32 Hand-Picked Instagram Ad Examples That Inspire

Instagram has grown tremendously as a social media advertising platform in the past few years.

Of the 1 billion Instagram users, 71% spend an average of 53 minutes per day on the app, while 90% of accounts follow at least one business on Instagram. High watch time and brand following trends indicate a favorable setup for brands to promote their business by posting ads on Instagram.

What more?

Instagram scores over all other social media platforms in terms of engagement with 2-7% of its users interacting with every Instagram post. This is one of the key reasons why marketers prefer Instagram over other social media platforms.

The platform allows you to create awesome ads through image posts, stories, and videos that can instantly attract more views. The new Instagram marketplace has made things a lot more effective and easier. You can include product purchase links in ads that can be used to purchase products without leaving Instagram.

In this blog, we have covered 25 unique Instagram ads examples in images, stories, and video formats and mentioned the key aspects which make them stand out. You can draw inspiration and insights from these hand-picked examples to build impactful marketing ads for escalating your brand.

Instagram Image Ads example

Image ads are a great way to grab your audience’s attention quickly. Instagram allows you to upload image sizes of up to 30 MB max. Ensure that you use filters to enhance the image quality and that the text in the ad occupies 20% of the image space.

#1 The Economist

This Economist ad encourages readers to visit its website to know more about the repercussions of the pandemic on the economy and what we can learn from history.

Ad Highlights

1. Builds curiosity: The ad headline builds curiosity by indicating a bright picture of the post-pandemic era that is beautifully complemented by the retro picture used.
2. Engaging caption: The caption is written in an engaging tone giving a glimpse of the article.
3. CTA directing users to its website: The CTA at the end of the caption directs users to visit their Instagram bio for a link to the full article on their website. Interesting way to build engagement, right?

#2 Jim Kwik’s Kwikbrain

Jim Kwik’s ad clearly defines its student audience and tells them that they have an opportunity to train their brain and excel in school.

Ad Highlights

1. Clearly defines audience: The ad image and the caption mentions its target audience – students – while also drawing parents’ attention as they will most likely be the decision-makers.
2. Attracts attention with image: The colorful ad clearly highlights the text “Brain Training for Students” and an image of the brain’s depicting its logical and creative sides.
3. Keeps it intriguing: The caption seeks students’ and parents’ attention and invites them to join Jim Kwik’s coaching sessions to learn secrets for success in school. Readers need to click on CTA or visit the website for more information.

#3 Shopmatic

The ad by Shopmatic clearly and engagingly highlights the product benefits by offering readers several options to shop with the brand.

Ad Highlights

1. Visually appealing: The product benefits are highlighted in a visually appealing way with appropriate icons.
2. Highlights benefits: The ad image highlights the product benefits creatively.
3. Mentions an attractive price: The ad states that Shopmatic products and services are being offered at an affordable price.

#4 Unluclass

This ad by unluclass says more with fewer words by comparing their writing course fee to the cost of a cup of coffee. Brilliant!

Ad Highlights

1. Uses a known personality: The ad is about learning the course from world-renowned author Ruskin Bond and focuses on his name in bold in the image text.
2. Offers discount: The ad lures readers with a 30% discount on purchasing the course.
3. CTA for website visit: The CTA on the video directs the users to the website to learn more about the course and register.

#5 Jerry Hietaniemi

Jerry Hietaniemi is a founder of a company that offers ready-made templates for product marketing on social media. This carousel ad by him on marketing templates for tattoo brands focuses on being visually attractive while highlighting the user benefits.

Ad Highlights

1. Begins with its bouquet of offerings: The caption instantly grabs attention with “300 tattoo templates” and 85% off.
2. Uses the WITFM factor: It clearly states the benefits and answers users’ question of ‘what’s in it for me? (WITFM).
3. Defines its audience: The ad clearly defines the audience by stating who will benefit from the offer.

#6 Hostinger Global

This Hostinger International ad immediately grabs attention with its neatly designed visuals to talk about its website hosting mission for users.

Ad Highlights

1. Unique color theme: The ad’s purple theme with an astronaut instantly stands out and catches your attention.
2. Catchy tagline: The tagline “Three. Two. Online.” is catchy and goes with the theme.
3. Builds relevance: The ad tries to link its mission of launching your website to an astronaut’s mission to launch their spaceship. Quirky yet creative!

#7 Wix

This Wix ad keeps it simple with one line and a pictograph and yet manages to get you curious about how to achieve high conversion for landing pages.

