Over the last few years, Instagram’s impact far surpassed its original photo-sharing structure. What started as a space for people to post pictures of their latte art has turned into a far-reaching platform, attracting over 1.2 billion active monthly users in 2021.

It’s safe to say that Instagram is no longer just for snaps of coffee and baby pictures (as cute as those may be.) Users can do a lot more than post — they can create videos and reels, go live to all of their followers, and even shop directly on Instagram. Brands have been quick to notice the conversion potential on the platform, but it isn’t enough to simply promote and post and hope for the best. Like any good marketing campaign, we have specific tips and tricks to keep in mind.

Instagram Ad Copy Basics

What is Instagram ad copy, and why should we focus on it? Instagram ads, similar to Facebook’s, are posts that look native in the feed for which companies, brands, publishers, etc. pay to be pushed out to specific users. Just like marketers use copywriting for Facebook ads as an effective way to reach a wide, targeted audience, promoting on Instagram can achieve the same thing. One of the best aspects working to marketers’ advantage is the wide variety of advertising options available on the platform. 

• Photo or Video Ads - This is perhaps the most native ad placement on Instagram, as they show up directly on the timeline just like a normal post would for a user.
• Carousel Ads - These placements allow advertisers to show off multiple products in one ad (all with different copy underneath).
• Story ads - Showing up as a user flips through their stories, these places allow marketers to use the built-in call to action “swipe up” feature.

So that settles the why Instagram ads could be a viable option for your campaigns, but let’s dive into how to actually create quality copy for the platform. When it comes to copywriting on Instagram, there are a few guiding rules to follow to ensure you’re getting results with what you’re promoting. Let’s get into the key Instagram ad copy best practices.

Keep Instagram Ad Copy Simple, yet Effective

When trying to write effective Instagram ad copy, it’s important to be clear and concise. We have a few precious seconds to grab the attention of the user, so marketers should strive to keep their language as jargon-free as possible. Instagram ads shouldn’t feel like a user is watching an infomercial. Instead, your ads should feel like a natural addition to the user’s feed.

Getting it right the first time can be tricky, so here are some important tips for writing effective copy:

• Put your value proposition at the beginning of your message.
• Keep engagement in mind. Instagram currently doesn’t allow you to include links directly in captions, so it’s helpful to have verbiage that encourages the user to act. (E.g. “Click the link in bio,” “Tag a friend,” “Save for later”)
• Have a strong CTA that clearly states what action you wish the user to take (and why it’s worth their time).
• Be relatable, not salesy. An audience won’t resonate with sales jargon, so keep language casual, yet persuasive. 
• Never neglect your brand voice. Regardless of what you’re promoting, it’s important to keep your tone and style consistent throughout your copy.
• Complement your visuals. Since Instagram is a photo-first platform, keep in mind that the users’ focus will most likely be on whatever visual you have chosen.

Use Imagery to Your Best Advantage

And speaking of imagery, let’s talk about the thing that made Instagram the success it is today. It’s safe to say that when we think of imagery, we automatically think of photography, illustrations, and graphics, right? And we know that Instagram is all about eye-catching images. While this is true, we can also incorporate some pretty effective copy onto those squares on our feeds. Create infographics or other graphics with strong CTAs to drive your message home to the user. By putting some of your message in the imagery of the post, you’re ensuring that even those who don’t bother reading the caption can still know exactly what you’re promoting.

Don’t Be Afraid of Hashtags

Hashtags exist for a reason! And using them correctly can make a huge difference in the success of your ad. Instagram allows you to use up to 30 in a single post, and while we don’t recommend you go for the max, incorporating a few strong hashtags in your copy can generate even more traffic. Search the hashtags you wish to use before adding them to your posts to see what kind of content pops up. You want to pick the ones that will be most relevant to your brand. But don’t just choose the really popular ones! A nice mix of popular hashtags with more niche ones can help boost your content.

Keep Placement in Mind

One of the best things about using Instagram for advertising is that you have a couple of different placements to choose from. Sure, marketers usually choose to promote their product or service through in-feed posts, but the platform also allows businesses to use Stories, Reels, and IGTV for their promotions as well. Stories are an especially great resource for promotion because of Instagram’s “Swipe Up” feature that allows users to swipe and be immediately redirected to the chosen link.

And Now, for the Technicals

While the strategy ad campaigns may be similar, Instagram ad copy specs vary slightly from those of Facebook. For your reference, here are the ad specs for Instagram:

Images  

• Image Ratio: 1:1 
• File Rype: JPG or PNG
• Resolution: At least 1080x1080 pixels

Text

• Primary Text Recommendation: 125 characters (although, Instagram ad copy limit is 2,200 characters)
• Max Hashtag Limit: 30 hashtags

Confused? Use Anyword to Help Your Instagram Promotion

Navigating the nuanced world of social copy can be daunting — even for experienced social media managers. That’s where Anyword comes in. Anyword’s AI-powered copywriting tool makes it that much easier to generate high-converting Instagram ad copy.

Instead of playing the guessing game about what captures the attention of Instagram users, marketers and publishers can turn to Anyword to create engaging, scroll-stopping copy with just a few clicks.

It’s as simple as:

• Creating a project for an Instagram post and giving a quick blurb about your post.
• Typing in keywords or copy you wish to optimize.
• And clicking generate! The AI will handle the rest.

The platform provides you with multiple caption variations, along with a “predictive performance score” that anticipates how well a specific line of copy will resonate with your brand’s audience. So before you even hit “Post” on Instagram, you’ll have an idea of how effective your post will be. 

Need to branch away from English? Not a problem. Anyword’s AI copywriting let’s you choose from over 20 different languages in which to generate copy.

So if you’re tired of taking a stab in the dark with your Instagram posts, let Anyword be your guide. Try our 7-day free, no commitment trial to see just what our AI copywriting tool can do for you.