It's no secret that advertising on Instagram is the perfect combination of large-scale audience reach and low cost of communication with one potential client. Marketers of the world are competing to create original advertisements, posts, and blog posts, competing for consumer attention. Thereby forming new rules of effectiveness and success of creatives. How to create really engaging content for Instagram? Get inspired by examples of famous brands and companies.
The Instagram platform is the second network in terms of availability and number of active users (after Facebook). Its specialty is the visual component, where everything is important: photos, filters, image processing, style and music. According to www.statista.com, content generated by thousands of brands on business profiles is viewed by more than a billion active users. About 500 million daily views are on Instagram stories, which is what you can count on when you launch a creative campaign.
The number of brands represented on the platform is constantly growing. Oberlo, estimates that 71% of US businesses use Instagram. And this is not surprising, because in 2022, if the company is not on social networks, it does not exist at all.
Why should you have a business profile on Instagram?
It is already clear that Instagram is no longer about personal profiles. It is now a global platform that works with brands and business owners to generate and publish different types of content, engage new audiences, showcase products and inspire user aesthetics.
What's more, Instagram users aren't just active—they're engaged in content. About 59% of users visit the site every day and at least 7 hours a week, viewing different types of content and communicating with friends and brands (according to Statista).
The main advantage is the visual component of advertising. It is here that you can implement any bold creative ideas: bright videos and original layouts, high-quality images, various videos, incredible filters or stickers, universal catalogs of goods and services. If a business can stand out through design, then Instagram is the perfect place to do it.
Videos, mockups and illustrations are promotional products that will need to be created every day to be interesting to a potential audience. First, you need to create a marketing strategy that describes the main data:
By creating a strategy before you become active on social platforms, you can avoid the mistakes of hundreds of competing companies and focus on your own goals and audience.
Choose among various advertising formats, the one that will be simple and understandable for the audience:
A variety of formats are created so that every business can find the ideal form for communication with the target audience. After all, research by Statista that 72% of buyers look to Instagram for ideas for their next purchase.
It is important to remember: you are unlikely to get high results if the created advertising materials are not visually attractive, and the ad texts are not convincing enough.
Over the past few years, Instagram has changed significantly. While brands previously relied mainly on static images, today vertical videos, authentic UGC content, and creatives made with artificial intelligence show the best results.
When choosing an ad format, consider not only the campaign goal but also how users interact with the content. Reels Ads work great for quick reach, Carousel Ads for showcasing multiple products, and Stories Ads for instant promotions.
In order for advertising to bring the maximum result, it is necessary to approach the task of creating original creative very carefully. Work on making the ad both simple and clear, and at the same time stand out among competitors or colleagues in the market.
We have collected examples of Instagram posts created by well-known brands and recommend being inspired by them to create advertising masterpieces.
Instagram recently conducted a surveyand found that 91% of users watch video content every week. Perfectly! Use this format to convey to potential consumers all the benefits and features of the product or service. A video can tell about a brand much more than a static image.
Here are some examples of Instagram video ads that can inspire your next Instagram marketing campaign.
An instructional video ad from a well-known yogi community showing exercises you can do at home.
What is the emphasis on:
The world coffee brand Starbucks presents a novelty — chocolate cold coffee.
What is the emphasis on:
A world-renowned technology corporation offers advice on shooting experimental portraits using colored gels and simple lighting settings.
What is the emphasis on:
In this ad, HubSpot offers to subscribe to the “Marketing Against the Grain” podcast for marketers.
What is the emphasis on:
Presentation of the new men's collection from the Prada fashion house.
What is the emphasis on:
When Instagram advertising first took off, it was focused on the news feed. The relevance of this format does not leave the leading positions until now, so brands form a content and advertising strategy based on the need to place square images and videos. The reason for such popularity is the versatility and adaptability of the tape to the needs of any business.
Atmospheric publication about interior design from the international brand Ikea.
What is the emphasis on:
Software company Elementor is promoting a new service in social networks.
What is the emphasis on:
The Lego company presents a new video for fans of "Star Wars" that the constructor is a great gift for anyone.
What is the emphasis on:
Uber continues to communicate in a light and informal way and in advertising activities.
