10 Best Instagram Ad Examples By Type To Inspire Your 2025 Campaigns
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For those who are looking to advertise on Instagram, I always recommend researching what other advertisers are doing out there and learning from the proven successful ads. In this article, I’ve curated the best Instagram ad examples of different types and dissected strategies that make them effective. Get inspiration to take your 2025 Instagram advertising campaigns to the next level.
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Why Businesses Should Run Instagram Ads In 2025?
Instagram is an advertising platform that businesses should not overlook thanks to its massive user base of more than 2 billion monthly active people, young demographic, and high engagement. Moreover, it has a user and mobile-friendly interface, easy for beginners.
With precise targeting options, diverse ad formats, and visual focus, Instagram ads are effective for building brands, driving traffic and conversions, and measuring results.
If you want to promote products or services that fit Millennials or GenZ and are visually appealing, then Instagram ads are for you.
How Many Types Of Instagram Ads Are There?
As I will classify Instagram ad examples by type, you should know how many types there are for ads on Instagram.
Basically, you can run 8 types of ads on Instagram. Kindly have a look at the table below to grasp an overview of them.
Ad Type | Description |
Photo Ads | Single-image ads. Appear in user feeds. |
Video Ads | Single videos in one minute or shorter. Appear in user feeds. |
Carousel Ads | Multiple images or videos in a single ad unit. Users can swipe through. |
Stories Ads | Full-screen vertical images or short videos. Appear between users’ stories. |
Collection Ads | One big image or video, followed by 3 smaller images. When tapping on it, users are sent to a full-screen experience (Instant Experience) to shop directly within the ad. |
Explore Ads | Appear in the Explore feed. Users access Instagram Explore by clicking the magnifying glass icon. |
Shopping Ads | Ads with product tags. Users can shop directly in-app. |
Reels Ads | Fullscreen, vertical videos. Can be up to 15 minutes, but should be shorter. Appear between Reels. |
Great Instagram Ad Examples Of Different Types To Learn From In 2025
Let’s have a look at some selected examples of the best Instagram ads and take away valuable lessons from them.
Instagram Photo Ad Examples
Instagram photo ads are simple but effective in catching attention and driving action quickly.
#1 Hostinger Global
This Hostinger Global image ad stands out from Instagram feeds with a unique, high-contrast color theme (purple and orange) and an astronaut in the front.
The text [We’re on a mission] and [Three. Two. Online.] is creative, catchy, and fits the astronaut theme.
#2 HeyOrca
With a simple gradient background and perfect copywriting, HeyOrca’s Instagram photo ad remains efficient for a long time. They use a lot of space around the message, making it the sole focus of the ad.
The ad attracts the audience immediately with an engaging question that hits their pain point.
Instagram Video Ad Examples
Advertisers love video ads for a reason. Videos dominate the marketing world. They are great for attracting billions of eyeballs with compelling hooks, high-quality visuals, and story-telling techniques. Most of our current winning ads are also video ads.
Here are some of the best-performing Instagram ad examples for the video ad type.
#3 Yoga Teachers College
This video ad got over 2.6 billion views on Instagram. It talks about the possible harms of poor hip posture, igniting the fear of many people, especially office workers who sit for hours every day.
Then, the video goes straight to the point: Yoga Teachers College can help you cure your problem. All benefits of the course are highlighted in the caption.
Finally, the CTA button directs users to the Sign-up page. The caption also includes another CTA mentioning the short duration of the course, which is only 21 days, making it seem easy to follow and complete.
#4 Louis Vuitton
Louis Vuitton’s Instagram video ad attracts more than 4 billion views with a simple message: inviting people to follow the brand on Instagram for the latest news and collections.
What makes it effective is the catchy music, which perfectly suits the model’s movements.
The video focuses on the Louis Vuitton glasses – showing their beauty and luxury.
The ad caption is clear and concise, telling people what they can expect when following their Instagram account.
For more examples of great Instagram video ads, you can watch the video compilation below.
Instagram Carousel Ad Examples
Instagram carousel ads allow businesses to showcase all aspects of their products or services with up to 10 images or videos within a single swipeable ad.
#5 Moo
Moo let products speak for themselves with a cool Instagram ad in carousel format including 4 photos of their notebooks in different colors.
The design screams minimalism, making their products the star of the ad.
All photos are close-up shots and in high quality, thus, key selling features such as hardcover and premium paper quality are presented clearly without the need for additional text and design elements.
The caption focuses on highlighting the quality of the products instead of directly telling people to buy. The CTA button drives users to action with a simple message: Shop Now.
Instagram Stories Ad Examples
When talking about Instagram ad examples, we should not overlook stories ads. According to Social Pilot, 70% of Instagram users watch stories daily, so it’s a good place to put your ads.
#6 Oven Story
Did you know pizza is one of the world’s most Instagrammed foods? Despite being labeled unhealthy, pizza wins many people’s hearts with its eye-catching visuals, flavorful tastes, and interesting textures. Oven Story successfully leverages these features in their Instagram story ad by showing visually appealing pizza accompanied by the happy face of a customer.
