In the fast-paced world of digital marketing, staying ahead of the curve requires creative thinking and knowing how to utilize the latest tools and trends. One of the most powerful features for advertisers today is Facebook Ads, particularly when it comes to promoting events. And when you tie Facebook Ads with Instagram—one of the most visually compelling platforms—you have a powerhouse for promoting anything from app installs to live webinars, product launches, and beyond.
Let’s jump into a story about Sarah, a tech-savvy event organizer, who used Instagram and Facebook Ads to promote her app launch event. Through smart strategies and creative ad placements, Sarah turned a small digital event into a massive success.
Meet Sarah: The Event Planner Who Used Instagram Ads to Promote Her App Launch Event
Sarah is a young entrepreneur who recently developed a game-changing fitness app aimed at helping people track their workouts and stay motivated with daily challenges. After months of coding, testing, and perfecting her app, Sarah decided that it was time to launch it to the world. But she didn’t just want a basic app launch. No, Sarah wanted to make a splash. She envisioned a live virtual event with interactive fitness sessions, influencer Q&A, and exclusive app discounts for participants.
The goal? Drive app installs by making her event as engaging and exciting as possible. But Sarah quickly realized that to make her event stand out, she would need more than just an email campaign and a few social media posts. She needed a strategy that would get people excited, involved, and—most importantly—drive them to install her app.
That’s when she decided to dive into Instagram Ads and Facebook Ads for event promotion.
Let’s follow Sarah’s journey as she uses these powerful tools to promote her fitness app launch event—and learn some valuable tips you can apply to your own app promotion.
Why Instagram Ads Are a Game-Changer for Event Promotion
Before diving into the specifics of setting up Instagram Ads for event promotion, let’s quickly discuss why Instagram (and Facebook) is such a game-changer for app launches and event promotions.
With over 1 billion monthly active users on Instagram alone, the platform is designed for engagement. People love to interact with visually appealing content—whether that’s a photo, a short video, or a captivating story. Events, especially virtual ones, need to be showcased in a way that grabs attention, provides value, and makes people feel like they don’t want to miss out.
For Sarah, Instagram Ads allowed her to create an interactive, immersive experience for potential attendees. Instead of simply promoting the app itself, she was able to craft a compelling ad experience around the event. This made the app launch feel exclusive, fun, and worth downloading.
Pro Tip: Instagram Ads are a great choice if you want to use visual content to showcase your event in an exciting and engaging way. Use video ads, carousels, and Stories to keep things dynamic and fun.
Step 1: Define Your Event Objective and Goals
Sarah’s first step in promoting her fitness app launch event was to set clear goals. For her, the most important objectives were:
- Increase app installs during the event.
- Drive engagement for the live sessions.
- Promote early sign-ups for exclusive access.
Once Sarah had defined her goals, she went into Facebook Ads Manager and selected the appropriate campaign objective. For events like Sarah’s app launch, she chose the “Event Responses” and “App Installs” objectives—these were tailored to driving both sign-ups and app downloads.
This is the most important part: Choose the correct objective for your event campaign. Whether you’re promoting a virtual conference, product demo, or webinar, make sure you’re optimizing for the outcome you desire, whether it’s installs, registrations, or ticket sales.
Pro Tip: If your main focus is app installs, you can use the “App Installs” campaign objective to ensure Facebook optimizes the delivery of your ads to people who are most likely to download your app.
Step 2: Create Visually Compelling Ads
Sarah knew that the key to success on Instagram is eye-catching visuals. But instead of using a basic promotional image of her app’s logo or a generic flyer, she wanted to create ads that captured the excitement of the event itself. So, she used a combination of video ads, carousel ads, and Instagram Stories.
For her video ads, Sarah created a short 30-second teaser that showcased highlights of what attendees could expect during the event: live fitness sessions, special guest influencers, and sneak peeks at her app’s features. The video was dynamic, featuring upbeat music, countdowns, and sneak previews to build anticipation.
