How to design instagram ads
10 Expert Instagram Ad Design Tips for More Conversions
Visuals can make or break your performance with Instagram ads. This makes Instagram ad design an essential part of the ad creation and management process.
While copy, strategy, and targeting all matter for Instagram ads, the design of the visual element of the ad itself is crucial. You need strong visuals to capture attention so users stop scrolling through their feed or their Stories. Without that, you’ll never get them to actually take the time to read the copy (let alone click!)
But good news. Instagram ad design can be easy when you have a solid list of best practices, dimensions, and tools to get you started.
Free download: Professionally designed, fully customizable Instagram ad templates. Click and get them now!
10 Instagram Ad Design TipsThere is no one set way to make an outstanding Instagram Ad, and there’s no hard and fast rulebook that you really need to follow. (Except for Facebook’s advertising rules, you do need to follow those).
That being said, there are a lot of design tips you can choose to incorporate as they’re relevant to your images that can help increase their performance overall.
To keep things simple, we’ve compiled a list of 10 of the best Instagram ad design tips out there that can help you step up your game for any campaign.
1. Use Plenty of Contrasting Colors
This is one of the easiest-to-implement and most reliable Instagram ad design tricks in the book.
Add one or two contrasting colors in your image so that they pop. Contrasting colors can draw the eye in, focusing the user’s gaze exactly where you want it: On your ad.
When it comes to thumb-stopping techniques, this is an easy one, because the user subconsciously will stop to see what is jumping out at them.
2. Keep the Text to a Minimum
Instagram Ads is a part of Facebook’s system, which means they prefer ads with minimum (read: less than 20% of the image) ad text.
It’s also a good practice in general. You need your ad to stand out, and blocks of text will be overwhelming, not visually appealing, and not click-worthy.
That being said, some text can absolutely work to your benefit. The ad example below from Coterie shows how to leverage just enough text to benefit you without being overwhelming. “Best diaper + best baby wipe” says it all, and they use “diaper” and “wipe” cues with arrows to focus users on the product.
This is also a great example for how to use contrasting colors in a more neutral color scheme, by the way.
3. Drop the Clutter
We’ve all seen Instagram ad designs that are really shooting for the moon and just trying to fit too much into the image. It may be too many products, or a complex gradient that becomes overwhelming on mobile.
Whatever the reason, you want to avoid clutter in your images. Use clean designs and feature just a few products. Remember that you can always feature more in an Instagram ad carousel.
4. Use Central, Interesting Designs to Draw the Eye In
Some Instagram Ads are going to simply be high quality photographs. We’ve already seen one. Others are going to take a graphic-design-centric approach.
No matter the case, know that graphic design posts can benefit from a central design that puts users’ attention on the center of the image, which is where you drop the high value text or design element.
This is easier to show with an example. The ad below is a great one. They feature four different products (increasing the odds of appealing to more people), a discount, and then they feature their USP right in the center.
5. Include Whitespace
Whitespace is going to be part of a decluttered design, but it’s important enough we wanted to have it as its own tip.
Whitespace is also called “negative space.” It’s the relatively blank or neutral areas surrounding the core focus of your image.
There are two reasons why you want to use more whitespace in your images:
- It’s another eye-focusing trick, taking users right to where you want them to look
- It looks cleaner and more polished, which many users associate with professionalism
This is an easy trick to keep in mind when photographing your products or creating designs.
6. Use Branded Colors
Incorporating more branded colors into your ad campaigns is an easy way to start to build brand awareness while creating a strong, branded experience. Bonus points if they are bright, contrasting colors.
7. Consider Color Psychology
Color psychology is definitely not an exact science, but there’s some truth to it. The colors you choose can set the mood that users feel when associating with the image and the brand. The above example was bright and happy.
The below ad is neutral, calming, and soothing. This is exactly the sort of mood that the advertiser likely wanted when advertising the clothing.
8. Add Your Logo or Brand Name
People will already see your brand name next to the ad or at the very top of Stories, it never hurts to throw it onto the main image itself, especially for Stories. This can be easier for users to see and take note of than just your profile picture appearing alongside your ad, which is a crucial part of building brand awareness long-term.