Ad Highlights

1. Unique color theme: The color theme of navy blue and tangerine orange instantly captures your attention.
2. Informative visual: The pictograph is visually informative and complements the topic of the ad in a clean and precise way.
3. Intriguing: The ad incites readers to know more about high-converting landing pages by downloading its article.

#8 Lebert Fitness

The ad by LebertFitness focuses on the ever-growing trend of home gyms and shows how simple it is to work out at home with minimal setup.

Ad Highlights

1. Perfect timing: With the pandemic restricting gym visits, Lebert offers a free resource to assist readers in creating their home gym.
2. Builds interest: The ad builds interest in making a minimalist home gym and directs readers to their blog to learn how to do so.
3. Attractive image: The image of a woman working out with the help of two handle rods complements the ad’s message of how easy it is to exercise at home.

#9 Entrepreneur

The Entrepreneur ad has a balanced focus on content and image designs. It delivers the message crisply and appealingly, precisely the way users prefer it.

Ad Highlights

1. Emphasizes the message: The ad clearly conveys that the course covers copywriting for all the areas with the “complete digital copywriting.”
2. Strong caption: The caption “From Facebook ads to blog posts, your guide to copywriting” conveys to the readers that they can learn how to do better copywriting irrespective of their writing medium.
3. Great Design: The image design has distinct elements that catch your attention immediately.

#10 FabFitFun

FabFitFun is a popular brand that offers full-sized products ranging from fashion and wellness to tech in a customized box. This creative and vibrant ad uses the occasion of Women’s History Month to give their female audiences a glimpse of what they have to offer.

Ad Highlights

1. Highlights the product: The arrow above the product highlights collections from its founders.
2. Highlights the offer: The ad clearly states users can get a box valued at over $160 for free. Such offers interest viewers to learn more about the offer.
3. Timely campaign: The offer is connected to Women’s History Month and supports women founders while attracting the attention of the women audience.

#11 Clock and Colours

For those whose interests are beyond the run of the mill, this ad by Clock and Colours brilliantly displays its accessories products in black and white contrast, making it stand out.

Ad Highlights

1. Uses image contrast: The monochromatic theme used for the ad is subtle yet striking at the same time.
2. Focuses on products: It displays the products in the collection format, making it attractive.
3. Mentions product types: The caption mentions rugged, handmade silver accessories as part of their collection, thereby attracting the attention of accessories enthusiasts.

#12 Digital Marketer

This ad by Digital Marketer is the best example if you want to learn how to deliver a message about a single topic in the shortest manner possible. It mentions just one point: how to do a blog audit.

Ad Highlights

1. Catchy caption: “Take your blog posts from ‘meh’ to ‘magnificent’ — fast”. Need we say anything more?
2. Minimalistic design: The “10-Point Blog Post Audit” clearly mentions the ad theme. The three green checked boxes convey that success is guaranteed if the checklist is followed.
3. Stimulating: The caption incites the readers to download the guide to learn more about blog auditing.

Instagram Video Ads examples

With Instagram’s IGTV videos appearing 4X larger than photos, video ads such as Reels and IGTV can significantly help you boost your engagement rate. Videos allow you to make the content as much as up to 60 minutes and make them appear lively and thus attract a greater number of views.

#13 Yoga Teachers College

This video ad by Yoga Teachers College talks about the perils of having incorrect hip posture and how yoga can help cure the problem. It encourages viewers to enroll in their yoga classes.

Ad Highlights

1. Keep it simple: The ad’s message is to the point: Yoga Teachers College can help you achieve a good body posture.
2. Highlights the benefits: The caption clearly mentions the benefits for viewers enrolling in the class, like getting rid of stiffness in the back and hips and gaining mobility.
3. CTA to register: The CTA link on the video directs users to sign up for the course, and the caption CTA mentions the course duration.

#14 Louis Vuitton

This ad is a visual treat that invites viewers to follow the brand on Instagram and enthrall them with the branded Louis Vuitton shades worn by the model.

Ad Highlights

1. Catchy Music: The music is catchy, which complements the model’s movements in the video.
2. Focuses on brand: In the video, the Louis Vuitton glasses are the main focus that signifies the brand’s exquisiteness.
3. Intriguing Caption: The ad’s message is clear that if you need to know about Louis Vuitton’s latest offers, exclusive collections, and news, you need to follow their Instagram account.

#15 Unstoppable Domains

This Instagram ad explains the benefits users will get by registering their blockchain domain or upgrading their domain to the blockchain with Unstoppable Domains.

Ad Highlights

1. Interesting concept: The video’s theme is blockchain domains and complements it with the current trending theme of blockchain among investors and on social media.
2. Offers benefits: It offers viewers benefits of registering or upgrading to blockchain domains with Unstoppable domains.
3. FOMO as the caption theme: The caption uses the fear of missing out (FOMO) hook by encouraging viewers to stay with the current blockchain domain trend and register their domain.

