Instagram Ads to Increase Followers: 9 Ways to Reach Your Audience

Profile photo of Karen Lin, author

Karen Lin

Instagram Growth | Sep 15, 2023

Want More Real Instagram Followers?

Anybody with a business or personal brand must master how to run Instagram ads to increase followers. Using ads or sponsored content is one of the quickest ways to grow big enough on the platform and nurture organic growth. Let’s look at the many ways you can explore to leverage the power of ads on Instagram.

Man drinking a beer for an Instagram ad.

Are Instagram Ads Effective?

Instagram continues to evolve at a dizzying rate. However, one thing has remained constant: Instagram is a busy and profitable space for almost all types of businesses. If you want to be a success on the crowded platform, you should know how to take advantage of all the opportunities to promote your brand. And regarding business and content promotion, Instagram ads have proven to be quite effective. It’s an absolute must-have in your marketing toolkit.

Instagram is the #1 social media platform for people who want to connect with brands. Check out these latest statistics, which show the advantages of using Instagram ads to increase followers.

  • Instagram ranks 8th as the most visited website globally, with 4.25 billion monthly visits.
  • 1.386 billion people use Instagram daily, making it the 4th most-used social platform in the world.
  • Instagram ranks first among the most downloaded apps worldwide.
  • Among U.S. adults, 47% use Instagram and 40% use the platform at least weekly.
  • Instagram is Gen Z’s number one platform of choice; the same is true for women between 25 and 34 years old.
  • Instagram Stories have a potential ad audience of 996 million users.
  • Instagram Reels have a potential ad audience of 758.5 million users.
  • For 2023, projections show that 35% of Instagram users will purchase on the platform.
  • Among U.S. shoppers, 15% use Instagram for online shopping searches.
  • Predictions show Instagram’s 2023 ad revenue reaching $50.58 billion.

Essential Steps for How to Increase Followers on Instagram Through Ads

Make sure you complete these essential steps to increase followers on Instagram through ads.

  1. Convert your profile to a professional account. You can choose between a business or a creator account.
  2. Suppose you want to create Instagram ads to increase followers with the help of advanced tools in Ads Manager. In that case, you need to link your Instagram account to a Facebook page associated with your Instagram profile.
  3. Set up a payment method for your ads.

You should also learn about the creative requirements for various creative formats used in ads.

Person shooting a video for an Instagram ad.

How to Run Ads on Instagram to Increase Followers by Boosting

Meta and Instagram offer various options for how to run ads on Instagram to increase followers. Experiment with different strategies and use all available tools to get the most out of your ads.

Instagram Ads to Increase Followers Option 1: Boost a Post

Boosting a post is the simplest option for Instagram ads to increase followers. You can boost any regular feed post to convert it into an ad and reach more people. Just follow these steps.

  1. Go to your profile and tap the post you want to boost.
  2. Below the post’s image, tap Boost.
  3. Fill in the details of your ad. Set your goal, audience, budget, and ad duration. Tap on “Next.”
  4. Unless you’ve already linked to a Facebook page when setting up your professional account, you will be prompted to connect an account. Choose an existing account or tap Skip. If you opt to skip this step, it won’t appear again when you boost future posts. You can link your account to a Facebook page at any time.
  5. Tap Boost post under Review.

Instagram will review your post to make sure it meets the platform’s ad policies. It will automatically begin running if approved, and you’ll receive a notification in your Activity Feed. You will get Instagram notifications after the campaign ends or after the disapproval of your post.

You can also boost a new post before you publish it on Instagram. Just toggle on the Create Ad option before you share the new post. Instagram recommends using images with less than 8 MB for boosted posts.

Instagram Ads Option 2: Boost a Story

You can create Instagram ads to increase followers when you boost an active story, a story in your Highlights, or an archived story. Boosted stories will run for the whole duration of your ad.

  1. Go to your profile.
  2. Tap your profile picture to access your story, open your Highlights to select a story or tap Menu > Your activity > Archived > Stories archive.
  3. At the bottom of the story’s image or video, tap More, and tap Boost story.
  4. Fill in the details of your ad. Set your goal, audience, budget, and duration. Tap on “Next.”
  5. Tap Boost post to submit it for review.

Instagram Ads to Increase Followers Option 3: Boost an Instagram Reel

Boosting an Instagram Reel is another way to create Instagram ads to increase followers and drive engagement. When you boost a Reel, it will appear in the Reels tab, Explore, Stories, and feed.

Take note that you can’t boost a Reel if:

  • It uses copyrighted music, GIFs, interactive stickers, or camera filters from a third party.
  • It has been shared on Facebook.
  • It’s more than 60 seconds.

