How to run your first Instagram ad to promote your music (step by step)

If you’re an independent artist, running an Instagram ad can be one of the fastest ways to get your music in front of new people. But if you've never done it before, it might feel a bit overwhelming.

This guide keeps it simple. No jargon or fancy tricks. Just a clear, beginner-friendly walkthrough for running your very first Instagram ad—from setting up your accounts to publishing your campaign.

You don’t need to be a marketing expert. You just need a good song, a short video, and a place to send people when they click.

What you’ll need before you start

To follow this guide and successfully launch your first Instagram ad, you’ll need:

• A finished song or release ready to promote
• An Instagram account for your artist project (converted to Business or Creator)
• A Facebook account (personal, used to manage the business)
• A short vertical video for the ad
• A credit card or PayPal account to pay for your ad
• A landing page or destination link (smart link, Bandcamp, artist website, etc.)
• 30–60 minutes to set everything up

Part 1: Set up your accounts

If you don’t already have a Facebook Page or Business Manager for your music project, here’s how to get started from scratch.

Step 1: Create a Facebook Page for your music

• Go to facebook.com/pages/create
• Choose "Artist, Band or Public Figure"
• Name your page (e.g. Francis Morning)
• Pick a category like "Musician" or "Music Artist"
• Add a profile picture and (optional) cover photo
• Click Create Page

Step 2: Create a Meta Business Account

• Go to business.facebook.com/overview
• Click Create Account
• Name it after your artist project (e.g. Francis Morning)
• Use your personal Facebook login to create it (this is normal)
• You’ll land inside a new business dashboard

Step 3: Add your Facebook Page to your new Business Account

• Go to business.facebook.com/settings
• Click Accounts → Pages
• Click Add → Add a Page
  
  Select your music page from the list

Step 4: Connect your Instagram account

Before you can connect your Instagram, make sure it is set up as a Business or Creator account:

• Open Instagram → Settings → Account → Switch to Professional Account
• Choose Business or Creator and follow the steps

Then:

• In Business Settings, click 
  Accounts → Instagram Accounts
• Click Add, then log in to your Instagram account
• Make sure it connects to your Facebook Page and Business Account

Step 5: Create an Ad Account

• In Business Settings, go to Accounts → Ad Accounts
• Click Add → Create a New Ad Account
• Name it (e.g. Francis Morning Ads)
• Assign yourself full access

Step 6: Add a payment method

• In Business Settings, click Payments on the left
• Click Add Payment Method
• Add your card or PayPal and assign it to your new Ad Account

You may be asked to confirm your email, verify your phone number, and re-enter billing info during ad setup. This is normal.

Part 2: Create your ad campaign

Before we dive into building your ad, it helps to understand how Instagram ads are organized in Meta’s system:

• Campaign: This is where you set your goal (like Traffic or Engagement). Think of it as the big picture.

• Ad Set: Here, you define your audience, placements (like Instagram Reels), budget, and schedule.

• Ad: This is the actual content: your video, caption, link, and call-to-action.

Each campaign can have multiple ad sets, and each ad set can have multiple ads. But for your first campaign, you’ll probably just use one of each. Once your accounts are set up, you’re ready to set up your first Instagram ad.

Step 7: Set up your landing page or destination link

You’ll need to choose where to send people when they tap your ad. This could be a:

• Smart link or landing page that features your release (e.g. Supertape)
• Direct link to a platform like Spotify, Bandcamp, or YouTube
• Your artist website or a dedicated release page

Make sure the destination is mobile-friendly, loads quickly, and has one clear call to action—like “Listen now”.

Step 8: Make a short video for the ad

• Shoot vertical (like Instagram Stories)
• Keep it 15–30 seconds long
• Make sure the audio is clear
• Add on-screen text: artist name, song title, “Listen now”
• Use a performance clip, preview, or behind-the-scenes moment

Step 9: Build your campaign in Ads Manager

• Go to adsmanager.facebook.com
• Click Create
• Choose Traffic (to send people to your link)
• Name your campaign (e.g. New Single - Stay)
• Set your daily budget to $5–10
• Choose to run the ad for 5–7 days — and make sure to set both a start and end date. If you don’t, Meta will keep spending your daily budget until you stop it manually.

Step 10: Set your audience

At this stage, you’ll name your Ad Set and choose who you want to see your ad:

• Ad Set Name: Something simple like “Francis Morning – US+UK+CA”
• Conversion Location: Set to “Website”
• Performance Goal: Select “Instagram profile feed link clicks” if available. If not, choose “Link Clicks.”

Now choose your audience:

• Location: Choose 1–3 countries where your listeners are (e.g. US, UK, Canada)
• Age: Typical range for your audience (e.g. 18–35)
• Interests: Artists or genres similar to your style (e.g. Ryiuchi Sakamoto, Aphex Twin, Ambient Music)

Step 11: Choose placements

When setting up your Ad Set, you’ll see a section called Placements with two options:

• Advantage+ Placements
• Manual Placements

Choose Manual Placements so you can control exactly where your ad appears.

Then:

• Check only Instagram Feed and Instagram Reels
• Do not check “Instagram Profile Feed” — it only shows when someone visits your profile directly
• Uncheck everything else (like Facebook Feed, Messenger, etc.)

This keeps your budget focused on the placements that perform best for music content.

Step 12: Build and publish your ad

• Choose your Instagram account
• Upload your vertical video
• Paste in your link
• Use a short headline like “New single out now”
• Choose a call-to-action like Listen Now or Watch More
• Click Publish

Optional: Set up Pixel tracking

If you’d like to track what happens after someone clicks your ad, you can connect your Meta Pixel to any platform that supports pixel tracking. This step is optional but helpful if you want to:

• See how many people visit your page after clicking your ad
• Track which buttons they click
• Optimize future ads with better data

Once it's connected:

• You should see your Pixel listed and active in Meta Events Manager
• You may see a status or “Opportunity Score” — 100% means your setup is solid

If there’s an issue, double-check your token or give it some time—Meta may delay showing data.

Part 3: What to do after

• Let the ad run at least 3 days before tweaking
• Check your click-through rate (1% or higher is great)
• Aim for a cost per click under $0.50
• See how many people visit your landing page and stream your track

Every ad teaches you something. Keep it simple, stay focused, and you’ll learn what works for your music.

Final thoughts

Instagram ads don’t need to be overwhelming. Once your accounts are set up, the whole process takes less than an hour. Start small, test with a short video, and lead fans to a clean, focused landing page.

Supertape is the perfect landing page for your Instagram ads—fast, automatic, and built for promoting your music. Try it out here.