#16 Offeo

This Offeo ad explains how users can create attractive videos with the software application conveniently.

Ad Highlights

1. Imbibe creative visuals: The video ad shows various options offered by the application for creating videos.
2. Highlights benefits: The caption mentions all the product benefits in addition to discount offers and refunds acceptance.
3. Encourages action: The tone of the caption is strong enough to encourage action among readers to buy the product.

#17 Linktree

The Linktree ad conveys in a simple yet creative manner how you can link your audience to your website, products, and other channels with a single click in a hassle-free way.

Ad Highlights

1. Less is more: The ad expresses more with fewer words in a visually appealing way.
2. Highlights benefits: The video as well caption focuses on highlighting benefits.
3. Promotes credibility: The caption says millions of people are using Linktree, making the brand trustworthy for readers.

#18 John Opticians

The John Opticians ad beautifully conveys one frame that fits all styles.

Ad Highlights

1. Uses complementary objects: The ad shows a pair of glasses with jeans and a shirt and conveys that they complement each other.
2. Exudes positivity: The ad conveys cheerfully that the glasses will go with them perfectly irrespective of your style preference.
3. Promotes visit to Instagram profile: The ad ends with a note which requests readers to visit their website to know more about their products.

Instagram Story Ads examples

With over 500 million Instagram accounts viewing Stories, they are definitely a great tool to promote your brand to a broader audience and interact with viewers simultaneously. When it comes to Stories, it has been found that 20% of them attract direct messages from viewers. So using them definitely can cause a boost to your engagement.

#19 Doodly

This creative ad by Doodly believes in the saying “less is more” and conveys its message concisely.

Ad Highlights

1. Amazing visual: The ad is beautifully made in doodles since it is about a doodle video-making application.
2. Highlight the discount offers: The ad succeeds in making viewers focus on the discount being offered.
3. States the product USP: The ad states the product USP: it helps you create doodle videos easily and doesn’t charge any fee for that.

#20 Oven Story

Pizza is considered an indulgence food, and the ad has deployed an intelligent marketing tactic by displaying two pizzas. A person buying one pizza may quite likely buy another pizza looking at this ad by Ovenstory.

Ad Highlights

1. Visually appealing: The ad is visually appealing, spreading positivity and happiness through the happy customer in the image.
2. Catchy tagline: “Half price, double fun” is enticing enough to make you place your order.
3. Highlights new price: The new price offer is mentioned in bold and bigger font style to catch your attention instantly.

#21 Domestika

This ad by Domestika mentions only its course and instructor name and adds a CTA. No fluff. Thus only interested customers will visit its website to know more about the course.

Ad Highlights

1. Simple, minimalistic design: The ad’s minimalistic design makes it pleasing to the eyes.
2. Mentions information needed: The ad conveys the information viewers need to know: an online course for social media copywriting with the mentor’s name.
3. Encourages further action: Although it mentions the name and theme of the course, you need to click the Learn More option to know more about its details.

#22 Skillshare

Skillshare’s ad conveys the message clearly that there is a workshop for those who wish to build a brand presence on Instagram.

Ad Highlights

1. Focuses on aesthetics: The ad focuses on being visually appealing since its theme is Instagram which also symbolizes aesthetics.
2. Conveys information in a few words: The words “workshop” and “Instagram” give an idea to readers that it is related to the platform itself while mentioning duration.
3. Intriguing: It displays the words “learn how to…” to incite readers to click on the words and then gives a pop-up message that briefly tells readers the workshop is on building an Instagram presence.

#23 Netflix

Netflix is known for making creative ads that keep viewers updated with its latest releases.

Ad Highlights

1. Visually compelling: The ad is visually appealing with the special effects.
2. Says what’s new: The ad’s main message is to give a glimpse to viewers about the latest releases on Netflix.
3. Lures with CTA: The ad tells viewers that they need to sign up on the platform to view the latest releases.

#24 Felixhealthcare

This creative ad by Felix Healthcare is another example of “less is more”. It uses a vibrant mix of colors with catchy content.

Ad Highlights

1. Aesthetically pleasing: The minimalist design with the plain white tube against the salmon-colored background makes it stand out.
2. Clever copy: With just one statement, the brand highlights its USP with little humor to connect to the youth.
3. Use of negative space: The ad doesn’t use much text or graphics but rather lets its engaging visuals do the talking.

#25 Colgate

This Colgate ad tries to engage viewers by not showing the complete message. It aims to tap into the customer’s innate sense of curiosity.

