10 Instagram Ad Ideas To Boost Your Conversions

There is no doubt about this. Instagram advertising is, has been, and will be one of the best ways to get new customers online.

And the more effective your ads are and the more they convert, the more money you are going to make.

That’s why in this article I am going to reveal to you 10 Instagram ad ideas to boost your conversions and get the best results.

Here’s a list of them:

So, are you ready to begin? If so, let’s dive in.

Instagram Ad Idea #1: Use Classic Images

Using classic images is a really powerful way to make your Instagram advertising work. That’s why they act as an amazing hook. Everybody skips ads online.

However, when you make your ad look like a normal post, you are not going to get skipped and you’ll get way more attention.

Of course, that doesn’t mean the image can be “normal” like a photo of you in the forest. It must not be promotional but it should stand out.

Here is an amazing example:

Sabri Suby's ad for his Sell Like Crazy book

It’s simple, it shows the product, but there is no promotional message.

That’s why people will wonder, “What is that?” and they are going to go to the caption and read it or they will immediately tap on the ad.

It is really powerful to use these images instead of just sharing a promotional image.

And now, let’s move on to another thing, which is…

Instagram Ad Idea #2: Use The AIDA Formula

AIDA is one of the most powerful formulas that you can use to make your Instagram ads work and that’s why it is such a great idea.

What does AIDA mean?

AIDA stands for Attention Interest Desire Action.

When the caption you write for the ad is going to follow this copywriting formula, then it is far more likely going to convert.

Attention part is the first few sentences of the ad caption. You need to use them to grab the attention of your dream customers.

The best way you can grab their attention is by:

Arouse Curiosity
Sense Of Urgency
Call Out Your Target Audience
Appeal To Their Fears

Of course, there are other ways you can hook them in but these seem to work the best.

Interest is about igniting the fire in them to do something. You do that by diving deep into their emotions, talking about their problems, etc.

Desire is about pouring gasoline into the fire and making them want the solution you sell.

You do that by presenting people with an irresistible offer.

That means the offer must be so good that it is harder to refuse it than to say “yes”.

And last, there is Action. This is where you’re going to tell them to click the ad and, if necessary, give them instructions about what to do next.

When you use this formula, then your ads are going to work way better than they do now.

And now, let’s dive into another idea…

Instagram Ad Idea #3: Deliver The Main Message In Caption

This is especially powerful when you’re trying to do Instagram advertising for example the same way you do Google ads.

The difference between Google ads and Instagram ads is that with Google ads there is no place to write captions.

That’s why the entire message has to be delivered on the image.

The image has to state the offer, include a call to action, and show a domain.

On Instagram, it is far better if you use the image only as a hook and then deliver the rest of the message in the caption.

You’ll get far more attention and also the ad is going to convert better.

Example of a sales message in the caption of an Instagram ad

It’s going to work way better and you have way more space for sharing the right message and getting the results you want.

So, don’t try to squeeze everything into the image, leverage the caption instead.

Instagram Ad Idea #4: Use Video

This is a fantastic idea and a perfect way to make even the coldest audience take action.

That’s because it is easy to consume, it is far more relatable and trustworthy, and it is easier for you to appeal to emotions if the video is created the right way.

However, what can be harder in my opinion is to hold the attention of the viewer.

But if you use transitions, cuts, and other attention-holding tricks, it will be pretty good.

Another reason why video is so powerful is that it’s the only way to share a long-form message.

The longest caption you can write on Instagram can have only 2,200 characters.

If there are more of them, your ad won’t get published.

However, in a video, you can easily share all you need without any problems.

And if you can hold the attention of your dream customers it can be virtually as long as possible.

Instagram Ad Idea #5: A BANG

One of the strongest hooks that you can use for Instagram video ads is a bang.

That means, for example, you do some crazy thing at the beginning that lasts a few seconds and then you transition to the message.

Here’s a fantastic example that I captured from Russell Brunson:

Fantastic ‘gold digger’ double-meaning entertainment used as a hook.

When you do something like this it is going to instantly hook the attention of most people.

So, try it out. You can do something like pop a bottle of champagne on a camera yell something or pretend to be at a funeral telling the audience to celebrate the death of an old way of doing things…

It all works if it is a true BANG.

Instagram Ad Idea #6: Target The Right People

What a simple idea this is, but it works like a charm.

If you target the wrong audience with your Instagram ads, then regardless of the message, nobody is going to buy because the target audience just doesn’t care.

Most people don’t do it even though they want to because they are not clear on their dream customer avatar.

They don’t know who is the dream buyer so they just guess. That’s a road to flushing money down the toilet and making no sales. So, first, get clear on that.

If you want, then your ads will work like this…

Imagine you’re a door-to-door salesperson and you are selling a ticket to a steak party but you’re selling only to vegans.

You’d have to knock on every door in California, Texas, and New York to make a sale. And the vegan that would buy would need probably go there just to protest against how ugly it is that these weird people are killing animals and eating them.

That program is not going to work out…ever. And that’s why you need to target the right people with your Instagram ads.

Instagram Ad Idea #7: Retargeting

Retargeting is one of the most important things in Instagram advertising and it is absolutely necessary that you do it.

Retargeting means showing ads to people who have already interacted with you before in some way, are your fans, are on your email list, or seen your ad before but didn’t act.

That way, the likelihood of them taking action is way higher because they are already familiar with you and even have a strong relationship with you.

Note that, 80% of the money is in retargeting.

So, don’t ever neglect it.

By the way, there is no way you can set up these ads on Instagram itself. You’ll have to use Meta Business Suite.

However, always retarget ads. And if you are super short on budget, try these ads first before you begin showing ads to a cold audience.

Instagram Ad Idea #8: Be More Personal

To make your Instagram ad convert more, you don’t want to share a message that feels academic has no emotion, and is super formal.

Instead, you want to be more personal. Instagram is a social media and that’s why being personal is such a big deal there and it is so effective.

Write the way you talk, lighten up the seriousness of the ad by making the ad a bit entertaining (not funny), and make it personal.

I guarantee you it is going to convert more.

Instagram Ad Idea #9: Track Every Ad Dollar Spent

One absolutely essential thing is that you make your Instagram ads profitable. And you’re never going to know if that’s the truth if you don’t track every ad dollar that you spend.

In other words, set up conversion tracking, track everybody who clicks, and always measure everything.

Without measurement, you are never going to get any results because you won’t know what works and what doesn’t work.

In other words, you’ll be flushing money down the toilet.

And that is something nobody can afford to do.

So, track every penny that you spend and do more of what works based on data while terminating what doesn’t work.

Instagram Ad Idea #10: Do A/B Testing

One of the simplest ways to boost the conversions of your Instagram ads is by doing simple A/B tests. In other words, you are going to create 2 versions of the same ad with the second version having only 1 difference, and compare their performance.

The ad that performs better will be used in future advertising and the one that doesn’t perform as well will be terminated.

Then you do A/B testing again and again and again until you feel the ad can’t be much improved.

It is a perfect way to boost your conversions, find out what works and what doesn’t, and reuse the strategies in future content.