The short version
- Instagram ads appear in the feed, in stories and in Reels, and each placement needs its own layout.
- Use 1080×1350 portrait images for feed ads and 1080×1920 vertical images for stories and Reels ads.
- In stories, keep text and logos out of roughly the top and bottom 250 pixels; in Reels, also keep words away from the lower third and the right edge.
- Instagram ads that follow the look of the brand's own posts tend to feel native rather than intrusive in the feed.
- Making several variations of one design, with the look fixed and the message changed, gives Meta's delivery system options to compare.
On this page
Strong Instagram ad design starts from the placement. Feed ads are 1080×1350 portraits that sit among posts; stories and Reels ads are 1080×1920 full screen frames with Instagram's interface laid over the top, bottom and, in Reels, the right side. Build a version for each, keep the words in the safe zone, and make the ad look like your own posts so it feels like part of the feed rather than an interruption.
Instagram ad sizes for each placement
Ratio
Keep words clear of
Size
Ratio
Keep words clear of
Ratio
Keep words clear of
Ratio
Keep words clear of
Feed 1080×1350
1080 × 1350
Square 1080×1080
1080 × 1080
Stories and Reels 1080×1920
1080 × 1920
Designing feed ads
Feed ads are seen in the same rhythm as posts, so the best ones look like a great post first and an ad second. Lead with the image people would stop for: the product, the result, a strong line of type on your own background. Keep the logo small. Meta labels the ad as sponsored and shows your name above it, so the brand is already there.
Carousel ads follow the same rules page by page: a first card that stops the scroll and following cards that each carry one point. Instagram carousel covers the sequencing.
Designing stories ads
Stories ads appear between a viewer's stories and fill the screen. They are tapped past quickly, so the message must land in the first frame. Use the Instagram story size and its safe zones: profile and progress bar at the top, the call to action at the bottom. Put the headline in the upper middle and leave the lower middle clean, close to where the ad's button appears.
Feed version: a post first, with one line and one detail.
The stories and Reels version, rebuilt so the words sit high and clear of the bottom interface.
Designing Reels ads and their safe zone
Reels ads share the 1080×1920 frame but carry the heaviest interface on Instagram: account name, caption and button along the bottom, and like, comment and share icons down the right side. Words that are safe in a story can be covered in Reels. Keep text higher and further left, and leave the lower third as background. Social media safe zones draws them side by side.
Stories ad
- Interface at the top and bottom only
- Tapped past, seen for a moment
- Message must land in the first frame
- Lower middle stays near the button
Reels ad
- Interface along the bottom and the right
- Plays as video, often looped
- Motion earns attention; words stay still
- Keep the lower third and right edge clear
Reels favour motion. A still design with a slowly moving background, or a line of type that rises in, looks native among videos without needing a shoot. Keep the words still enough to read; animated Instagram post shows how far to go.
Ads that look native to Instagram
Looks like an ad
- A large logo dominating the frame
- Several offers and a block of terms
- A stock template's colours and fonts
- Text right up against the edges
- A different look from your own posts
Looks native
- The product or the idea leading
- One message, details in the caption
- Your own background, colours and fonts
- Generous margins and safe zones respected
- Continuous with what people already follow
Making variations without losing the look
Meta's delivery works best with a few creatives to choose between, and creative fatigue sets in when the same ad runs for weeks. The fix is variation inside a fixed look: the same background family and type, with the message, product or light changing. Here are four variations of one recipe.
- 1
Fix the look
Background family, fonts, logo position and margins. These do not change between variations.
- 2
Pick one thing to vary
Message, product, colourway or opening frame. Change one per variation so you learn what moved results.
- 3
Build feed and vertical together
Each variation gets a 1080×1350 and a 1080×1920 version, laid out separately.
- 4
Upload as one set
Group the placement versions of each variation so Meta shows the right shape in each place.
In Gradiently you design the feed version once and, with Pro, resize it to stories and Reels in one step; the Mark renders fresh at each shape and moves its calm area behind your words, so nothing ends up on a busy patch. Duplicate the page for each variation and change only the line. The method for testing them is in ad creative testing, and the Facebook side of the same campaign is in Facebook ad design.
Questions people ask
What size should Instagram ads be?
Use 1080×1350 for feed ads and 1080×1920 for stories and Reels ads. A square 1080×1080 also works in the feed.
What is the safe zone for Instagram story ads?
Keep text and logos out of roughly the top and bottom 250 pixels of the 1080×1920 frame, where the profile bar and call to action sit.
Are Reels ads the same as story ads?
They use the same 1080×1920 frame, but Reels have more interface along the bottom and right side, so words need to sit higher and further left.
How do I make Instagram ads look less like ads?
Design them like your best posts: your own background and fonts, one message, a small logo and generous margins.
How many variations of an Instagram ad should I make?
A few is enough to start, such as three or four, each changing one thing while the look stays the same.
Written by Gradiently
The team behind Gradiently, a design tool built around Marks: living gradients that make everything you design look like yours.
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