Just a few months ago, Facebook added the ‘app install’ objective to Instagram Stories' ads. In a world of shrinking attention spans and in-the-moment content, Instagram Stories ads present app advertisers a unique opportunity to extend their user acquisition efforts. That opportunity, however, comes with a whole new set of expectations and rules.

After running Instagram Story app install ads for many of our clients, it’s clear that the extra effort is worth it. Now, we’re sharing the four most important lessons performance advertisers should take into account before including Story app install ads in their acquisition playbook.

1) ‘Swipe Up’ is changing the rules of the game

Instagram Stories' ads are fundamentally changing how viewers interact with ads, and how advertisers develop ads. This ad unit doesn't just come with new creative dimensions to adhere to, but a new sought-after behavior: swiping.

After years of teaching prospects to click for our intended action, Instagram Story ads now urge them to “swipe up” instead.

Advertisers are getting creative to draw viewers' attention to the "Swipe Up" CTA

You’ll need to keep this in mind and develop unique creative for Story ads and Stream ads, as they function very differently from one another. You’ll also need to rethink your Instagram Story creative as a whole...especially for video...

2) Forget the first 3 seconds. It’s now the first 1 second.

Facebook has spent the last few years trying to remind big advertisers that they can’t just take their TV ad and throw it on Facebook. Instagram Stories ads take this dynamic to a new level.

Now advertisers will need to learn that they can’t just take their standard Facebook ad and expect it to do well on Instagram Stories. We found that compared to Stream video ads, 31% fewer people watched three seconds of a Story video.

Whereas advertisers used to consider the first three seconds of a video as an intro, they will now consider the first one second of a video to be the intro in a format like Instagram Stories. Grabbing viewers’ attention quickly will be absolutely crucial for success. ​

3) The performance gains are worth chasing

We were skeptical at first, given the additional constraints and considerations, but the undeniable truth is that Instagram Story ads deliver.

The proof? One client is seeing 61% better click-through rates (CTR) with 37% better cost per installs (CPIs) than Instagram Stream ads.

These results are even more astounding considering this comparison against Instagram’s Stream placement, which already regularly beats out Facebook’s feed location for many advertisers.

So, although the upfront work seems daunting, the value of Instagram Stories for install ads is clear. There’s just one more consideration to keep in mind...

4) Your attribution model might need an upgrade

Long gone are the days of single-click attribution models, especially in the world of Stories ads. Our research shows that view-through installs are 15% higher on Story ads compared to Stream ads.

So, if you subscribe to last-click measurement only, Instagram’s newest ad unit might not be for you. On the other hand, if you’re part of the 46% of advertisers that give more stock to view-throughs, they might be right up your alley.

Our early success with Instagram Stories Ads in driving app installs is incredibly encouraging. We’re thrilled to help our clients adopt this ad unit to reach their prospects wherever they are.

Learn more about Bamboo’s Instagram advertising expertise >