Stick with the specs and achieve Instagram success!
We all know how overwhelming creating the perfect ad can be. Following the recommended Instagram ad guidelines can help make the process much easier and increase your chances of success.
Instagram offers a range of ad formats that you can experiment with to increase reach and engagement: feed ads, explore ads, story ads, carousel and reel ads. All of the ads above can be in the form of an image or video. Although the specs for each ad format are similar, they have slight differences you should be aware of when creating your ad content. Playing by Instagram’s rules is the best way to reach your paid social goals.
We have accumulated all the specs you need for your Instagram ads in this article. Read on to find out how these specifications change between formats and how you can use them to your advantage.
1. Instagram feed ads
What are Instagram feed ads? These are paid promotional content that appears on a user’s feed. They allow advertisers to increase reach whilst re-using existing content. Instagram feed ads can be images or videos.
Instagram feed images
Having an eye-catching image in your ad shows your brand personality and encourages users to find out more. Instagram recommends specific dimensions and guidelines.
- File type: JPG or PNG
- Ratio: 1:1
- Resolution: 1080 x 1080 pixels
- Maximum file size: 30 MB
- Minimum width: 500 pixels
- Minimum aspect ratio: 400 x 500
- Maximum aspect ratio: 191 x 100
- Aspect ratio tolerance: 1%
When it comes to writing copy, Instagram recommends 125 characters for your primary text, with a max of 30 hashtags and a 40-character headline.
Instagram feed videos
Video ads are becoming more popular and used creatively can showcase your brand in more detail and in a more interesting way than an image can. In much the same way Instagram has guidelines for image ads, the platform also has recommendations for image video ads.
- File type: MP4, MOV, GIF
- Ratio: 4:5
- Resolution: 1080 x 1080 pixels
- Maximum file size: 4GB
- Minimum width: 5000 pixels
- Video captions and sound are recommended
Instagram also states that videos should be between 1 second – 60 minutes. They should also have 125 characters in the copy and a max of 30 hashtags.
2. Instagram explore ads
This ad format refers to ads that appear on the users ‘Explore’ page. These ads increase reach for advertisers but also allow advertisers to create culturally relevant / trending content. As users on the explore page are open to discovery, people are often more receptive to these ads. Similar to feed ads, explore ads can be image or video-based and have specific guidelines.
Instagram explore images
- File type: JPG or PNG
- Ratio: 9:16
- Resolution: 1080 x 1080 pixels
- Maximum file size: 30 MB
- Minimum width: 500 pixels
- Primary text: 125 characters
Instagram explore videos
- File type: MP4, MOV, GIF
- Ratio: 4:5
- Resolution: 1080 x 1080 pixels
- Maximum file size: 4GB
- Minimum width: 500 pixels
- Video captions and sound are recommended
The guidelines state that explore videos should be no more than 60 minutes and the copy should be no more than 125 characters.
3. Instagram stories ads
Story ads are vertical video or image ads that appear in between user stories for up to 15 seconds. They are great for increasing engagement. They automatically pop up on users’ screens without them having to click. Due to their immersive features (GIFs and stickers), advertisers can clearly and easily direct users to find more information.
Guess what? Instagram also has guidelines for these too.
Instagram story image ads
- File type: JPG or PNG
- Ratio: 9:16
- Resolution: 1080 x 1080 pixels
- Maximum file size: 30 MB
- Minimum width: 500 pixels
- Primary text: 125 characters
Instagram story video ads
- File type: MP4, MOV, GIF
- Ratio: 9:16
- Resolution: 1080 x 1080 pixels
- Maximum file size: 4GB
- Minimum width: 500 pixels
- Primary text: 125 characters
- Video captions and sound are recommended
4. Instagram carousel ads
This ad format includes multiple videos or images in one ad. These ads are effective in increasing conversions and generating sales because you can showcase multiple products / CTA’s in one ad. The guidelines for these ads are as follows:
- Minimum resolution: 1080×1080 pixels
- Recommended ratio: 1:1
- Maximum file size (images): 30MB
- Maximum file size (videos): 4GB
- Recommended image formats: JPG, PNG
- Recommended video formats: MP4, MOV, GIF
- Video length: 1 second to 2 minutes
- Number of Carousel cards: 2 to 10
- Primary text: 125 characters
- Maximum number of hashtags: 30
To note: landing page URLs are required.
5. Instagram Reels ads
Our final ad format today is Instagram reel ads. What are these? They are full-screen paid reels that appear within organic reels. They are great because they fit seamlessly into the user experience and increase reach. Here are the guidelines for reel ads:
Instagram reels image ads
- Minimum resolution: 1080×1080 pixels
- Recommended ratio: 9:16
- Minimum width: 500 pixels
- Maximum file size: 30MB
- Recommended image formats: JPG, PNG
- Primary text: 72 characters
Instagram reels video ads
- File type: MP4, MOV
- Ratio: 9:16
- Maximum file size: 4GB
- Minimum width: 500×888 pixels
- Video length: 1- 15 minutes
- Primary text: 72 characters
- Video captions and sound are recommended
Top tip: Reel video ads must not contain licensed music, or media with a gif or product tags.
Want to learn more about Instagram ads?
Has this article piqued your interest? Here at Embryo, our team of experts are ready to help you take your Instagram ads to the next level. Get in touch and let’s get the process started.
