Instagram Stories Now Lets Businesses, Brands Post Carousel Ads

Instagram has announced that it’s bringing Carousel Ads to Instagram Stories. This means that users should starts seeing ads in Instagram Stories that are no longer limited to just one slide of media.

“Carousel Ads for Instagram Stories behave the same way as other Stories content, meaning you can tap through, swipe back and forth or pause the content whenever you'd like,” Instagram said on its Business Blog. “Now with two additional pieces of media, advertisers can add depth to their storytelling in the same way the community does today.”

Previously, ads in Instagram Stories were easily skippable with just a single tap because businesses were only allowed to show one single piece of media. Ads randomly appear in Instagram Stories as users tap and swipe away on the app. With this big change in how ads behave, it seems like Instagram wants businesses to take full advantage of what its Stories platform is capable of.

Businesses that use the new Carousel Ads on Instagram Stories will be able to use all of the same tools that regular users have access to. This includes using the native drawing tools and the ability to pin stickers and text in videos.

But why expand Instagram Story ads to three pieces of media instead of four or five? Instagram director of product marketing Susan Rose told TechCrunch that three is “just a starting point.” This suggests the possibility of Carousel Ads being longer in the near future if this test is received well enough. “It’s a feature that was requested from businesses and advertisers, given the power that they’ve seen through organic stories with multiple pieces of content,” Rose said.

Carousel Ads are currently being tested by a limited number of brands, inlcuding Gap, Coca-Cola, Renault and Paramount Pictures. Instagram says that it will share more info when Carousel Ads for Instagram Stories is made widely available.

“The captivating nature of Instagram Stories provides another platform for our consumers to experience the Logo Remix campaign. The campaign is all about paying homage to Gap logos of the past, while featuring some of today’s global culture remixers,” Gap chief marketing office Craig Brommers said. “We love using Instagram’s creative tools to add fun details to our creative, and the full screen format of Instagram Stories makes it feel like you’re part of the remix.”

In other news, Instagram has made its Text-centric Stories format, called Type, available to all Instagram users. The feature allows users to simply post text for their Stories. The feature was in testing earlier this month and was initially only available to a limited number of users.