Instagram Live ads launch in Korea: take your live stream beyond your followers

Until now, Instagram Live streams were mostly watched by followers who happened to be online. With Live ads, which Meta officially launched in Korea on Sep 30, you can run your live stream as an ad and show it in real time to people who don't follow you. Here's who can use them, where they appear, and what they cost and deliver.

What are Instagram Live ads?

Instagram Live ads turn a live stream in progress into an ad and show it to people beyond your followers. According to Meta Newsroom and Korean marketing outlet MADTimes, Meta officially launched these ads in Korea on Sep 30.

The biggest change is who watches. Until now, live streams centered on followers who were online at the time. Live ads push the stream to users with strong purchase intent. MADTimes noted that live streams are becoming an everyday shopping channel, and predicted that this launch will connect the whole path from discovering a product to buying it.

Who can use them? Accounts with at least 1,000 followers

Professional or creator accounts with at least 1,000 followers can use Live ads. Before running one, check that your account meets this requirement.

There are two ways to run the ad. You can set it up in Meta Ads Manager, or run it directly from the Instagram app on your phone. That means you can prepare the stream and the ad together in the app without opening Ads Manager.

Where do the ads appear, and how do you pay?

Because the live stream itself becomes the ad, you don't need to make a separate ad video. While you're live, the ad appears in Instagram Stories, Reels, and Feed.

You pay only standard ad rates, with no sales commission. Brand managers don't have to produce separate ad creative, and creators can run the streams they already do as ads.

How well do they work? About 24x more viewers and a 17.1 percent lift in purchases

In Meta's internal research, businesses that spent $100 or more had about 24 times more live viewers than when they didn't run ads. Another study found purchases rose 17.1 percent.

Keep in mind that these figures come from Meta's internal research and a separate study. Whether your account sees the same effect is something you'll need to test by running the ads yourself.

What should you do first? Set the date of your next live stream

Start by setting the date of your next live stream. You need a date before you can run a reminder ad ahead of the stream.

With a reminder ad in place, interested people get a notification and join your live stream. Plan it in this order: use reminder ads before the stream to gather viewers, then use Live ads during the stream to reach beyond your followers.

Key takeaways

• First, check that your account is a professional or creator account with at least 1,000 followers.
• The live stream itself is the ad, so you don't need a separate ad video, and it appears in Stories, Reels, and Feed while you're live.
• You pay only standard ad rates, with no sales commission.
• Set the date of your next live stream and run a reminder ad beforehand to gather viewers in advance.