What Is an Instagram Story Ad Anyway?
If you’re a frequent user of Instagram, you would already be familiar with
their Instagram Stories feature, available to every app user who is on the
platform. Instagram Story ads exist within this same space. Meaning these
ads are going to appear on top of your newsfeed, shot in full-screen vertical
video formats and optimized for mobile viewing. Just like Instagram Stories.
When one of your ad stories ends (either on its own or by swiping away), the
following story begins automatically. When that story ends creating a
continuous stream of content which, when used correctly, can end up telling a
very engaging story that keeps your audience coming back for more.
Now, for the regular user, these Story ads would appear in between the other
stories in their newsfeed, sort of like dividers. You’ve probably experienced
this yourself when you’re watching a story that a Friend A has uploaded, and
before stories move on to what Friend B has uploaded, there’s a random ad
which appears in between. That’s Instagram Story Ad. What’s captivating
about the ad stories is that they look like your ordinary organic posts, with the
only dead giveaway being the “sponsored” word that accompanies the ad.
One of the story ads most intriguing features is that it enables your brand to
link within your posts and to access this link, the viewers would only need to
swipe on your call to action button (usually “swipe up to shop” for example,
which appears at the bottom of the video) and they’ll quickly be directed to
your website’s landing page. Using this story ads feature could help you
achieve the following advertising objectives:
● Help to increase brand awareness
● Boost your reach so that your video is viewed by as many people as
possible
● Increase conversions by driving people to your website
● Encourage more viewers to install your app after watching your video
content
● Allow your video content to reach even more viewers
● Drive sales through lead generation (for example through phone numbers
and email addresses)