And they know for people who love pizza, the more is the merrier. Their buy one get one offer makes people want to click on Shop Now immediately.
The way Oven Story presents their promotional offer catches the attention of people surfing the stories on Instagram effectively. As you can see, the offer is in big bold font and red color. The new price is put next to the crossed-out old one, on an outstanding text box, and in a bigger size.
Instagram Collection Ad Examples
Collection ads are great for mobile users to discover your catalogs and shop without leaving the Instagram platform.
#7 Gelcharm
Gelcharm impressively took advantage of the Instagram collection ad type to showcase their necklace’s beauty with close-up photos from different angles. They even show how it looks on a model.
The concise caption adds important information about their service: customizing customers’ names on necklaces. It also suggests people choose their jewelry pieces as perfect gifts.
>>> Read more: Jewelry Ads On Instagram: Best Strategies And Examples In 202
Instagram Explore Ad Examples
Instagram Explore ads are ads that you may see when browsing your Explore feed. Explore ads can be in image or video formats, just like what you often see in the main feed.
The main difference here is the placement. Explore is a place for people who want to discover the latest trends and find the next brands they may love.
Data from Instagram shows that over 50% of users use Explore monthly. That’s why the platform decided to place ads in the Explore feed.
#8 TikTok For Business
Here is an Instagram Explore ad from TikTok For Business offering a free download of their Mega Sales playbook for businesses. They provide useful resources to capture leads in return.
In their Explore ad, they use a single image with high-contrast colors and short text encouraging people to discover the secrets to success in the shopping race.
The caption starts with a question Ready to level up your Mega Sales strategy, which makes businesses immediately want to download the playbook, followed by an actionable CTA button that reads Download.
Instagram Shopping Ad Examples
Instagram shopping ads are shoppable ads with products tagged on the ad so that users can click on them to get more details and make purchases.
#9 Walmart
Walmart ran this shopping ad before the arrival of Father’s Day with highly relevant content, reminding people to shop for their dear dads.
On each product in the image, they add a tag and basic details like name and price. Viewers can tap each tag or the View Product button at the bottom left to see more and make purchases.
The products are displayed neatly and aesthetically, which is perfect for a visual-focus platform like Instagram.
Instagram Reels Ad Examples
According to Meta Investor Relations, Instagram users spend approximately 50% of their time on the Instagram app watching reels.
Reels ads are the best place for businesses to reach new customers who don’t follow them on Instagram. Reels ads can appear between reels in the Reels tab, Reels in your feed, and Reels in Explore after you tap into a reel and scroll vertically.
#10 Manychat
Above are some screenshots of a B2B Instagram Reels ad from Manychat.
This company uses a short video combining different design elements in vibrant colors with quick transition effects, which is highly attractive. Each image contains short and bold text to capture viewers’ attention.
The caption is effective with just several words, implying that businesses can get more sales when using their product: Instagram DM Marketing.
The CTA button directs people to a product page with details.
Below is another cool Instagram Reels ad with the same style by Manychat.
Best Practices From Good Instagram Ad Examples To Take Your Campaigns To The Next Level
What did you learn from these Instagram ad examples? Here are my key takeaways about essential elements to make successful ads on Instagram.
Focus on visuals
Remember, Instagram is created for sharing photos and videos, not long text content. Focus on visuals and draw users with high-quality photographs, eye-catching designs, and unexpected effects.
Add movements
Static image ads can be boring. Add movements to your ads, such as transition effects and subtle animation, or even use AI tools to transform images into videos to boost your reach.
Optimize ad copy
While visuals matter, ad copy still plays an important part in your ads. Keep it short for the Instagram interface, and focus on the benefits that customers can get rather than the features of your product.
Use a compelling CTA
Select suitable CTA buttons for your Instagram ads to direct users to the desired action. You can also add compelling CTAs on images/videos or captions to increase conversion rates. Ensure the selected CTAs align with your campaign objectives.
Run test ads
Always run A/B test ads when starting a new campaign. You can test different ad formats, placements, and creatives to find out the most high-performing for your product.
Don’t skip shopping ads
Shopping ads leverage the Instagram Shopping feature to allow users to buy products directly from Instagram, which is ideal for B2C businesses that sell physical products.
Tailor your ad to the placement
Different placement requires different ad specs (or specifications). Make sure your ad format matches the viewing experience of where it is shown.
For example, vertical 9:16 videos suit Reels and Stories, while 1:1 videos work great in the feed.
Prioritize mobile first
Mobile users take up the majority of Instagram traffic, so if you are not sure which specs to go with, optimize your designs for mobile.
>>> You may also be interested in: Ad Account Not Found Instagram Error: Expert’s Quick Fixes (2025)
Conclusion
Above is my curated list of the best Instagram ad examples of different types. While they are in different content, formats, and placements, they all share some common traits including eye-catching visuals, benefit-focused content, and strong CTA. Remember these key points when you craft your own Instagram ads to take your campaigns to the next level and see how your ROI soars. Subscribe to GDT Agency for more helpful Instagram advertising tips! Happy advertising!
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