Which Instagram Ad Placement Best Drives Music Marketing Results?

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Wavo Labs: This series shares the results of our music marketing experiments and how they inform artist media strategy.

What We Tested

Wavo Labs compared the Instagram Feed, Explore, Stories, and Reels placements for dark ads with a 15 second Video Views (Thruplay) objective.

This comparison is meant to identify which placement drives which results most cost effectively, and this data will help inform how Wavo can create the most value for artists through advertising on Instagram.

The Results

  • The Instagram Stories placement featured the strongest ThruPlay Rate and Click-Through-Rate, as well as the most ThruPlays per dollar.

  • The Instagram Feed placement drove the longest Average Watch Time and was the least cost effective at generating ThruPlays (15 second Video Views).

  • The Instagram Reels placement had the lowest Cost per Click and second strongest ThruPlay rate and cost per impression of all placement.

  • The Instagram Explore placement featured the lowest ThruPlay Rate and Click Through Rate, but generated the most Impressions per dollar and the second most ThruPlays per dollar.

The Takeaway

For dark ads with a Video Views objective, an optimization away from Instagram Feed and towards Instagram Stories would have the effect of maximizing 15 second Video Views (ThruPlays).

Optimizing towards Instagram Feed and Reels would have the effect of increasing Clicks and Impressions. These two placements also feature the longest Average Watch Times.

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