Before August 28, 2023 the promotion of images and videos used in Instagram Stories as ads was not a possibility. Meta has now announced due to the friction this process caused for partners and their customers they are allowing the promotion of stories as ads via the Instagram Marketing API.
You have the option to generate advertisements using Instagram feed posts that include a single photo, video, carousel, or reel (tagged photos and videos are compatible) or active Instagram Stories. Additionally, you can produce ads from feed posts featuring feed images, carousels, and pre-existing videos with product tags. It’s worth noting that, at present, you are unable to generate advertisements from Instagram TV posts.
How to Create Ads with Instagram Marketing API
Here are the steps you can take to make the most of the Marketing API change at Instagram.
- Obtain Instagram User ID
- Find the Post You Want to Promote
- Create Your Ads
Here is how to create your ads after completing the Instagram Ads API, Get Started process:
Instead of specifying “instagram_actor_id” in the creative specification, use “instagram_user_id” and input the Instagram user ID you obtained:
{
"object_id":"<object_id>", // page id
"instagram_user_id":"<instagram-user-id>",
"source_instagram_media_id":"<source_instagram_media_id>"
}Specify source_instagram_media_id as the media ID from the post you want to promote:
curl -i -X POST \
"https://graph.facebook.com/v<API_VERSION>/act_<AD_ACCOUNT>/adcreatives
?object_id=<PAGE_ID>
&instagram_user_id=<IG_USER_ID>
&source_instagram_media_id=<IG_ORGANIC_MEDIA_ID>
&access_token=<API_ACCESS_TOKEN>"Finally if you can also update the call_to_action field for your promotion:
curl -i -X POST \
"https://graph.facebook.com/v<API_VERSION>/act_<AD_ACCOUNT>/adcreatives
?object_id=<PAGE_ID>
&instagram_user_id=<IG_USER_ID>
&source_instagram_media_id=<IG_ORGANIC_MEDIA_ID>
&call_to_action="{'type':'LEARN_MORE','value':{'link': '<YOUR_LINK>'}}"
&access_token=<API_ACCESS_TOKEN>"After submitting your ad creative, proceed to generate your ads. You also have the flexibility to integrate your creative during the ad creation phase, eliminating the need to split the process into two distinct steps.
Facebook Feed Posts Can Help Boost Your Instagram Content
Enhance the visibility of your Instagram content by incorporating an existing Facebook Feed post or Story into your ad’s creative. To determine if a post is suitable for use in your ads, execute the following API call:
curl -G \
-d "access_token=<ACCESS_TOKEN>"\
-d "fields=is_instagram_eligible"\
"https://graph.facebook.com/<API_VERSION>/<POST_ID>"*Please note: Not all Facebook posts work as Instagram ads.
If your response includes “is_instagram_eligible”: true, you can start creating your ad.
There are two main ways to create your new ad using a Feed post or Story:
Use source_instagram_media_id to reference to the content you would like to use, or create an object_story_spec in your ad creative directly. This method requires ads_management permissions.
If you would like assistance promoting your stories as ads in Instagram or boosting your overall Social Media outreach efforts our Social Media Marketing Services company can help, contact us today!