In addition, she used carousel ads to highlight different aspects of the event, such as fitness challenges, Q&A sessions, and the event schedule. This allowed her to showcase the variety of content attendees would get access to, making it feel like a can’t-miss opportunity.
Pro Tip: Always use video when promoting an event. It’s an effective way to convey the energy and excitement of what people can expect. Keep it short (30–60 seconds), and make sure it’s optimized for mobile viewing since most Instagram users are on mobile devices.
Step 3: Use Instagram Stories to Build Urgency and Excitement
Sarah quickly realized that Instagram Stories were one of the most powerful tools in her ad toolkit. Stories are full-screen, immersive, and often more engaging than regular feed ads. She used Stories to share behind-the-scenes content leading up to the event—preparing workout gear, sharing countdowns to the event, and even featuring quick testimonials from influencers who were going to attend.
But it didn’t stop there. Sarah took full advantage of Instagram’s “Swipe Up” feature, linking directly to the event registration page and the app download link. This made it easy for her audience to sign up for the event or install the app right from the Story itself.
Pro Tip: Use countdown stickers in your Instagram Stories to create urgency. You can also add interactive elements like polls or questions to encourage engagement and build anticipation for your event.
Step 4: Target the Right Audience for Your Event
Sarah knew that simply getting her ad in front of as many eyes as possible wasn’t the goal. She needed to make sure that the right people saw her event ad—the ones most likely to engage with it and install her app.
So, Sarah used Facebook’s advanced targeting features to reach people who were interested in fitness, health, and wellness. She targeted individuals who had engaged with similar fitness apps, followed fitness influencers, or shown interest in workout content.
She also took advantage of Facebook’s “Lookalike Audiences,” which allowed her to target people who shared similar interests and behaviors to those who had already installed her app or interacted with her previous content.
Pro Tip: Always create custom audiences for your ads. Use Facebook’s data to target users who have already shown interest in similar events, apps, or topics related to your business. This will improve the relevance of your ads and increase the likelihood of installs.
Step 5: Retargeting Ads to Drive Installations
Sarah knew that not everyone who saw her ads would install the app right away. Some people would need a reminder or an extra nudge. This is where retargeting came in.
She set up retargeting campaigns to reach users who had clicked on her Instagram Ads or visited her event registration page but hadn’t yet signed up or installed the app. For this audience, she offered an exclusive bonus, such as a free 7-day workout challenge for app installs, to push them over the finish line.
Pro Tip: Retargeting is one of the most powerful tools in digital advertising. Always create a separate campaign for people who have shown interest but haven’t yet taken action, such as installing the app or registering for the event.
Step 6: Monitor, Optimize, and Test
As Sarah’s event promotion ran, she kept a close eye on the performance of her Instagram Ads. Through Facebook Ads Manager, she could see how her campaigns were performing in real-time. She tracked key metrics like Cost Per Install (CPI), click-through rates (CTR), and engagement.
Based on this data, Sarah optimized her campaigns—testing different creative formats, tweaking audience targeting, and adjusting her ad spend. She quickly learned that video ads featuring fitness influencers performed better than her generic carousel ads, so she focused more of her budget on these high-performing ads.
Pro Tip: Always use A/B testing to optimize your campaigns. Test different creative formats, CTAs, and targeting strategies to determine what works best for your event and your audience.
Conclusion: Create Instagram Ads That Drive App Installs and Event Engagement
Through smart targeting, compelling visuals, and a strategic approach to Facebook and Instagram Ads, Sarah was able to promote her fitness app launch event with great success. The event saw a significant increase in app installs, engagement, and, most importantly, sign-ups for her event.
For you, whether you’re launching an app, hosting a webinar, or promoting any type of event, Instagram Ads can be an incredibly effective tool. By following Sarah’s strategy—defining clear objectives, using engaging content, targeting the right audience, and optimizing your campaign—you’ll be well on your way to driving installs and growing your event audience.
Ready to boost your app installs and event engagement with Instagram Ads? The tools are at your fingertips, and now it’s time to make your event unforgettable.