You can post an ad on Instagram in two ways: boost an existing post directly from the app, or build a campaign from scratch in Meta Ads Manager. Boosting takes about two minutes and works well for simple promotions. Ads Manager gives you more control over targeting, creative formats, and objectives. Both require a business or creator account on Instagram and a linked Facebook Page.
What You Need Before You Start
Instagram ads run through Meta’s advertising system, so a few pieces need to be in place first. If you’re running a personal Instagram account, switch it to a business or creator account in your settings under “Account type and tools.” This is free and unlocks the promote button on your posts.
Next, link your Instagram account to a Facebook Page. You can do this from your Instagram settings under “Accounts Center” or from the Facebook Page itself under “Linked Accounts.” Even if you never post on Facebook, the Page is required because Meta’s ad platform uses it as the billing and management hub. Finally, add a payment method (credit card, debit card, or PayPal) to your ad account so Meta can charge you when your ad runs.
Option 1: Boost a Post From Instagram
Boosting is the fastest route. Find an existing post or Reel on your profile, tap “Boost post,” and Instagram walks you through a few choices: your goal (more profile visits, more website visits, or more messages), your audience, your budget, and how long you want the ad to run. You set a total budget and a timeframe, and Instagram calculates the daily spend for you.
The trade-off is simplicity for control. Boosted posts offer limited targeting options and only a handful of objectives. You can’t create carousel ads, customize call-to-action buttons, or run the ad across Facebook and Messenger at the same time. For a quick push on a post that’s already performing well organically, boosting works fine. For anything more strategic, use Ads Manager.
Watch for the Apple Service Fee
If you boost a post from the Instagram app on an iPhone or iPad, Apple adds a 30% service fee on top of your ad spend. That means $100 in ad budget actually costs you $130. This fee goes to Apple, not Meta.
Four ways to avoid it:
- Boost from instagram.com. Open the website on any browser, desktop or mobile, and boost your post there.
- Add prepaid funds on the web. Load money into your ad account from instagram.com, then use that balance to boost from the iOS app without the surcharge.
- Use Meta Business Suite. The Business Suite app or website lets you boost posts without the Apple fee.
- Use Meta Ads Manager. Building your ad in Ads Manager on the web bypasses the fee entirely.
Option 2: Create an Ad in Meta Ads Manager
Meta Ads Manager is the full-featured platform for Instagram advertising. You access it at adsmanager.facebook.com or through the Ads Manager mobile app. The process follows three layers: campaign, ad set, and ad.
Set Your Campaign Objective
At the campaign level, you choose what you want the ad to accomplish. Options include driving traffic to a website, generating leads through a form, getting conversions (purchases, sign-ups), increasing store visits, or boosting engagement. Pick the objective that matches your actual business goal, because Meta’s algorithm optimizes delivery based on this choice.
Define Your Audience and Budget
The ad set level is where you decide who sees the ad, how much you spend, and where the ad appears. Ads Manager gives you far more targeting tools than boosting does. You can build audiences based on demographics, interests, and behaviors, or upload a customer list and create a lookalike audience of people who resemble your existing customers. You also choose placements here: Instagram Feed, Stories, Reels, the Explore page, or let Meta automatically distribute across all its platforms including Facebook and Messenger.
For budget, you can set a daily amount or a lifetime budget for the entire campaign. National campaigns on Instagram typically see CPMs (cost per 1,000 impressions) ranging from about $10.50 to $14.80, though your actual costs will vary based on your audience, industry, and competition. You can start with as little as a few dollars a day to test what works before scaling up.
Build Your Ad Creative
At the ad level, you select your Instagram account, upload images or video, write your headline and description, choose a call-to-action button (Shop Now, Learn More, Sign Up, etc.), and enter your destination URL. Ads Manager supports formats that boosting doesn’t, including carousels with multiple scrollable images, collection ads that open a mini-storefront, and lead forms that capture contact info without sending people off Instagram.
Image and Video Specs to Follow
Getting your dimensions right prevents awkward cropping and keeps your ad looking sharp. Here are the current recommended specs for each major placement:
- Feed ads: Square images work well at 1440 x 1440 pixels. Vertical images at 1080 x 1350 pixels take up more screen space in the feed. Landscape images should be 1080 x 566 pixels. Supported aspect ratios range from 1.91:1 (wide landscape) to 4:5 (tall vertical). Minimum dimensions are 500 pixels wide by 400 pixels tall.
- Stories ads: 1440 x 2560 pixels at a 9:16 aspect ratio. Keep text and logos away from the top 14% (about 250 pixels) and bottom 20% (about 340 pixels) of the frame, since profile icons and swipe-up elements cover those areas.
- Reels ads: Same 1440 x 2560 pixels at 9:16. The safe zone is tighter here: leave the top 14%, the bottom 35%, and 6% on each side free of important text or logos to avoid overlap with interface buttons.
For video, MP4 and MOV are the standard file formats. Keep videos under 4 GB. Shorter clips, around 15 seconds for Stories and under 30 seconds for Reels, tend to hold attention better.
Publishing and Monitoring Your Ad
Once everything looks right, hit “Publish.” Meta reviews most ads within 24 hours, checking them against its advertising policies (no misleading claims, restricted content rules, etc.). You’ll get a notification when the ad is approved and starts running.
Track performance in Ads Manager under the “Campaigns” tab. The key metrics to watch depend on your objective: click-through rate and cost per click for traffic campaigns, cost per lead for lead generation, and return on ad spend for conversion campaigns. If an ad isn’t performing after a few days, try changing the creative or adjusting your audience before increasing your budget. Small tweaks often matter more than spending more money.
Choosing the Right Approach
If you’re a small business owner promoting a sale this weekend and you have a post that’s already getting good engagement, boosting it from the web (not the iOS app) is the simplest path. You’ll be live in minutes.
If you’re running an ongoing campaign, testing different audiences, or need formats like carousels and lead forms, Ads Manager is worth the learning curve. It also gives you better reporting so you can see exactly what’s working and reallocate your budget accordingly. Many advertisers start with a boost to get comfortable, then graduate to Ads Manager once they want more precision.