Instagram Reels Ads Guide: Winning with 9:16 Short-Form Video (2024)

The Placement Shift. Feed is dead. Stories are fading. Reels is King. Meta is prioritizing Reels to fight TikTok. Inventory is cheap and abundant.

But you cannot just recycle your TV commercial. It looks "alien" in the feed.

Part 1: The Specs (Safe Zones)

1. Aspect Ratio: 9:16 (Vertical). 2. Resolution: 1080 x 1920. 3. The Safe Zone (Crucial):

• Bottom 35%: Covered by Caption, Username, and Like buttons.
• Right Side: Covered by Icons.
• Top: Covered by Camera UI.

Rule: Keep your Text Overlay and Core Visuals in the Center 50% box. If your CTA is at the bottom, nobody can click it.

Part 2: Native vs. Polished

Reels users are in "Brain Rot" mode. They want entertainment. What works:

1. Trends: Using trending audio (check the Business Creative Hub).
2. Fast Cuts: Change the scene every 1.5 seconds.
3. Visual Hooks: Something weird/satisfying in the first frame (e.g., slicing sand, pressure washing).

What fails:

1. Static Images (Automatic Placement turns them into awkward slideshows).
2. Slow talking heads ("Hi, my name is...").

Part 3: Advantage+ Creative Enhancements

Meta can now automatically add music to your silent video. Warning: Check this setting. Sometimes it picks weird, mismatched music.

• Recommendation: Add your own Licensed Music (Sound Collection) so you control the vibe.

Summary

Reels is an Attention War. Your competition isn't other brands. It's an influencer dancing. You must be as entertaining as the influencer to earn the "Shop Now" click.