Ad Highlights

1. Asks a question: The ad tries to be informative by starting with a “do you know” question to the audience.
2. Uses brand color: The brand’s red color instantly captures your attention to the question asked.
3. Builds curiosity: It builds interest among viewers as to how they can make their teeth whiter.

Instagram Carousel Ads examples

Carousel ads are different from image ads in the only way that you can upload multiple images in this format instead of one single image for users to swipe through the series of images. Instagram allows users to upload 10 images or videos within a single carousel ad, with their individual links.

#26 Ugaoo

This ad by Ugaoo displays beautiful different plant sets for viewers to choose from.

Ad Highlights

1. Visually appealing: The images are aesthetically pleasing, with plant sets complementing the home décor.
2. Shows off variety: The carousel shows off the different plant sets for users to choose from based on their preferences.
3. Friendly caption: The caption is written in a friendly tone that promises users hassle-free replacement and their availability at all times to answer any queries.

#27 Scarters

Scarters believes in minimalism and simplicity, and their hand-crafted products ranging from bags to desk accessories help you declutter and make room for more. This carousel ad about their desk accessories conveys the brand’s minimalistic and simplicity attractively.

Ad Highlights

1. Aesthetic and minimalist: True to their brand’s vision, the carousel images in the ad display how you can use the desk mat to make your desk more spacious and presentable.
2. Talks about pricing and offers: The caption talks about the product features and pricing discounts and mentions a limited period offer.
3. CTA directs to website: The CTA link on the carousel images directs the viewers to their website.

Instagram Collection Ads examples

Collection ads include a carousel display of images through which users can swipe and browse a brand’s multiple products within the main Instagram feed while staying on the platform.

#28 The Olio Stories

This carousel-cum-collection ad by The Olio Stories is visually appealing, with the models showing off their fantastic dress collections.

Ad Highlights

1. Aesthetically breathtaking: The ad is attractive with the correct use of contrast and the colors of their dress collection.
2. Mentions brand partners: The caption by The Olio Stories credits its brand partner ITRH, a clothing brand.
3. A glimpse of collection: The Collection below shows viewers its exotic products to choose from for easy purchase.

#29 Levi’s

As one of the most popular fashion brands, Levi’s ads have always been about keeping up with the latest trends and encouraging you to “Live in” the moment.

Ad Highlights

1. Interesting Collections: They have an exciting collection of clothing apparel in different categories.
2. Easy to view: Each of their collections can be easily viewed and accessed to choose the preferred product for shopping.
3. Highlights sale offers: The products on sales are highlighted at a discounted and attractive price range.

#30 McDonald’s

Another famous brand, McDonald’s, does not need any introduction. The brand, too, tries to keep itself up with the trends and stand out in the cut-throat competition. This unique collection from the brand promotes its merchandise strategy.

Ad Highlights

1. Creativity: The merchandise collection from clothes to bags is unique, creative and in sync with the brand.
2. Affordable pricing: The products are available at reasonable and affordable prices.
3. Convenient checkout: It makes the customers’ shopping and the checkout process a seamless experience like a decent collection ad.

Instagram Shoppable Ads examples

Instagram Business allows you to tag your products directly in your posts for viewers to discover and engage with your products easily.

#31 Walmart

This clever Walmart ad is timely placed with the arrival of Father’s Day and encourages viewers to shop for products for the occasion.

Ad Highlights

1. Timely campaign: The ad is timed with the occasion of Father’s Day to grab viewers’ attention instantly.
2. Tags the products: Since this is a shoppable ad, the products are tagged for viewers to easily know their details by clicking on the respective tags.
3. Displays products aesthetically: The ad displays the products in a neat and aesthetic manner.

#32 Delonghi

Délonghi products range from coffee and espresso machines to kitchen and home appliances. This ad displays their espresso maker in an aesthetically pleasing manner.

Ad Highlights

1. Right use of aesthetics: The espresso machine is placed in a way that goes well with the home décor.
2. Catchy caption: The caption is intriguing and sounds personalized for the reader as if the product is tailor-made for them.
3. Highlights products on sale: The product tag easily lets readers know that there is a sale offer for it.

Conclusion

The 32 ads we saw were all creatively interesting in their own way to make viewers want to know more about the product/service.

The common factor among all these ads is that they are visually appealing, quickly highlight benefits to the audience, and have catchy captions and text that helps them quickly grab many eyeballs.

Keep these points in mind when you design your next Instagram ad and maybe, your ad may figure among the best!

Use SocialPilot to manage your Instagram scheduling and ace your Ads game effectively.