How Do I Run Instagram Ads Through Facebook Ads Manager?

Quick Answer

To run Instagram ads through Facebook Ads Manager: (1) link your Instagram to Business Manager, (2) create a campaign in Ads Manager, (3) at the ad set level under Placements, choose Manual and select Instagram Feed, Stories, Reels, and Explore, (4) at the ad level, select your Instagram identity, upload Instagram-formatted creative, and publish. Total setup time: 15-20 minutes for your first campaign.

Prerequisite Checklist

Before you start, you need:

[ ] Facebook Business Manager account
[ ] Facebook Page
[ ] Instagram Business or Creator account
[ ] Instagram linked to Business Manager (Settings > Accounts > Instagram)
[ ] Ad account created with payment method
[ ] Meta Pixel installed on your website (for conversion ads)
[ ] Creative assets in correct dimensions

Missing any of these? Fix that first — you can't fake your way through it.

Step-by-Step Walkthrough

Step 1: Create the Campaign

Open business.facebook.com/adsmanager
Click Create
Choose an objective:

- Sales for ecommerce - Leads for service businesses - Engagement for community/awareness - Traffic for content distribution

Name your campaign: [Product] - [Objective] - [Audience] - [Date]
Click Next

Step 2: Configure the Ad Set

Set Daily budget or Lifetime budget
Choose Schedule — start date and end date
Define your Audience:

- Locations - Age range - Gender - Interests, behaviours, or custom audiences

Scroll to Placements
Select Manual placements
Uncheck Facebook placements
Check only:

- Instagram Feed - Instagram Stories - Instagram Reels - Instagram Explore

Click Next

Step 3: Build the Ad

Under Identity, select your Instagram account from the dropdown
Choose Format: Single image, Single video, Carousel, or Collection
Upload creative (specs below)
Write your Primary text (40-125 characters works best)
Add a Headline (under 27 characters for mobile)
Choose a Call to action button
Add your destination URL
Preview the ad in each Instagram placement on the right
Click Publish

Ad review takes 1-24 hours. You'll get an email when it's live.

Instagram Creative Specs

Placement	Aspect Ratio	Resolution	Max File Size	Video Length
Feed (image)	1:1	1080x1080	30MB	N/A
Feed (video)	1:1 or 4:5	1080x1080	4GB	Up to 60s
Stories	9:16	1080x1920	4GB	Up to 60s
Reels	9:16	1080x1920	4GB	Up to 90s
Explore	1:1	1080x1080	30MB / 4GB	Up to 60s

Key rule: design for 9:16 (vertical) first, then crop to 1:1 for feed. Vertical creative dominates Instagram performance in 2026.

Targeting That Actually Works on Instagram

Instagram users behave differently from Facebook users — they're younger, more visual, and discover brands through content rather than search. The targeting that works:

Lookalike audiences built from your customer list (1-3% similarity)
Custom audiences of website visitors and Instagram engagers
Interest stacking: combine 3-5 related interests rather than relying on one broad interest
Advantage+ audience: let Meta find your best buyers automatically

Avoid: ultra-narrow demographic targeting. Instagram's algorithm needs at least 1M+ audience size to optimise effectively.

Launch Checklist

Before you click Publish, verify:

[ ] Campaign objective matches your goal
[ ] Budget is reasonable for your audience size ($10/day per 100k)
[ ] Audience is at least 1M people
[ ] Only Instagram placements selected
[ ] Identity = Instagram (not just Facebook Page)
[ ] Creative is in correct aspect ratio for each placement
[ ] Primary text under 125 characters
[ ] CTA matches the destination (e.g. "Shop Now" for product page)
[ ] Pixel is firing on the destination page
[ ] UTM parameters added for tracking
[ ] Ad is previewed in Feed, Stories, AND Reels

Common Mistakes

Mistake 1: Using Facebook-style square images for Stories. Stories need full-bleed 9:16 creative or they look amateur with grey bars.

Mistake 2: Forgetting to set Instagram identity. If you skip this, your ads run as your Facebook Page, lose Instagram-native styling, and miss profile visits.

Mistake 3: Optimising for engagement. If you sell things, optimise for purchases or leads. Engagement ads attract people who like content, not buyers.

Mistake 4: Single creative per ad set. Always run 3-5 creatives per ad set so Meta can find the winner. One creative = no learning.

Mistake 5: Not using Reels. Reels are the highest-engagement, lowest-cost placement on Instagram in 2026. If you're not running Reels-formatted creative, you're leaving performance on the table.

Template: Instagram Ad Campaign Brief

CAMPAIGN NAME: [Product] - [Objective] - [Audience] - [Date]
OBJECTIVE: [Sales / Leads / Engagement]
BUDGET: $[X]/day
DURATION: [start] to [end]
AUDIENCE:
  - Type: [Lookalike / Interest / Custom]
  - Size: [estimated reach]
  - Locations: [list]
PLACEMENTS: Instagram Feed, Stories, Reels, Explore
CREATIVE:
  - Format: [Image / Video / Carousel]
  - 1:1 versions: [list]
  - 9:16 versions: [list]
IDENTITY:
  - Instagram: @[handle]
  - Facebook Page: [name]
CTA: [Shop Now / Sign Up / Learn More]
DESTINATION: [URL with UTM tags]
KPI: [target CPA / ROAS]
REVIEW DATE: [3-5 days after launch]

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