- Explore ads appear after users tap a post in the Explore grid — not in the grid itself — reaching people in active discovery mode.
- Instagram Explore is not a standalone placement. Your ad must also run in Instagram Feed.
- Any campaign objective that supports Instagram Feed also supports Explore placement in Ads Manager.
- Use 1:1 or 4:5 aspect ratios, JPG or PNG, max 30 MB — feed-format creative works directly in Explore.
- Keep your landing page visually consistent with the ad to convert discovery-intent clicks.
- Coinis Smart Resize outputs every required aspect ratio in one click, skipping manual cropping.
What Are Instagram Explore Ads?
Instagram Explore is where users go to find new content. More than 50% of Instagram users visit Explore to discover accounts they've never followed.
Explore ads don't appear in the grid itself. They show after a user taps a post in Explore and scrolls the contextual feed that opens. Your ad reaches someone already in discovery mode — actively looking for something new.
How Explore Ads appear in the user experience
A user taps a photo or Reel in the Explore grid. The post opens full-screen. They start scrolling. Your ad appears in that immersive feed. No prior relationship with your brand needed.
Why users are receptive to them
Discovery intent is rare. On Explore, users expect to encounter brands and accounts they don't know. They're open to it. That makes Explore one of the better placements for reaching cold audiences.
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Step 1: Choose an Ad Objective
All major campaign objectives support Explore placement in Meta Ads Manager. Awareness, traffic, engagement, app promotion, leads, and sales all work.
Which objectives support Explore placement
Per Meta's Business Help Center, any objective that supports Instagram Feed also supports Instagram Explore. If you can run a Feed ad with it, you can run an Explore ad.
How to select your campaign goal
Open Meta Ads Manager. Click "Create." Choose your objective. Click "Continue." That unlocks the placement controls you need in Step 2.
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Step 2: Select Explore as Your Placement
Explore is not a standalone placement. Your ad must also run in Instagram Feed. That's a firm requirement, not a recommendation.
Automatic Placement vs. Manual Selection
Advantage+ placements (formerly Automatic Placements) includes Explore by default. Meta optimizes delivery across all eligible surfaces. Most advertisers start here.
Manual placements gives you full control. Select "Edit Placements," then check the Instagram Explore box explicitly. Confirm Instagram Feed stays checked too.
Enabling Explore in Ads Manager
In your ad set, scroll to "Placements." Choose Advantage+ placements for automatic, or Manual placements to select Explore yourself. Either path works. Just verify Feed is active alongside it.
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Step 3: Create or Upload Your Creative
Explore uses feed-style creative. Your existing image and video ads translate here without rebuilding from scratch.
Image specs for Explore
Per Meta's Ads Guide, supported aspect ratios for feed-format images run from 1.91:1 to 4:5. Recommended resolutions are 1440 × 1440 px for 1:1 and 1440 × 1800 px for 4:5. The minimum resolution is 600 × 600 px. Accepted formats are JPG and PNG. Max file size is 30 MB.
Video specs for Explore (optional)
Feed-format video works in Explore too. Per Meta's documentation, accepted formats are MP4, MOV, and GIF. Max file size is 4 GB. Use H.264 compression and stereo AAC audio at 128 kbps or higher.
Text and caption guidelines
Meta recommends 50–150 characters for primary text and 27 characters for your headline (per Meta's current documentation — these values can shift, so verify at launch). Skip website URLs in your caption text. They don't become clickable links in Instagram. Put your destination URL in the designated link field.
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Step 4: Review and Launch
Before going live, preview your ad in Explore format inside Ads Manager.
Ad preview and review process
Use the preview tool to see how the creative looks in the Explore contextual feed. Once you submit, Meta reviews the ad. You'll be notified of approval or rejection.
Post-approval monitoring
Check your campaign within the first 48 hours. Look at impressions and click-through rate by placement. Explore placements can take a day to ramp up delivery.
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Optimize for Best Results
Designing for discovery mindset
Users on Explore are curious, not searching for a specific product. Lead with a visual hook. The image should stop the scroll without relying on context the viewer doesn't have. Bold, clean creative outperforms busy or text-heavy visuals here.
Landing page continuity
Match your landing page visually to the ad. Users arriving from Explore have high-intent curiosity. A mismatched page breaks that momentum and hurts conversion.
Resizing creative for multiple Explore formats
Explore serves ads in multiple aspect ratios. Designing each version manually costs time. Coinis Image Ads generates feed-ready creatives from a product URL. Smart Resize inside Coinis Revise then outputs every aspect ratio in one click. No manual cropping. No quality loss.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Can I run Instagram Explore ads without Instagram Feed?
No. Explore is not a standalone placement. Meta requires your campaign to include Instagram Feed for Explore to be eligible. Enable both in your ad set's Placements section.
What image size works best for Instagram Explore ads?
Meta recommends 1440 × 1440 px for a 1:1 ratio or 1440 × 1800 px for 4:5. Explore uses feed-format creative, so images sized for the Facebook and Instagram Feed translate directly.
Do Explore ads reach new audiences or existing followers?
Primarily new audiences. Explore is a discovery surface where users actively look for content from accounts they don't follow yet. It's one of the better Meta placements for cold-audience reach.
Which campaign objectives support Instagram Explore?
All major objectives that support Instagram Feed also support Explore — including awareness, traffic, engagement, app promotion, leads, and sales. If Feed is available for your objective, Explore will be too.