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Instagram reportedly testing new promoted Stories ad option for business accounts

It could open up Stories ads to smaller businesses with limited resources.

Amy Gesenhues on November 2, 2018 at 2:54 pm

Instagram is testing a “Promote” for Stories ad format that will work similar to Facebook’s Boost option, allowing business accounts to pay for their Stories to be promoted in user feeds. The ad option is being tested globally, but no specific date has been given for an official launch, according to a TechCrunch report.

Why you should care

Instagram Stories get a lot of play on the app. According to the company, 400 million users view Stories daily. The company also reports that 80 percent of its users follow a brand or business account on the app. It makes sense for Instagram to offer businesses that may not have significant ad budgets or management resources the option to promote organic content to a broader audience at a limited cost.

No specifics were given for costs to promote an Instagram story, but a Facebook Page admin can boost a post for as little as $5 — making it an affordable option for most SMBs. Business accounts will be able to target the promoted Stories (that include a link to the business’ Instagram profile or website) by location, to audiences similar to their followers, or use Instagram’s full set of ad targeting parameters, according to the report.

We reached out to Instagram for a comment, but have not yet received a response.

More on Instagram Stories

On Thursday, Instagram launched a new feature that allows users to link to IGTV videos within Stories.
Instagram launched “Shopping in Stories” globally in September, offering e-commerce options for retailers on the app.

About The Author

Amy Gesenhues

Amy Gesenhues is Third Door Media's General Assignment Reporter, covering the latest news and updates for Marketing Land and Search Engine Land. From 2009 to 2012, she was an award-winning syndicated columnist for a number of daily newspapers from New York to Texas. With more than ten years of marketing management experience, she has contributed to a variety of traditional and online publications, including MarketingProfs.com, SoftwareCEO.com, and Sales and Marketing Management Magazine. Read more of Amy's articles.