What is the emphasis on:
The Disney company presents a new Pinocchio poster for fans of the cartoon.
What is the emphasis on:
The carousel format allows you to display multiple images or videos in one ad. For the user, this functionality is similar to a gallery, where you can scroll through files forward or backward. The format is suitable for demonstrating products or services, creating step-by-step instructions or guides. Carousel ads can be placed in the feed or in stories. You can add a unique URL to each layout.
* material from the profile of Blue Apron
Food delivery service Blue Apron offers to add chef-driven dishes to its menu.
What is the emphasis on:
* material from the profile of Cider
Online store Cider is promoting its new collection of summer women's clothing.
What is the emphasis on:
Nike tells the story of the waffle outsole that pioneered a new type of athletic shoe comfort.
What is the emphasis on:
Booking prepared an itinerary for the weekend (in this case New York, but there is a whole series of such publications) to get the maximum pleasure from the visit.
What is the emphasis on:
A well-known low-cost company publishes information about the possibilities of flights from different cities. In this case, football fans are invited to watch the match at the stadium.
What is the emphasis on:
Instagram Stories are expected to generate a quarter of the platform's ad revenue in 2022. And no wonder: a convenient format, a variety of content (these are video ads, and static images, and photo stories, and carousel ads). Stories are great for building a brand image in the minds of consumers, creating awareness, or even influencing direct sales.
* material taken from https://adespresso.com/
In this Story ad, Zurella is promoting her new gorgeous bracelet called KimmyKlover.
What is the emphasis on:
* material taken from www.tribegroup.co
A great and original ad from Gymshark for Black Friday. It is a full screen format with a dark background and only one word, "BLACKOUT".
What is the emphasis on:
* material taken from https://adespresso.com/
Oh So Little, an online store for children, advertises feeding plates in different colors.
What is the emphasis on:
Atmospheric video in Jysk stories. About beauty and aesthetics in the interior of every family.
What is the emphasis on:
* material from the profile of Ford
Calendar of motorcycle adventures from Ford in a stylish dark format (which corresponds to the brand concept).
What is the emphasis on:
Instagram Store is a feature that allows sellers to sell goods or services directly on the platform. Very similar to Facebook Marketplace, Instagram Shop has a catalog where you list your products and then run ads on them. Regular posts can also link to items from the store.
A post about towels in the feed of the Jysk company, which you can immediately buy directly through Instagram.
What is the emphasis on:
A bright and creative publication of Puma sports shoes, which shows a variety of colors.
What is the emphasis on:
A selection of clothes from the Mango brand, where you can choose the best model, buy it immediately or order it through the website using a special code.
What is the emphasis on:
A selection of clothes from the Zara brand in an atmospheric sea walk.
What is the emphasis on:
We can say that the publication has a double effectiveness, because the Tommy Hilfiger brand chose not only to sell through the Instagram Shop, but also to use the image carousel format.
What is the emphasis on:
Explore — recommendations that people follow to find new content for themselves and understand what is happening outside their standard circle of communication or subscriptions. This section is where people find new brands and businesses on Instagram. Advertisers place ads to increase brand awareness, recall, and engagement.
* material taken from www.tribegroup.co
The designer and perfume brand Kenzo complemented the spring company with exquisite images and slow-motion videos showing the "growing" of their legendary floral fragrance.
What is the emphasis on:
* material taken from https://adespresso.com/
Uber has announced that it will give an additional bonus to anyone who makes 30 deliveries.
What is the emphasis on:
* material taken from https://adespresso.com/
Wix advertises a user-friendly online platform for building websites.
What is the emphasis on:
* material taken from https://invideo.io/
The company Heatherly bedhead design shows how their products look in a real bedroom.
What is the emphasis on:
* material taken from https://adespresso.com/
In this ad, Glossier promotes beauty products — lip balm, eyebrow, eyelash and blush.
What is the emphasis on:
Instagram remains one of the primary advertising channels for Ukrainian businesses as well. Brands actively use various advertising formats to attract new customers, promote campaigns, and increase awareness.