9. Divide Stories Designs Into “Design Section”
If you don’t know how to break up your Instagram Story design in an effective way, here’s a simple trick. You can divide up an image into different horizontal sections, placing an image in one, text in others, and still have a CTA listed.
Here’s how we’d divide up the ad above into different sections. Theoretically, they could have added text above the image between the two red lines and it would have worked well, too.
10. Split Test Your Images
Split testing is a crucial part of ad campaigns, and that goes for your images, too. You need to determine which images your audience responds to best, and since images are such a crucial part of Instagram Ads, you need to test these, too.
Look at the examples below. Two different images, and they may have two different performances, too.
Instagram Ad Dimensions
When you’re putting together images for Instagram Ads, it’s essential to first know what the correct sizes are before you get started.
This makes sure that you’re generating the correct image sizes so there are no issues with cropping.
These are the Instagram Ad dimensions you need to know:
- Single image square ads have an aspect ratio of 1:1 with a recommended image size of 1080 x 1080 pixels
- Instagram carousel ads have an aspect ratio of 1:1 with a recommended image size of 600 x 600 pixels (max 1080 x 1080)
- Landscape ads have an aspect ratio of 1.9:1 with a recommended image size of 1200 x 628 pixels
- Instagram Stories are full-screen vertical ads and have an aspect ratio of 9:16 with a recommended aspectio ratio of 1080 x 1920; the minimum resolution is 600 x 1067
The max file size for these images is 30MB and it’s recommended that you use PNG or JPG files.
Instagram Ad Design ToolsWe know you’re probably chomping at the bit to start designing Instagram Ad images at this point, but if you’re still feeling stumped about the thought of needing to learn complicated Photoshop skills, we have great news.
There are so many different great graphic design and editing tools available, and many are available with base plans that are free or extremely low cost, especially compared to the value you get in return. Let’s take a look at some of the best Instagram Ad design tools available to choose from.
CanvaCanva may be the most popular option on this list, and there’s a good reason for that. You’ve got drag-and-drop design tools that are user-friendly, even for people with no design experience. Add text, your logo, design elements, and your images to gorgeous backgrounds or patterns as you wish.
SnappaSnappa is a lot like Canva, with a slightly different interface. It’s got all those great templates, a resize feature for if you want to split test whether the landscape versions of an ad perform better than square images, and incredible user-friendliness.
One thing I absolutely love about Snappa is their Stories template. They show you “profile safe zones” where profile information or “click here” buttons may appear.
This ensures that you don’t have any crucial design elements that risk being cut off, as you can keep your core Instagram Ad design firmly within areas where they won’t be taken over.
Adobe Spark is a free tool from Adobe that, like the other two, comes with drag-and-drop technology and lots of design options and templates to choose from. This is an especially great tool for brands already working within Adobe. And it’s free. If you’re on a budget you can’t beat that.
AdEspressoWe’ve mentioned the importance of split testing above, and AdEspresso is the tool you want to use when A/B testing your Instagram Ad designs.
Our tool allows you to upload an abundance of images and videos to a single ad, and our software will automatically test to see which combinations of text and images perform best. We’ll optimize your ads accordingly, and you can quickly see which image designs work best for your audience.
You can learn more about how our extensive split testing features work here.
While the copy of Instagram Ads may seem most intimidating to many, it’s often the images that leave people stumped. High quality photographs can perform well on their own, but even when you’re considering which photos to use, it’s helpful to keep these Instagram Ad design best practices in mind.
While it may take time to find the Instagram Ad designs that work best for you, remember that dedicated split testing over extended periods is the way to go, especially as on-platform trends change and new features emerge.
Want to start split testing your Instagram Ad designs to see which yield the best results? Start your free trial with AdEspresso.
What do you think? Which of these Instagram Ad designs do you use for your business? What design tips and tools are you most excited to try in your next round of ads? Share your thoughts and questions in the comments below!
11 Tips to Improve Your Instagram Ad Design and Get More Conversions
Learn the essentials of great Instagram ad design, and how to make your dream ad a reality.
