagram account to a Facebook account to run the ad, a previous requirement up until June 2020, if this will be your first promotion.

1. Access the post you want to promote and click on the "Promote" button.

For Stories or Highlights, access your archive, select the post and select 'Boost.'

2. Select a goal.

If you select "More Website Visits," you’ll have to choose a destination for your users as well as your action button, i.e. your CTA. Here are the six button options:

    • Learn More
    • Shop Now
    • Watch More
    • Contact Us
    • Book Now
    • Sign Up

3. Define your audience.

When you choose "Automatic," Instagram will simply target users who match your current followers’ interests and demographics, specifically those who have engaged with your content before. With the "Create Your Own" option, you can filter your audience by location, interest, age, and gender.

4. Set up a daily budget and a promotion duration.

Your daily budget range from $1 to $1,000 and the promotion can last anywhere from 24 hours to 30 days. Instagram recommends starting with a least $5 to reach a good pool of users.

5. Review your promotion and click "Create promotion."

One thing to note is that Instagram will run your promotion on feeds, Stories, and the Explore tab – regardless of where it was originally published. Based on initial data, it will determine to run it where it performs best.

Once you submit your ad, it will go through an approval process, which usually takes 24 hours.

Best Practices for Building a Good Instagram Promotion

1. Promote top-performing content.

While you may be tempted to promote posts that need a little love, resist the urge. You may end up wasting money on a post that doesn’t have great potential.

If your brand is considering boost a one-off post, focus instead on posts with already high engagement.

Why? Well, these posts have already performed well with your followers. This is a good indication that they may perform well with the audience you haven’t yet reached.

2. Make sure your landing page is mobile-friendly.

Instagram is a mobile-first application.

As such, if you’re taking users to a website, make sure it offers a good user experience for mobile users. If not, you’ll end up with a high bounce rate and a low return on ad spend (ROAS).

A few things to keep in mind when designing for mobile:

  • Have a single-column layout – This makes the page much easier to scan and navigate.
  • Avoid too many images and videos – They may up too much space and crowd the site. And they can cause slower loading speeds.
  • Keep your copy short – What seems like perfectly spaced paragraphs on a desktop can easily become overwhelming on mobile.

3. Know your goal is ahead of time.

It’s important that you prepare your Instagram profile and/or landing page ahead of your promotion.

You want to make sure you’re ready to convert those users once they’ve clicked on your ad. Otherwise, what’s the point?

If your goal was to get more profile visits, be sure to have a visually appealing grid, a descriptive bio, and updated contact information.

If you’re hoping for more messages, consider adding a question in your ad to encourage conversation.

The earlier you start preparing, the more ideas you can develop to attract and convert your target audience.

 

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What to do if your ads are pending review or rejected

I am sure that many of us have often been in this situation; You spent hours choosing magnificent creatives, writing irresistible copy, defining carefully your target audience and finally submitting your perfect ads for review. Unfortunately, it ends up with you receiving a notification that says that your ads have not been approved. Facebook rejects them for violating its policies. But what are those policies? Let’s take a closer look at them.

My ads have been in review forever!

Unfortunately, Facebook doesn’t publicly clarify how exactly the approval process works behind the scenes. But based on what we know it’s likely a mix of algorithmic and manual analysis. 

When you create ads on Facebook, they’ll be subject to a review process to see if they comply with Advertising Policies or not. Facebook will check the ad’s images, texts, audience and positioning, and even the content of your ad’s landing page.

You can check the current status of your ad in the “Delivery” column in Ads Manager. 

The ad review process begins as soon as you finish creating your ad and submit it for publishing. Typically, most ads are reviewed within 24 hours, although in some cases it may take longer. Such examples could be busy periods, such as Black Friday or Christmas. Therefore, it is better to prepare your ads in advance, set your campaign launch on a future date and have your ad approved in the meantime.

If you’ve been waiting too long for an ad to be approved, try to duplicate the ad. The approval process will start from the beginning. It usually works well but if not, you have to contact the Facebook support team.

How do I know that my ad has been approved?

After your ad is reviewed, you’ll receive a notification from Facebook. If your ad is approved, they will start running your ad and you can see your results in the Ads Manager. 

But don’t celebrate too soon. It happens sometimes, that an approved ad can get disapproved 24 hours later. At first, your ad might have been approved by the “algorithm”, but then someone reviewed it manually and rejected it.

