Boost in the Instagram app
Quick, with fewer settings.
Pick a post, choose a simple goal, audience, budget and duration. Good for visibility. Limited targeting, testing and tracking.
Facebook & Instagram ads · How-to
Advertising
on Instagram.
Step by step.
To advertise on Instagram, switch to a professional account, connect it to a Facebook Page, then either boost a post in the app or build a campaign in Meta Ads Manager. Ads Manager is the better choice for enquiries and sales, because you choose the objective, audience, placements and tracking. You set the budget yourself, and there is no minimum contract.
By Malta Digital · Published · Updated · 5 min read
Before you start
What you need
before you start.
- An Instagram professional account (business or creator). You can switch in the app settings at no cost.
- A Facebook Page for the business, connected to the Instagram account in Meta’s Accounts Center or Business Suite.
- A Meta business portfolio (Business Manager) and an ad account owned by your business.
- A payment method on the ad account.
- A website page, form or message route for people to respond to, with tracking where possible.
Set up the business portfolio and ad account in the business’s name, not a staff member’s or an agency’s personal account. If someone leaves, you keep the account, its history and its audiences.
Two ways
Boosting in the app
or Ads Manager.
Meta Ads Manager
Full control.
Choose the objective, audience, placements and several ad versions to test. Connects to the Pixel and Conversions API to track enquiries and sales.
If the aim is customers rather than reach, use Ads Manager. The same campaign can also run on Facebook, which usually helps rather than hurts.
Step by step
Setting up
a campaign.
01
Choose the objective
Meta’s objectives are awareness, traffic, engagement, leads, app promotion and sales. For most businesses that means leads or sales.
02
Define the audience
Set the locations, age range and language. Start broad, then use website visitors, customer lists and lookalikes as data builds.
03
Pick placements
Leave automatic placements on, or choose Instagram feed, Stories, Reels and Explore. Check results by placement later.
04
Set budget and schedule
Choose a daily or lifetime budget and a start date. You can pause or change it at any time.
Then build the ads themselves: the images or videos, the main text, a headline and a call-to-action button such as Book now, Learn more or Send message. Meta reviews new ads before they run, usually within a day.
Ad formats
Which ad formats
to use.
Single image
One strong photo with a clear message. Simple and quick to test.
Video and Reels
Short vertical video, ideally 9:16. Show the product or service in the first seconds.
Carousel
Several images or videos people swipe through. Good for menus, products or before-and-after.
Stories
Full-screen vertical ads between Stories. Short, bold and easy to act on.
Lead forms
An enquiry form that opens inside Instagram, pre-filled with the person’s details.
Message ads
Ads that open a conversation in Instagram Direct, WhatsApp or Messenger.
Use vertical creative for Stories and Reels, and portrait or square for the feed. One horizontal video forced into every placement rarely performs well.
Writing the ad
How to write
an Instagram ad.
Instagram is visual, but the words still matter. Most people decide in a second or two whether to stop scrolling.
Open with the point
The first line of text and the first seconds of video should say what you offer and who it is for.
One offer, one action
Book a table, get a quote, shop the collection. Do not ask people to do three things.
Show, then tell
Let the image or video show the result. Use the text to answer the obvious question: price, location or availability.
Match the landing page
The page people land on should repeat the offer from the ad, so they know they are in the right place.
Make three or four versions with different images and opening lines. Meta will show the stronger ones more, and you learn what your customers respond to.
Budget
How much to spend
on Instagram ads.
There is no fixed price. Instagram ads run on an auction, and the cost depends on your audience, objective, season and how good the ads are. You choose the budget, and Meta will not spend more than you set.
A sensible way to decide: pick an amount you can keep running for several weeks without judging it every day, so the campaign has time to learn. Then judge it by the cost of real enquiries or sales, not clicks or likes.
Management is separate from ad spend. If an agency runs your ads, its fee is on top of what you pay Meta. Our Meta ads management starts from €1,250 per month plus ad spend, excluding VAT.
Malta notes
Instagram advertising
in Malta.
Residents and visitors
Decide whether you want people who live in Malta, people who are here now, or both. Tourism businesses often run separate campaigns for each.
Small audiences tire quickly
The same people see your ads often. Plan new creative every few weeks.
Messages are the enquiry route
Many people in Malta would rather message than fill in a form. Reply quickly, and make sure messages reach someone.
Seasons
Summer, the festa season and Christmas change who is around and what they want. Plan campaigns around them.
Common mistakes
Mistakes that waste
Instagram budget.
- Boosting for likes and expecting sales.
- Running ads from a personal account or a freelancer’s ad account.
- Using a link in bio as the only route to buy or book.
- Sending people to a slow website on mobile.
- Changing the campaign every day before it has had time to learn.
- No tracking, so nobody knows which ads worked.
After launch
What to check
after launch.
- In the first days, check that the ads are approved and spending, and that tracked results are arriving.
- After a week or two, look at which ads and placements bring results, not only clicks.
- Pause ads that spend without results, and add new versions of the ones that work.
- Check messages and form leads daily, and reply quickly.
- Review the cost of real enquiries or sales after a fair test before raising the budget.
Avoid changing everything at once. Small, steady changes make it clear what made the difference.
A few straight answers
What you might be wondering.
Can I advertise on Instagram without a Facebook Page?
You can boost posts from a professional account in the Instagram app. For full campaigns in Ads Manager, connecting a Facebook Page and a business ad account is the standard setup.
How much does it cost to advertise on Instagram?
You set the budget, and Meta charges through an auction. The real cost depends on your audience, season and creative. Judge it by the cost of real enquiries or sales.
How long does Instagram ad approval take?
Meta reviews new ads before they run. Most are reviewed within a day, though some take longer.
Should I advertise on Instagram and Facebook together?
For most businesses, yes. One campaign can run on both, and Meta moves budget to where results are better. Review the placement results after a fair test.
Do you run Instagram ads for businesses in Malta?
Yes. We plan, build and manage Facebook and Instagram ad campaigns, with tracking and regular reporting. We do not offer organic posting.
Keep reading
Related guides.
Instagram ads vs Facebook ads
Same tool, different apps. What changes between Instagram and Facebook ads, and how to choose.
Facebook ads vs boosted posts
Boosting is quick. Ads Manager gives you control. What the difference means for enquiries and sales.
Meta Pixel and Conversions API explained
What the Pixel and the Conversions API do, why the Pixel alone misses sales, and how to check your setup.
A useful first step
Show us what
you’re running.
We’ll look at your offer, campaigns, tracking and landing page, then explain what we would change first. Initial review at no charge.