There are more ways than ever to place an ad on Instagram, but sometimes advertising on social media can feel like yelling into a void. To make ads that lead to conversions and generate engagement, it pays to plan your Instagram ad design strategy before you pull the trigger on an ad buy.
With these 11 design tips, you’ll learn how to make Instagram ads that get noticed by your target audience. You can also take advantage of free templates to streamline your design process.
Use simple designs to stand out
Bright colors attract eyeballs
Keep your product front and center
Make videos that move
Show off your range
Make your text pop
Keep it consistent
Put your captions to work
Make videos that work without sound
Refine your designs with A/B testing
Don’t let the perfect ad get in the way of effective ads
Instagram image ads
Instagram video ads
Instagram Carousel ads
Instagram Collection ads
Bonus: Download a free pack of 8 eye-catching Instagram ad templates created by Hootsuite’s professional graphic designers.
Start stopping thumbs and selling more today.
A smartphone screen doesn’t provide a lot of space for your advertising masterpiece. When it comes to getting users’ attention, a minimalist approach is usually the most effective.
Try paring your ads down to as few visual elements as possible. Great ads can be nothing more than an image of your product with some simple text, or even just text on a contrasting background!
Source: Instagram (@risedesk.io)
This Risedesk ad has an image that says everything it needs to with only two parts: an image of the product and a short value proposition. Most of us can only dream of having a desk as uncluttered as the one in this ad, but that doesn’t mean we can’t give our audience an ad that’s as clean and well organized as the desk we aspire to.
Bright colors attract eyeballsBright, contrasting colors attract attention, and when it comes to designing a great Instagram ad, attention is the name of the game.
When you use colors, you make it easy for users to pick out the important elements of your ad at a glance. A bright color scheme can also provoke positive feelings in connection to your company.
Source: Instagram (@colorfulstandard)
Colorful Standard shows that the product itself doesn’t have to be full of saturated color to create an eye-catching palette. Although the socks are pale, the background adds brightness and provides contrast at the same time.
If you’re not sure where to start, you can use a color wheel when making your design. Try pairing colors from opposite sides of the wheel for the most visual contrast.
Keep your product front and centerAs much as we may love a compelling mystery, that doesn’t mean you should make your audience play whodunnit to figure out what you’re selling.
Instagram users will only take a second or two to decide whether to scroll past your ad or stop and look. Don’t let them wonder what your product is.
Make your product the center of attention in your ad. You can do this with the product’s color, size, or visual placement, for example. No matter how you do it, make it clear what you’re offering your customers.
Source: Instagram (@truly)
This video ad by Truly starts with a well-framed shot of their product. Even though the ad includes plenty of dynamic movement, we know right away what’s being promoted, which brings us to the next tip…
Make videos that moveA burst of movement at the beginning of your video ad will help it get noticed. This is especially important for ads that appear in the Instagram feed or the Explore page, since these have limited time to grab users’ attention before they scroll past.
More than any other format, engaging video ads give you the opportunity to tell a story that your customers connect to. Don’t pass up this chance by shooting static videos!
Show off your rangeVideo, Collection, and Carousel ads all allow you to show more than one product, or multiple aspects of a single product.
This is a chance to really show off what you have to offer to your customers.
A good ad will have variety, but it will also have a coherent message that ties everything together. Your customers are much less likely to engage with a jumble of random elements.
Source: Instagram (@ruesaintpatrick)
In this example, Rue Saint Patrick takes a minimalist approach to its Carousel ad. The use of a single style of shirt keeps the message focused while at the same time providing the user with an interactive experience that imitates browsing an online store inside the ad.
Make your text popYour ads’ visuals are the most important part of their design, but this doesn’t mean that they’re the only important part. And like the visuals, when it comes to text, less is usually more.
Keep your message short and to the point.
Wordy copy can clutter up your ad, making your audience work harder to understand the message you’re trying to convey.
And no one wants to have to work when they’re scrolling through their Instagram feed.