Because there is no shame in not knowing, the shame lies in not finding out, check these most common reasons why your ads being rejected:

You’re advertising something prohibited

Facebook has a detailed list of “prohibited content”. Don’t try to get around it. Too many rejected ads might raise red flags on your Facebook advertising account.

Here are a few things that aren’t allowed:

  • Tobacco and Related Products – Ads must not promote the sale or use of tobacco products including electronic cigarettes or vaporizers.
  • Adult products – Ads cannot focus on sexual pleasure or sexual enhancement.
  • Mention on personal Attributes – Ads must not contain content that asserts or implies personal attributes about a person’s race, religion, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, financial status, name and others (examples of correct wording could be found here).
  • Non-Functional Landing Page – Your ad may not be approved if the landing page content isn’t fully functional or doesn’t match the product/service promoted in your ad. This may also include cases when you are directing people to landing pages that are PDF or JPEG files or pages that automatically download files to a person’s computer.
  • Grammar & Profanity – Ads must not contain bad grammar and punctuation. Symbols, numbers and letters must be used properly without the intention of circumventing the ad review process or other enforcement systems.

“♥♥♥  Buy Now ♔ ♕ ♚” would not work for Facebook. Use “Click here for more information!” instead.

  • Personal Health – Before-and-after images to promote weight loss that contain unexpected or unlikely results.
  • Payday or advance cash loan services – Ads which intend to cover someone’s expenses until their next payday.
  • Multilevel Marketing – You cannot promote business models offering quick compensation for little investment, including multilevel marketing opportunities.
  • Community Standards – Facebook’s policies about ensuring safety, security, and protecting intellectual property and personal information. It means no nudity, hate speech, violence. Another big one is bullying and harassment.
  • Fake buttons – Non-existent functionality on ad images, such as play buttons, notification jewels or checkboxes. Facebook knows how to recognize it.

You can find a full list here.

You’re advertising something restricted

Alcohol, dating services, real money gambling, financial and insurance services state lotteries or cryptocurrency products. All these items and even more must comply with applicable laws and regulations, which do vary from country to country.

Examples:

  • If you promote alcohol in Saudi Arabia which is illegal in the country, your ad is going right in the digital trash bin.
  • If you provide cosmetic surgeries and procedures and you are trying to target 16-year-old girls, Facebook crackdown immediately.

Services only allowed with prior written permission from Facebook

Dating, real money gambling and games, online pharmacies, cryptocurrency products and services, drug and alcohol addiction treatment. Promoting these categories could be very challenging. In order to help prevent misleading advertising, Facebook requires prior authorization.

If the subject of your business falls into this restricted category, but you still believe that Facebook might be the right marketing platform for you, you have to get your ad account whitelisted by Facebook. 

It is quite a demanding process when your application is being examined by a special team on Facebook. We’ve been through this many times. If you need some assistance, contact us via our contact form. 

You’ve made a mistake with your ad creative

Excessive text in ad images may result in your ad reaching fewer people or not running at all. Remember that text on ad creatives mustn’t take up more than 20%. Use this Facebook tool to check your image. If you get a rating “ok”, you are fine. If you have a worse rating, do not use this image and try to find a better one.

What to do if your ad got already rejected

It will happen to everyone at some point. Facebook guidelines may seem overwhelming and it is difficult to check everything at once. In this case, you have 2 options:

1. Edit your ad

If you have a clear idea of what Facebook doesn’t like about your ad, you may be able to edit your ad and fix the issue. Once you save your changes, your ad will be resubmitted for review again. 

2. Appeal the decision

If you can’t edit your ad or feel that the decision not to approve the ad was a mistake, you can appeal the decision using this form. Another option is the “request review” button in the ad edit tab.

3. Contact the support team via the chat

If you are not satisfied with the result of your review and would like to contact a Facebook representative, take an opportunity to join a chat on Facebook Business help center.

Tip for you: Set your Facebook interface to English. Support team members often require print screens from the Business Manager and they must be in English. Make communication with them easier and get ready for it.

Are your ads approved but are not delivering? Check out our troubleshooting guide to spot ad delivery problems.