Your Reel must be less than 60 seconds and have a full-screen (9:16) vertical aspect ratio.

  1. Go to your profile.
  2. Tap the reel you want to boost.
  3. Below the reel, tap Boost.
  4. Fill in the details of your ad. Set your goal, audience, budget, and duration. Tap on “Next.”
  5. Tap Boost reel to submit it for review.

Ads displayed on digital billboards in a busy street.

Creating Ads With Product Tags

You don’t need to set up an Instagram Shop to add product tags to your posts. Whether or not you have a store, you can also turn these tagged posts into ads.

Instagram Ads to Increase Followers Option 4: Create a New Ad With Product Tags

Creating an ad with product tags drives shoppers straight to the product detail page. There are two ways to explore this option for Instagram ads to increase followers. The first option uses Ads Manager and is only for professional accounts. The second option lets any user add product tags to their post.

To create an ad with product tags via Ads Manager, just follow these steps:

  1. Go to Ads Manager and select +Create.
  2. Select your objective: Awareness, Traffic, Engagement, Leads, or Sales.
  3. Choose your conversion location and optimization for delivery. Some optimization options vary according to your previous step’s objective.
  4. Select your audience.
  5. Select Manual placements and select Instagram Feed, Instagram Explore, and/or Instagram Stories as the placement. The Advantage+ placements indicate that your ad will also run without product tags on all other placements.
  6. At the ad level, upload the creative/content you’ll use to add product tags. Take note that if you’re using a Carousel format, you must add a product tag to every Carousel image.
  7. Select Edit Media, then select Product Tags under Creative Tools.
  8. Select “catalog” and search within Tagged Products to select products.
  9. Drag and drop product tags to the correct location on the ad preview to the right.
  10. Select Save.
  11. Finish the details for your ad and select Publish.

The post must be public to tag products in a regular post. Make sure you have the brand’s permission to tag their products.

  1. Start creating your post.
  2. Tap Tag people.
  3. Search and tag the brand first. You’ll see 2 options at the bottom labeled People & Products.
  4. Tap Products.
  5. Tap on the photo to start tagging products. Use descriptors to find the product. Once you find the product, specify any styles and/or colors, then tap to add the tag.
  6. Hit Share to publish your post.

Instagram Ads Option 5: Boost an Existing Shoppable Post as an Ad With Product Tags

If you’ve set up an Instagram Shop, you can also boost an existing shoppable post with product tags. Reach more people with this option for Instagram ads to increase followers via Ads Manager or directly through the Instagram app.

When using Ads Manager, just follow these steps:

  1. Go to Ads Manager and select +Create.
  2. Select your objective: Awareness, Traffic, Engagement, Leads, or Sales.
  3. Choose your conversion location and optimization for delivery. Some optimization options vary according to your previous step’s objective.
  4. Select your audience.
  5. Select Manual placements and select Instagram Feed, Instagram Explore, and/or Instagram Stories as the placement. The Advantage+ placements indicate that your ad will also run without product tags on all other placements.
  6. At the ad level, select Use existing post.
  7. Choose the shoppable post you’d like to run as an ad.
  8. Finish the details for your ad and select Publish.

If you want to boost a shoppable post with product tags directly from the Instagram app, here’s how to do it:

  1. Go to your profile and tap the shoppable post you want to promote.
  2. Below the post’s image, tap Promote.
  3. Fill in the details of your promotion. Set your goal, audience, budget, and duration. Tap on “Next.”
  4. Tap Preview promotion under Review to preview how your promotion with product tags will show in Instagram Feed and Explore.
  5. Tap on “Create promotion” to complete your promotion.

Instagram Ads to Increase Followers Option 6: Create a Branded Content Ad With Product TagsInstagram Ads to Increase Followers Option 6: Create a Branded Content Ad With Product Tags

Instagram ads to increase followers using branded content are for brands with creator partners. You can turn the creator’s content into an ad to widen its distribution and impact. When you run a branded content ad, you’ll use creator audience sharing to share the ads with their engaged audience. You have to meet the following requirements to create a branded content ad:

  • Set up branded content ad permissions with the creator or partner you are working with using Meta Business Suite.
  • Acquire a content ad code.
  • An existing post must have a paid partnership label before it can be turned into a branded content ad.

Here’s the basic procedure to create a branded content ad:

  1. Go to Ads Manager and create an ad.
  2. Pick an objective that is available for branded content:
  3. Continue creating your ad. You can use the creator’s engaged audience at the audience step. If you choose manual placements for your ad, you can select Instagram and choose either Feed, Stories, Reels, or both.
  4. Under the Identity section, click the branded content ad toggle at the ad level.
  5. Under Primary identity, click Select identity and choose the account you want viewers to see as the account posting the ad.
  6. Tap Done. If you have a branded content ad code from a creator, click Enter branded content ad code instead.
  7. Under Partner Identity, click Select identity and repeat the process. Choose the account you would like to appear as the paid partner.
  8. Continue with the next steps if you use an existing post on your feed or upload a new creative.