The text you do include should be in a large, easy-to-read font. The majority of your audience will be glancing at your ad on a small screen.
Make it as easy as possible for them to get your message.
Source: Instagram (@headspace)
The text in this Headspace ad does everything it needs to and more. The placement of the text is integrated into the ad’s overall design, with the well-proportioned text block almost basking in the sun’s warmth.
Bonus: Download a free pack of 8 eye-catching Instagram ad templates created by Hootsuite’s professional graphic designers. Start stopping thumbs and selling more today.
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What’s more, the shapes of the geometric sans-serif font echo the simple shapes of the eyes and mouth in the accompanying illustration.
Keep it consistentAny single ad you make will disappear quickly, but having a consistent visual identity that connects all your ads will help your company stick in users’ heads.
Source: Instagram (@kritikhq)
The ads in this example aren’t identical, but they share key elements that make their style recognizable. Kritik creates a through-line in their social media presence with the color scheme and text formatting, as well as with the use of triangles.
If this seems like a lot to keep track of, there are plenty of tools to show you how to design an Instagram ad with your company’s own distinctive style. One way is to use templates, which we’ll cover later in this article.
Put your captions to workYour Instagram ad isn’t just a photo or video. A creative caption is also part of the experience you’re presenting to your audience. Give it the same voice as the rest of your ad.
And for ads with a playful tone, using emoji in the caption can add visual interest and an element of fun.
Like any text in your ad, be sure to keep it short. The most important part should be visible without clicking more.
Source: Instagram (@angusreidforum)
Angus Reid accomplishes a lot with this short caption: It directly addresses the viewer and gives them a reason to engage.
And most importantly, it does this without making the user click more.
Make videos that work without soundOn Instagram, silent movies are still more popular than talkies. Almost 99% of Instagram users will see your ad on a mobile device, which means most people will watch your videos with the sound off. Video ads should say what they have to say even when they’re muted.
If the sound is important to your video, consider adding closed captions. This makes it more friendly to sound-off browsing and more accessible to people with hearing impairments.
Refine your designs with A/B testingStarting with the principles of strong ad design is great, but nothing beats practical knowledge about what gets your target audience to stop and pay attention.
Once you have a few solid design ideas, you can use A/B testing to discover which ones speak to your customers the most.
An A/B test is a way to find out which ads your audience responds to. It involves presenting different versions of the same ad to different people and tracking how often each version is engaged with. This gives you real-world data about which color scheme, caption, or call-to-action button, for example, is best for your advertising goals.
This may sound daunting, but there are a variety of tools for A/B testing that can help you with this process, including AdEspresso by Hootsuite.
Don’t let the perfect ad get in the way of effective adsIt’s important to put thought into your Instagram ad designs, but don’t fall prey to the lure of the perfect ad!
No matter how impressive your next creation is, if your audience sees the same thing over and over again, they’ll start to experience ad fatigue and stop paying attention.
This is what makes ad templates so useful. Once you nail down your advertising look, you can reuse your templates to freshen up your social media presence with new ads whenever you need them.
Instagram ad dimensionsDepending on the type of Instagram ad you’re placing, there are different technical guidelines to follow when creating it.
When designing your ad, you’ll need to consider its format (image, video, Carousel, or Collection) and where it will appear in the Instagram app (in feed, Stories, Explore space, or Reels)—although not every format can be placed in every part of the app.
Knowing these guidelines will help you create striking ads wherever they appear. When in doubt, Facebook for Business has the full details for both recommended and required guidelines.
Instagram image ads- Recommended formats: JPG or PNG
- Maximum file size: 30 MB
- Recommended aspect ratio: 1:1 for in-feed ads, 9:16 for Stories or Explore ads
- Minimum image resolution: 1080 × 1080 pixels
- Minimum dimensions: 500 pixels wide
- Recommended formats: MP4, MOV, or GIF
- Maximum file size: 250 MB
- Video duration: 1 second to 60 minutes
- Recommended aspect ratio: 9:16 for Stories or Reels ads, 4:5 for Explore or in-feed ads
- Minimum resolution: 1080 × 1080 pixels
- Minimum dimensions: 500 pixels wide
- Recommended formats
- Image: JPG, PNG
- Video: MP4, MOV, or GIF
- Maximum file size
- Image: 30 MB
- Video: 4 GB
- Recommended aspect ratio: 1:1
- Minimum resolution: 1080 × 1080 pixels for in-feed ads, 1080 × 1080 pixels for Stories ads.