 

Michaela Kyvalova

I am a performance marketing specialist on Facebook and Instagram advertising. For many years, I am helping companies find their feet in the complex world of digital advertising and mainly be successful. I love analytical tools, and they love me. Together, we pull information from boring reports and use it to optimize your ads for even better results.

Comments

Promotion under consideration Instagram how long to wait, why it takes so long to not approve

There is a true expression: it is better to see once than hear a hundred times. This is why social media promotions are so productive. In instagram, users come to view photos and videos. The brighter and more unexpected the advertisement, the larger audience it will attract. All marketing materials are tested for compliance with the Advertising Rules. First, any promotion is under consideration by Instagram, how long to wait for approval depends on the advertiser's compliance with the rules.

What it is and how it works

Promotion Most marketers focus on the product or service being advertised. However, social networks work differently: they are designed to increase the reach of the audience. The emphasis should be on the customers. Then it does not matter what is advertised, the wider the audience, the faster the product will find a buyer.

A successful Instagram promotion must be targeted (from the English target). Marketing activities need to be “sharpened” for the target audience. Content must correspond to the psychology of the group of people to whom it is intended.

For example, it's silly to create a commercial for children's products using half-naked fashion models. The target audience of such products is mothers, aunts and grandmothers. Therefore, only "cute" children, or the same dads. By the way, advertising with the use of "nudity" will have to go through a long review and be rejected in 99.9% of cases.

It is useless to create viral videos with products or services for the older generation. They simply won't look at it, and if they do, they won't understand. In viral - only youth products.

To make advertising work, all you need is:

  • weighted target selection;
  • content relevant to TA psychology.

How to create and set up a promotion

Advertiser must have a Facebook Page. This social network belongs to Instagram.
Promotion can be created on Instagram itself or on ADS Manager (FB service).

Instagram ads are available for business accounts only.

It's easier to create ads in a "subsidiary" service. Although there are fewer options, they are quite enough for beginner marketers. Needed:

  1. Publish one or more posts that are supposed to be advertised. You can choose to promote one of the last 15 published.
  2. Click on the "Promote" button, which is located under the selected post, as well as in the profile page. In the statistics section, there is also an option to "create a new promotion". You can work from there too.
  3. Decide on the purpose of publication. You can choose from two options: go to the site with the product or call the client.
  4. Select an audience to promote. Instagram can do this automatically based on the advertised service or product, but it is better to set certain parameters.
  5. Set the budget and duration of the action.
  6. Submit post to moderators for approval.

Status "Under consideration", how long does it take

Moderator check usually does not exceed a day from the moment of sending the advertising post. Sometimes users make fundamental changes to a promotion that has already been submitted for moderation. Then they wonder why they do not approve the post for so long. Changes in targeting, text, links - leads to a re-check.

At the end of the review, you receive a notification about the approval or rejection of the advertisement. If the promotion is approved, it will start and last as long as the customer has determined.

How to remove an unapproved promotion

If the system rules are violated, the moderators do not approve Instagram ads and the content should be removed. First you need to stop the promotion. An unapproved promotion is not promoted anyway, but the user must do it:

  1. Go to the instagram profile.
  2. Click "Promotion" and select an unapproved ad.
  3. Under the "Promote" button, select the delete option from the menu.
  4. Delete billing account.

What to do if you get an error when deleting a promotion

You need to check if your Facebook account has been blocked. Is the auto-replenishment feature enabled in Ads Manager? No need to pay for an unapproved share.

Sometimes an Instagram account is blocked if the system crashes due to a promotion being deleted. Then the appeal to technical support is inevitable.

In order for the platform to approve the promotion on Instagram without problems and quickly, you need to thoroughly study not only the rules for placing ads, but also the principles for checking its content. Nobody's personal characteristics should be touched upon: race, religion, nationality, political views. You can not create sexually provocative content and use branded symbols. Then everything will be all right.

what is it, where to create promotions, how to make, launch and work step by step - reviews, how to set up the right statistics and posts on Instagram

Promotion in social networks with an emphasis on the profitability of the advertising campaign

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Over the past ten years, the advertising business has changed a lot. If earlier billboards and publications in glossy magazines were considered the pinnacle of PR, in the modern world everyone is moving to the Internet. Social networks are no exception. Today, one of the most popular social networks among people of all ages is Instagram. There are more than 500 million users on this site, and each of them spends a lot of time adding personal photos and videos and viewing interesting information. Given such a great demand and interest, the maximum effect is achieved from the advertising campaigns carried out here. What are promotions on Instagram, where you can create a promotion, how to make it, launch it, what does it mean to work with it step by step, how to set up the right statistics and posts on Instagram; why you need to read reviews about setting up and creating promotional posts and how it will be possible to make them under consideration on Insta. In this article we will try to answer this question. We will also explain the features of payment and the interaction of the social network with other similar sites, tell you about secret tricks that increase the effectiveness of promotions several times.

