Instagram rolls out ads for Reels across the Middle East

While every Facebook product catalog has integrated monetization, the one product that still didn’t have any form of advertising yet has been Reels. That changed recently, as Instagram announced on their blog that advertising on Reels is now open to all advertisers worldwide.

If your business is covering the Middle East and North Africa region on Instagram, you can start tapping into the TikTok rival.

Get trendy with ads

It’s only been a few months since Instagram expanded its availability across the region, while also testing out ads on their TikTok clone across select countries. The product is approaching its first anniversary this late August.

Reels ads look just like how they should be: full-screen viewing, looping, up to 30 seconds in length, and will appear in between other Reels. Like other promoted content, these ads are identified by a “sponsored” label on them and it’ll show below the name of the advertiser’s account.

Ads on Instagram Reels, widely avalable to businesses across the Middle East and North Africa region
Ads on Instagram Reels, widely avalable to businesses across the Middle East and North Africa region

The ads themselves will appear in most places users view Reels content. That includes the dedicated Reels tab in the main Instagram app, Stories, Explore and in your Instagram Feed, and will appear in between individual Reels posted by users.

Users will see an ad when they’re in the full-screen viewer (i.e. watching Reels via the dedicated tab itself).

If you’re already looking to get a head-start on it, Instagram has already published a quick guide on their Help portal (visit here). If you’re already familiar with advertising on Stories, then it’s almost the same methodology except for some subtle differences. The placement will be visible under the Instagram section when selecting Manual Placement during the Campaign creation process on Ads Manager.

While there hasn’t been any user insights into the number of people using the TikTok clone, advertisers still have a large audience on Instagram that will warrant attention to another product.

Author: Yasser Masood

Think of me as a grassroots community evangelist. Juggling social media while covering technology/digital trends across the Middle East and crossroads of society and culture, while unearthing other perspectives that pique my interests.

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