Instagram photo with product tags

Creating Ads Using Advanced Features

Make sure to check out these advanced features when creating Instagram ads to increase followers.

Instagram Ads Option 7: Customize Images in Your Catalog With Creative Tools

You can use the following creative tools in Meta Ads Manager to edit or create Instagram ads to increase followers:

  • Crop your product set images
  • Add a frame (not available with Instagram placement)
  • Add catalog info (not available with Instagram placement)
  • Add product tags (only available on Instagram feed and Explore placements)

Below are the steps to access these creative tools:

  1. Go to Ads Manager and edit an existing ad or create a new Advantage+ catalog ad.
  2. Ensure that Advantage+ creative for catalog is turned off in the Ad setup section.
  3. In the Ad creative section, click Edit creative under Creative tools.
  4. Select an option from the drop-down to open Creative tools.

Instagram Ads to Increase Followers Option 8: Create an Ad With Advantage+ Creative for Catalog

Use Meta Advantage+ creative to show people different formats, creatives, and destinations based on what they’re most likely to respond to. The basic steps are below:

  1. Go to Meta Ads Manager and click +Create.
  2. Choose an objective and click Continue.
  3. Add your campaign details, then click Next.
  4. In the Dynamic creative section, toggle the switch to Off.
  5. Choose your budget, audience, placements, and optimization, then click Continue.
  6. In the Identity section, select your Facebook page and attach your Instagram account.
  7. In the Ad setup, toggle the Advantage+ creative for catalog to enable it.
  8. In the Ad creative section, select the catalog and product set you want to use.
  9. Add the copy/text to complete your ad, such as headline, description, etc.
  10. In the Ad preview section, click See variations to explore different options for how your ad will appear.
  11. Complete your ad and then click Publish.

Instagram Ads to Increase Followers Option 9: Find an Instagram Partner

You can get help creating Instagram ads to increase followers from a vetted Instagram Partner. Your Instagram Partner, now referred to as Meta Business Partner, is a recognized expert with unique abilities that can help businesses grow. A Meta Business Partner “can be that extra set of hands you need to power your marketing strategy.” These are the services you can get from a partner:

  • Campaign management
  • Creative services
  • Create product catalogs
  • Track marketing performance
  • Conversion data management
  • Sales
  • Community management
  • Messaging and customer service

Best Instagram Ads to Gain Followers

Let’s look at examples of the best Instagram ads to gain followers. Use these as inspiration when conceptualizing your own Instagram ads to increase followers.

  • Basic photo ad from @Elementor. The image below uses a consistent but eye-catching color neatly broken into circles. The copy goes straight to the point.
Screenshot of an example of instagram ads by elementor
  • Video ad from @Netflix. The video ad uses glowing reviews superimposed on the video as social proof to invite users to watch the show. The ad also offers viewers an exciting sneak peek into the upcoming season.
Screenshot of an example of instagram ads by netflix
  • Carousel ad from the clothing brand @Cider. Each Carousel image shows a full image and a close-up of the product. The background for each slide is also carefully chosen to perfectly complement the featured garment.
Screenshot of an example of instagram ads by cider
  • Story ad from education specialist @Kaplanpathways. The Stories ad begins with a thoughtful question, which is also asked in each succeeding story. The individual stories feature various degree offers from the partner university.
Screenshot of an example of instagram ads by kaplanpathways
  • Sponsored post from @Masterclass. The direct caption immediately contradicts the notion that a master class is long and boring. The video also offers an enticing look at what’s on offer and features a genuine expert in the field.
Screenshot of an example of instagram ads by Masterclass

Power Up Your Instagram Ads to Increase Followers

Creating Instagram ads to increase followers leverages the platform’s advanced audience-targeting technology. Instagram’s algorithm does a fairly good job of putting your ads in front of the right audience. But what if you can still power up your ad’s potential to reach more of your ideal audience?

This is definitely possible when you team up with a trusted growth service like Path Social. You can take advantage of Path Social’s proprietary AI targeting technology for even more precise audience targeting. Their in-house social media specialists will lend you their expertise in marketing strategies to effectively and organically promote your content.

This way, you can expect steady growth with real people genuinely interested in your brand. Trusted by more than 20 thousand Instagram brands across all niches and industries, Path Social is your best bet for lasting and rewarding growth. Start growing and gaining Instagram followers today!