  • About the concept
    • Why do you need an promotion on Instagram: how it works
  • How to create a promotion on Instagram step by step
  • How to pay
  • How to edit a promotion on Instagram
  • Are they effective
  • How to stop or remove promo ads
  • Secrets of successful promotional advertising
  • Examples of good promotions
  • Popular questions
    • Why can't you create a promotion?
    • How long does the review take
    • When money is withdrawn
    • How to view statistics
    • If I delete the promotion, will the money be returned?
  • Conclusion

About the concept

Like any other social network, Instagram has long been used by entrepreneurs as a platform for promoting goods and services. Initially, the social network was developed specifically so that users could share their photos and videos with each other. Therefore, it is ideal for such campaigns.

The essence of such a marketing ploy lies in the fact that in the news feed of users, publications regularly appear with the image of a brand or service that the organization offers you. At the same time, advertising posts are targeted - that is, they are aimed at a specific audience (gender, age, place of residence, hobbies, and so on).

More videos on our channel - learn internet marketing with SEMANTICA and thus increase the profits of the company. Well-chosen videos or photos with the name of the advertised brand (bright, interesting, catchy) will give a very good effect: users will repost, like, leave comments. Such a live interest will surely lead to getting visitors who will buy the product you sell. In addition, in just a couple of hours, or even less, a launched publication will “scatter” across the pages of a social network, it will be seen by millions of potential customers, which can be much more effective than live communication. We also note that the targeted nature of impressions guarantees a greater result.

How to create a promotion on Instagram step by step

When launching promotional advertising on Instagram, absolutely all the nuances must be taken into account: from the goal to the planned financial expenses.

So, before launching, we carefully study and draw up the following plan:

  • audience. For example, men from 20 to 45 years old;
  • geolocation. This indicator allows you to narrow the circle of potential customers to the place where the business is located, the production of the advertised product, and so on;
  • kind of post. We choose where videos and photos will be shown to users: in the news feed or in Stories.

Finally, consider your budget and decide how much you are willing to spend for each visitor clicking on the link.

After working through these nuances and making a plan, you can start learning how to run a promotion on Instagram.

So, first you need to create a business profile on Facebook - from here all the information will be used when launching an advertising publication. After authorization, you must perform the following steps:

  1. Click on the image of the silhouette of a person that will appear in the lower right corner of the account, and then on the "Statistics" icon (in the form of a small antenna). A window with statistics should open.
  2. Scroll to the very bottom until you see the Advertising section. Click on the icon, and then on "Create a new promotion."
  3. Select a post from your profile that you want to advertise.
  4. We indicate the indicator that, in your opinion, needs to be increased: calls, attracting visitors, etc.
  5. Click on "Promote" with automatic selection of the target action or by entering your audience selection parameters. If necessary, set restrictions: gender, age, city, and others.
  6. Entering budget settings. Naturally, the more users you want to reach, the more expensive it will be to launch an ad. You will also need to specify the total duration of the show.
  7. Click on "Preview" to make sure that all parameters are entered correctly.

This is exactly what it means to create, set up and promote a promotion on Instagram from a computer or phone. Only 15-20 minutes - and promotional advertising is ready. Now all that's left is to pay.

How to pay

There are several ways:

  1. Bank card. The standard and most commonly used method. First you need to link a credit card to your account. To do this, in the field, enter the card number, its expiration date and the security code, which is located on the back. After that, an SMS with a password will be sent to your mobile phone, which you will also have to register in the online payment form. A small amount will be debited from the account and in just a couple of minutes it will return to you back. This is required to confirm your ability to pay. After such an operation, payments will be made automatically, depending on the chosen strategy. The program accepts money from VISA and MaserCard cards.
  2. Electronic wallets. Only 2 types are available for residents of the Russian Federation: QIWI and PayPal. Both are pretty easy to use. The transfer happens almost instantly.
  3. Sberbank online. Clients of a credit institution can also use the application.