- Recommended formats
- Image: JPG, PNG
- Video: MP4, MOV, or GIF
- Maximum file size
- Image: 30 MB
- Video: 4 GB
- Recommended aspect ratio: 1.91:1 to 1:1
- Minimum resolution: 1080 × 1080 pixels
- Minimum dimensions: 500 × 500 pixels
You don’t have to be a professional designer to make ads that stand out. Whether you’re looking for a little inspiration or detailed guidance, there are many tools to help bring out your creativity!
Most offer free accounts in addition to paid ones with more advanced functions.
- AdEspresso offers a full suite of services to manage your social media advertising. It combines design tools and templates with features to help with planning your ad strategy and analyzing the results, plus a very helpful split testing tool that will help you optimize your campaigns.
- Adobe Spark provides design tools on a platform that’s integrated with Adobe’s other products. It can be accessed from a desktop browser or a mobile application.
Publish and analyze your Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn ads alongside your regular social media content with Hootsuite Social Advertising. Stop switching from platform to platform and get a complete view of what’s making you money. Book a free demo today.
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Bonus: Get the Instagram advertising cheat sheet for 2022. The free resource includes key audience insights, recommended ad types, and tips for success.
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How to Run Instagram Ads: A Step-by-Step Guide
Instagram is not only one of the most popular social networks, but also an effective advertising platform.
How to get started with targeted ads on Instagram
- If you don't have a Facebook page for your business, create one.
- If you don't have an official Instagram account, you need to create one and link it to Facebook.
- Prepare images or videos to be used in advertising. nine0008
Sign in to Ads Manager and click Create.
How to properly set up Instagram ads through Facebook
1. Choose a promotion objective
Not all Facebook ad objectives are suitable for promoting on Instagram. Among the proposed options, we recommend the “Conversions” goal. In this case, you will be able to optimize ads for a certain cost per conversion.
2. Set up ads
Go to the "Ad group" tab. Choose where you want the ad to go - it's a website, app, Messenger, or WhatsApp. In the case of messengers, the user will go from the advertisement to the correspondence with your account. nine0003
Next, set up the audience.
For users who were on the site
If you already have a Facebook pixel installed on your site and it has collected enough data about visitors, you can use this information to target ads to an existing audience. To do this, click "Create" - "Custom Audience" . You can read more about remarketing on Facebook in the article on ppc.world. Other targetings can be skipped - they will only reduce the already existing “warm” base. nine0003
But this audience can be expanded thanks to a smart Facebook algorithm that selects users with similar behavior. To do this, click Similar Audience .
For new users
Geotargeting . You can select people who live in the selected place, who have recently visited it, or travelers:
Find the area itself through the search (regions, settlements) or specify using a marker. The range is also configurable. Several places can be marked.
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Gender, age, languages . Everything is clear here. To set up targeting, proceed from your knowledge of the target audience of your business.
Demographics and interests . This group of targetings is called "detailed targeting" on Facebook.
Start entering the estimated interest of your target audience in the field. Facebook will immediately offer tips, and also inform you about the hypothetical size of the audience when you hover the cursor:
If you click on the button "Recommendations" , Facebook will offer you several related interests that it thinks you can add to your targetings:
If you want to target more precisely, there are two more settings:
- "Narrow audience" - so you add a strict condition (users have all the specified interests at the same time).
- "Exclude people" - this is how you remove people with a particular interest from the audience.
In menu "Links" you can add people who have interacted with your Facebook page, app, or event invite:
Specify placements and budget . Facebook has a large number of placements for placing your ads. In this case, we are interested in Instagram.
