Instagram will now let advertisers create Instagram ad campaigns without having to link to a Facebook Page. However, this is only available to brands and creators that have not previously promoted posts.
“You can now create Instagram ads without having a presence on Facebook. If you are promoting a post from your Instagram business account for the first time, you won’t have to connect to a Facebook ad account or Facebook Page,” said Instagram in its statement.
For the first time, advertisers will be able to run their ad campaigns and track performance on Instagram directly instead of having to connect a profile to Facebook Ad Manager.
If you’ve already promoted posts on Instagram, you’ve most likely already linked your Instagram and Facebook accounts and won’t have the option to disconnect the Instagram profile from the Facebook Page but will still be able to run ads.
To promote your Instagram Post, go to your profile, tap the post you would like to promote and click Promote. Then, fill in the details of the promotion by setting things like destination, audience, budget and duration before tapping Create Promotion. The promotion will then be reviewed to ensure it meets the ad policies.
Instagram outlined that this option is currently only available to new advertisers in the US and Turkey.
After Facebook spent years integrating Instagram and Facebook to ensure that promotions are run through a centralised platform, this new announcement is contrary to what they have been working towards. AdWeek noted that a coalition of civil rights groups in the US called on major advertisers to suspend their Facebook ad spend in July in order to send out a message that the platform’s lack of action is not good enough. Therefore, perhaps Facebook made the decision to ensure Instagram doesn’t miss out by association if advertisers decide to take a stance on its policies.
However, Instagram told AdWeek that the change has been in the pipeline for months.