How to edit a promotion on Instagram

Created and launched PR campaigns on Instagram cannot be edited. Users have the ability to change some points only using a Facebook business account:

  • the timing of the RP-company and the limit of funds;
  • audience for which the demonstration is intended;
  • change in the way banners and commercials are broadcast: for example, if messages are shown in the news feed, then you can move it in history.

You can also change the publication language.

So, if you don't like how the promotion on Instagram looks like, in order to make certain adjustments, you need to do the following step by step:

  • go to the "Advertising Center" tab, click on the "All ads" icon;
  • select "View results" and follow the link "Edit";
  • You can now make changes by selecting the appropriate sections: "Audience", "Validity period", "Show until".

There is nothing complicated in editing. Such work will take you no more than 5-10 minutes.

Are they effective

As already mentioned, running promotional ads targeted at a specific group of people can be very successful. In order to increase efficiency, you need to know how to properly create and promote a promotion on Instagram. Here you should follow a few simple rules:

  1. Do not oversaturate your advertising post with text – 300-500 characters maximum is enough to get the message across. But none of the users will want to read long poems to the end, and the money spent will not bring the expected result.
  2. Formulate your thoughts in the publication clearly, clearly, competently.
  3. Do not use other people's images. Believe me, your photos will cause a more positive reaction. But, of course, all the images involved must be of high quality.
  4. When playing a video, do not make it too long. 10-15 seconds is enough for a person to see and hear what you want to present to him, but also during this time he will not get tired of watching.

These are the main rules on how to make a promotion on Instagram so that it is really effective. Guided by such a simple instruction, over time you will definitely achieve great success in your business.

How to stop or remove promotional ads

At any time you see fit, you can stop the post, or even delete it. To stop the demo, follow the steps below:

  1. Sign in to your business profile, find and go to the Ad Center section.
  2. Click "All Listings" and then "View Results".
  3. Uncheck the active demo state.

After completing these steps, the icon should stop glowing green. This will mean that the publication has been stopped.

To delete, go to the "Active" item, then scroll down, where the "Delete promotion" button will be.

Secrets of successful promotional advertising

To make your PR campaign a success, you need to know how to properly set up and execute a promotion on Instagram. We recommend that you heed the advice of experts from the world's leading media agencies, who say the following:

  1. No need to publish long memoirs describing the advantages and disadvantages of products. It should be limited to just a few lines - clearly, concisely and to the point.
  2. You won't surprise anyone with a regular sale. To attract customers, come up with discounts that will be limited.
  3. Place the seller's contact information on the ad.
  4. Choose the optimal time for showing ads. Usually this is in the morning and evening when people are on their way to/from work, that is, at 7:00 and 18:00.
  5. Make special efforts to promote goods on Thursdays and Sundays.
  6. To determine the parameters (audience age, gender and social status), conduct surveys.

Examples of Good Promotions

Many companies have run successful promotions and taken sales to a whole new level.

  1. "Magnit" and "Pyaterochka" stores in cooperation with the jewelry firm Sunlight. So, in the publication, people were offered to make a purchase for a certain amount in these stores and receive a gift - a piece of jewelry.
  2. McDonald's Russia and Eldorado. So, the first organization offered to visit their establishments, get stickers and win a gift - a phone and a TV. The second company did the same, inviting users to purchase their sticker and win a valuable prize.
  3. ARS. A company producing natural cosmetics and essential oils offered to participate in the repost contest of its partner Apteka.ru, guaranteeing the winners a gift in the form of a set of essential oils "Fragrances of the World". Apteka.ru marketers posted a similar post calling for everyone to participate.

These are just a few examples of how the Instagram promotion works and what it does. The organizations did nothing special. But with the help of such simple promotions and offers, they managed to attract new customers and increase their sales.

Popular questions

Let's explain the nuances related to all aspects of working with promotional advertising.

Why can't you create a promotion

There are only 2 reasons:

  1. You are trying to run an ad from your personal profile. A business account must be created to get started.
  2. You do not have administrator rights on the work page. This is possible if you did not create it.

    Learn more