Here are some successful examples:
In this Reels, Rozetka presents promotional products in an unconventional way, using quick outfit changes and dynamic transitions. In a few seconds, one character changes looks and demonstrates different discounted products, keeping the viewer's attention until the very end. This format looks native to the Reels feed and is perceived more as entertainment content than traditional advertising.
What the focus is on:
In this Reels, Nova Poshta shows how easy it is to manage your packages directly in the mobile app. Using a screen recording and simple animations, the brand demonstrates the new feature step-by-step without overloading the video with unnecessary details. This format simultaneously educates users and motivates them to immediately use the feature in the app.
What the focus is on:
In this Reels, monobank invites users to participate in an interactive activity. The character in the video addresses the audience, and a template appears on the screen with a call to upload their own photo. This format encourages users not only to watch the video but also to interact with it by creating their own content.
What the focus is on:
In this Reels, EVA promotes the NYX eyeshadow palette through vibrant fashion content rather than a traditional cosmetic demonstration. The video combines close-ups of the product, stylish looks, and dynamic transitions, showing how a single palette helps create dozens of different makeup looks. Thanks to rich colors and a fast pace, the video grabs attention from the very first seconds.
What the focus is on:
In this Reels, COMFY demonstrates the capabilities of the foldable Galaxy Fold smartphone through a stylish lifestyle storyline. Instead of technical specifications, the brand shows how the device integrates naturally into daily life: the smartphone is used in various scenarios, with the emphasis placed on its design, flexible screen, and premium appearance.
What the focus is on:
In this Reels, Silpo shows a regular trip to the store through a customer's personal story. The viewer sees everything from a first-person perspective: choosing products, shopping list notes, and the final result. This format creates a sense of presence and makes the ad as natural as possible – looking more like lifestyle content than a classic promotional video.
What the focus is on:
When you look at the ads of brands that are created by a whole team of specialists, it seems that ordinary business cannot do it. Especially those atmospheric videos with beautiful effects, text and music on Instagram. In fact, it's not like that! Everyone can create layouts for stories or feeds or a stylish video in the BannerBoo online designer.
How to create creatives for Instagram?
We have prepared detailed instructions, which are easy to find at the link in the BannerBoo knowledge base.
1. Don't be afraid to use bright colors
They are able to create energy, create a special mood and attract attention. Depending on what the company does, the style can be bold, gentle or romantic.
2. Text and font matter
Show brand seriousness with a bold, sans serif font, emphasize elegance with italics or dreaminess with handwriting. When choosing styles, choose two: one for the title, the other for the regular text.
3.Follow the visual hierarchy of content
An advertising banner should attract attention and be read quickly. Submit texts in order of importance: a large headline and main information, which is grouped into logical parts.
4. More — less: choose brevity
A single word or dramatic image can convey much more than a multitude of visuals, complex photographs or shimmering illustrations.
5. Check your balance
Symmetry, centering and repetition create balance. This does not mean that the layout has to be perfectly centered. It is important that the content has the same "weight" on each half.
Creating advertising materials no longer requires hours of a designer's work. Modern AI tools help generate advertising banners, adapt them for various Instagram formats, and quickly test multiple creative options.
Key benefits of AI:
If you want to create professional Instagram Ads faster, try AI Generator by BannerBoo. It will help you generate ad creatives based on text descriptions and instantly adapt them to the required format.
The Instagram platform continues to develop actively, and along with it, approaches to advertising are changing. In 2026, the most prominent trends remain:
Brands that regularly update their promotional materials and use modern Instagram Ad formats typically see higher engagement and better results from their advertising campaigns.
If you've ever wondered where to find inspiration for advertising creatives — you're not alone!
Content marketing is one of the most difficult topics of a company's advertising strategy, which means attracting the attention of potential consumers with texts and creatives is not so easy. But it is very effective (as we can see from the number of advertisers on the platform), which is why companies spend marketing budgets on creating a huge amount of content on a wide variety of topics.
While each ad has its own unique charm, effective Instagram ads share common traits that you can incorporate into your next ad integration:
This list will not become a "magic pill", but it can suggest ideas for the future successful advertising campaign that will attract potential customers and increase the sales of your company. Forward to creativity!