In his case, he will also have to make a choice: show your ads in the social network feed, Stories, on the "Interesting" tab on Instagram, or in several places at once. Stories ads are primarily a visual impact tool. If you need to use a lot of text, opt for the Ribbon. nine0003
Below you can select the type of mobile devices on which ads will be displayed. As a rule, this is useful for mobile app sellers on Android or iOS.
Set the budget (daily or for the entire duration of the campaign), as well as the start and end of the campaign, if applicable.
We recommend starting with a small budget, after the test, evaluate the results and make changes.
3. Create ads
- Go to the "Advertising" section on the left. nine0008
- Specify identification data - how your company will be presented in advertising.
- Select a format.
Please note that only Single Image or Video and Carousel options are available for Stories (images are displayed one after the other).
Carousel is good for advertising several products at the same time. "Selection" - for a spectacular and versatile presentation of one product. In many cases, however, a minimalistic solution with a single media file will work. nine0003
Select pictures and videos. Facebook provides stock images and allows you to use them in your ads. However, unique photographs - high-quality and natural, evoking emotions - are now more valued in advertising.
We recommend that you run a split test: choose several options for images, so that later you can choose the most converting one.
Next, fill in the ad with text and other data.
Facebook will show you how the ad will look in the preview. nine0003
Done! If you have filled in all the required fields in the settings and deposited money into the balance, the ad will be sent for moderation.
How to create Instagram ads and run a chatbot
You can set up targeted Facebook ads to promote your products and services through Instagram and launch chatbot threads for users who have responded to the ad. With the help of advertising, you can strengthen your image, attract a new audience and maintain communication with customers. nine0003
In this article, we'll look at how to create an advertising company, set up an audience, add content and a template for launching dialogs in Instagram Direct.
See also: "How to create a WhatsApp ad and run a chatbot" and "How to create a Facebook ad that goes to Messenger and run a chatbot".
Step 1: Create a new campaign
Select the objective of the advertisement
Go to Ads Manager, click Create, and select the campaign objective - Posts.
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Enter the name of the advertising campaign
Enter the name of the advertising campaign by which you can quickly find it.
Click Continue.
Set advertising budget
On the next page, scroll down and activate Campaign Budget Optimization. Choose one of the two budget allocation options and enter the amount.
Click Next. nine0003
Step 2: Set up ad serving
Specify the destination of your advertisement
Destination determines where to take the user after clicking on an ad for further interaction.
Set the ad type to "Messaging" and select the messaging app "Instagram Direct".
Select accounts to receive messages
Select the Facebook page of the company to which the Instagram business account with the chatbot created for it is linked. nine0003
Set campaign schedule
Set the start and end date for your advertising campaign.
Set target audience
Set up the target audience for targeting. Set the location, age, gender, and interests of your audience, or select audiences you've created in advance.
See also the detailed targeting guide in "Audience Types in Targeted Ads". nine0003
Select ad placements
Ad location specifies where and in what format to display ads.
You can select Instagram Feed, Instagram Explore, and Instagram Stories to display ads on Instagram.
Read also about the options for designing an effective ad in "Targeted advertising and communication strategy" and "Adaptation for placements" on our blog.
nine0002Step 3: Set up ad content
Add ad content
Enter the body text of your ad campaign, add media, and select a call to action.
Read "About Customizing Creatives for Different Placements" and "Call to Action Buttons Available for Different Purposes" on Facebook, and tips for writing ad copy in "Correct Text" on our blog.
Set Chat Start Template
To create a message template that the user will see after clicking on your ad, click Create.
Enter a greeting message.
Add frequently asked questions. When a user clicks on a preset question, the text of the question will go to your business Instagram direct and start a dialog.
Please note: in order to launch a chatbot chain, the template questions must contain the keywords that are set by the trigger to launch the desired chain in the constructor of your chatbot. nine0003
Click Save and Finish.
Then click "Publish" to start the advertising campaign.
If you don't have a payment method set up, Facebook will ask you to enter your card or payment system details in the next window.
You can view the transaction history in the "Billing" section.
How the user interacts with the bot through ads
When a user clicks on an ad in the selected placement, they will see the list of FAQs you set up.
