Over the last few weeks, Instagram has been introducing new surfaces (what Instagram calls placements) and ad creative tools to give businesses more options to create engaging posts, reach more customers, and grow their brand.
Music optimization for Reels
To increase the adoption of Reels, Instagram has introduced free, high-quality songs from the Meta Sound Collection library. These songs can be added to Carousel Ads on Reels. You can select a song from the library or allow the app to automatically select a song based on the content.
Explore home and profile feed ads
Explore home is the grid that you see when you click the Explore tab. This feed will now feature ads to reach people in the earliest stages of discovering new content they may be interested in.
Ads in profile feeds are also being tested for non-teen, public profiles. This is the feed experience that people can scroll through after visiting another account’s profile and tapping on a post.
Monetization options. As a part of this test, we will experiment with a monetization opportunity that will allow eligible creators to earn extra income from ads displayed in their profile feeds, beginning with select U.S. creators.
AI-powered multi-advertiser ads
Multi-advertiser ads allow businesses to be discovered by “people who are in a shopping mindset and have recently engaged with relevant businesses content in feed.”
When a person expresses commercial intent by engaging with an ad, the AI delivers more ads from other businesses they may be interested in.
AR Ads
An open beta of AR has been launched in both feed and stories. The AR experience is powered by Spark AR and brands can encourage people to interact with the effect through their surroundings.
Dig deeper. Read the full announcement and learn more about the new Instagram ad surfaces and features here.
Why we care. More ads on Instagram don’t seem like a good thing for users. Too many ads and a negative platform experience could make more users stop using the app, making the ads less effective for brands.
On the other hand, if Instagram continues to improve on its AI and shows ads that are relevant to users, additional ad placements may not be as bothersome. The new placements will give brands additional opportunities to have their content seen and grow their customer base.
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About The Author
Nicole Farley is an editor for Search Engine Land covering all things PPC. In addition to being a Marine Corps veteran, she has an extensive background in digital marketing, an MBA and a penchant for true crime, podcasts, travel, and snacks.