When spending an hour scrolling through Instagram Reels feels like mere minutes, the engaging format of these TikTok-style videos clearly keeps audiences hooked.

Launched in 2020, these 15-to-30 second clips can be viewed in Instagram’s Reel tab and Explore page. As the popularity of these short-form videos continues to grow, so does their potential as a marketing and advertising tool for businesses.

Recently, Instagram has expanded this feature to include ads, allowing your business to reach targeted audiences in a completely new format.

So, what are Instagram Reel ads?

Basically, they are a new placement for ads on Instagram.

According to platform creators, reels are “The best place on Instagram to reach people who don’t follow you. These ads will help businesses reach greater audiences, allowing people to discover inspiring new content from brands and creators.”

Taking a similar form to Instagram Stories ads, Reel ads are full-screen, vertical videos that appear between regular Reels in the feed.

How do I set up an Instagram Reel ad?

If you’ve worked with Instagram Ads Manager before, the process will be pretty easy.

Create the ad

Compile your creative together, write the copy and captions, and decide on a few key hashtags. Reels are often funny or quirky and paired with trending music, so do your research and see what similar brands are doing.

Navigate to Ads Manager

Make sure your business has an Instagram business account so you have access to Ads Manager. Click create.

Choose your Advertising Goal

Consider what your business’ objective of placing an ad on Instagram Reels. The six different goal objectives available include brand awareness; reach; traffic; app installs; video views; conversions. Fill out the details of your campaign, like the budget, schedule, and target audience,

Select Manual Placement

Select Manual Placements and ensure that nothing is selected apart from Instagram Reels (you may also choose to repurpose for stories and select this placement too!)

Customise your call to action

As a business, you can decide on how you want viewers to act. For example, consider customising your CTA button with options like: Shop Now; Read More; Sign Up.

And that’s it! Your Instagram Reel ad is ready to go live. After it’s been approved, the ad will appear publicly in the Reels tab, Explore page, and your audiences’ feed.