THE REALITY
Running Instagram ads seems straightforward until you've burned through a few thousand dollars with nothing to show for it. The platform has evolved significantly, and what worked two years ago is likely irrelevant now.
UNDERSTAND YOUR AUDIENCE
Understanding your audience is the non-negotiable starting point. Not demographics, the actual problems your product solves and the language your audience uses to describe them. A skincare brand targeting parents of newborns needs to address specific fears about what goes on their baby's skin, not generic skincare benefits.
FORMAT FOLLOWS OBJECTIVE
Format matters. Carousels work for longer stories. Stories drive traffic but not conversions. Reels work for awareness. The format follows the objective, not the other way around.
VISUAL QUALITY AND COPY
Visual quality is table stakes. With everyone using Canva, having a recognisable visual signature is your competitive edge. The gold standard: if someone saw your ad without the logo, they'd still know it was yours.
Copy has to cut through 100,000 words per day of content consumption. We recommend a problem-solution-offer framework. Lead with the problem, present your solution, make the offer clear.
TARGETING AND TESTING
Targeting is algorithmic now. Build your audience funnel sequentially, starting broad and narrowing as you accumulate conversion data. The platform gets smarter with more signal.
Testing is not optional. Until you have a critical mass of converted users, you're in experimentation mode. That's how the platform is designed to work.
And respect Meta's policies. We're a verified Meta Business Partner and we've resolved account suspensions across hundreds of clients. If your account is in trouble, come talk to us.
