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Valentine’s Day is a time to celebrate love in all its forms, be it romantic love, platonic love, familial love — or your love for marketing. Okay, that last one might be a little out of place, but you get the point.

This year, we’re showing love to our favorite creative Valentine’s Day marketing campaigns from brands across various industries.

If you’re in need of some inspiration for your next Valentine’s Day campaign, you’ll love the following examples.

20 Effective Valentine’s Day Marketing Campaigns

1. Toblerone – The Love Insurance

2. Cadbury 5 Star – Valentine’s Day Alibi

3. Gucci – Love Story Zine

4. Pandora – Real Couples Explain What Valentine’s Day Means to Them

5. Etsy – Show Love to Small Businesses

6. Stella Artois – Valentine’s Day

7. Dunkin – Valentine’s Day Trivia Promo Code

8. Hotels.com – Anti-Valentine’s Day

9. Cadbury Silk – How Far Will You Go to Make Them Blush?

10. Tyson – Chicken Nugget Bouquet Contest

11. Lancôme – Valentine’s Day Advent Calendar

12. El Paso Zoo – Valentine’s Day ‘Quit Bugging Me’ Event

13. Gü Desserts – Love-themed Packaging

14. Ranch Dressing – Customized Bottle

15. Pandora – Little Acts of Love Ad

16. 1-800-Flowers – Galentine’s Day

17. Target – Valentine’s Day Haul Instagram Post

18. MeUndies – Match Me Valentine’s Day

19. Winc – Be Wine Instagram Post

20. OpenTable – Millennial Experiences

Honorable Mention: Match.com’s “Match Made in Hell” campaign.

Valentine’s Day Campaign Takeaways

20 Effective Valentine’s Day Marketing Campaigns

Here are 20 Valentine’s Day marketing campaigns that stole our hearts.

1. Toblerone – The Love Insurance

To address the fear and uncertainty that can come witha new romance, Toblerlone’s 2023 Valentine’s Day marketing campaign offers consumers a little reassurance in the form of “love insurance.”

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To get their “love insurance,” couples can visit Toblerone.co.uk to buy the brand’s special edition Valentine’s Day chocolate bar, which comes with its own insurance. If the relationship ends, the couple can register the purchase with @TobleroneUK on Instagram and they’ll receive a voucher to redeem online. This way, neither the Toblerone nor their relationship feels like a waste.

2. Cadbury 5 Star – Valentine’s Day Alibi

Those without a Valentine often find themselves struggling to dodge the dreaded question “What are you doing for Valentine’s Day?” Fortunately, Cadbury 5 Star’s 2022 Valentine’s Day campaign tooksome of the pressure off.

The Indian chocolate brand took over an island off the coast of Karnataka and renamed it “My cousin’s wedding.” So, consumers without a Valentine couldsay “I’m not in town, I’m going to my cousin’s wedding” when asked about Valentine’s Day plans.

For a chance to access the island, consumers could scan the special Cadbury 5 Valentine’s Day packs, which tookthem to a website to mine coins and gain an opportunity to bid for the island.

3. Gucci – Love Story Zine

For Valentine’s Day 2022, Gucci released a limited-edition zine that consisted of visually stunning photos telling the love story ofa fairy and giant. Each photo in the zine showcased items from the fashion house’s Valentine’s Day collection.

The marketing campaign intrigued customers, offered an exclusive item (a physical copy of the zine), and it showed the beauty of the brand’s clothes and accessories.

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4. Pandora – Real Couples Explain What Valentine’s Day Means to Them

In 2021, Pandora asked real-life couples and friends to share the little (and not-so-little) things they’ve done to express their love. Some acts of love were tiny, such as a peck on the cheek or a hug; others were huge steps in the relationship, such as moving in together or adopting a dog.

The YouTube video included a link to the company’s website and a message that the company can help viewers show their loved ones how much they’re appreciated with Pandora charms and gifts.

5. Etsy – Show Love to Small Businesses

To show love and support to its community of sellers, e-commerce platform Etsy offered a ready-made graphic sellers could use to promote their Valentine’s Day products on social media. Sellers could also combine the graphic with the hashtag #MakeItMeaningful to draw attention to their Etsy store.

The pre-made graphic grabbed audience attention and fostered a sense of community among Etsy sellers.

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6. Stella Artois – Valentine’s Day

In 2020, beer brand Stella Artois created a 15 second YouTube that shows the growth of a couple throughout the years and the role the brand’s beer played in their love.

The video is simple, heartfelt, and captures the spirit of Valentine’s Day. It was a huge hit and garnered almost 3 million views on YouTube.

7. Dunkin – Valentine’s Day Trivia Promo Code

For Valentine’s Day, Dunkin invited its followers to play a trivia game via Instagram Stories for a chance to unlock a secret promo code. The ad campaign delighted consumers with a fun game testing their knowledge of Dunkin and it rewarded customers with a chance to save on their favorite items.

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8. Hotels.com – Anti-Valentine’s Day

Hotels.com’s Valentine’s Day marketing campaign took a clever approach to the holiday by urging users to visit its V-Day Dumpster Stay web page and write about an ex they believe should vacation in a dumpster.

All stories were entered into a competition for participants to win a $300 Hotels.com gift card.

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9. Cadbury Silk – How Far Will You Go to Make Them Blush?

In 2022, Cadbury Silk placed QR codes on its Cadbury Silk Heart Blush chocolate pack which led consumers to its website where buyers can write a secret message to a loved one. Said loved on could then see the secret message by scanning any Cadbury ad.

10. Tyson – Chicken Nugget Bouquet Contest

A bouquet of flowers is the quintessential Valentine’s Day present, but food brand Tyson decided to put a fresh spin on a classic gift. In 2021, the company challenged consumers to create their own chicken nugget bouquet for Valentine’s Day.

The contest winner would win a package of Tyson Nuggets of Lovelimited edition heart-shaped chicken nuggets only available through the contest. To enter, participants had to create their best nugget bouquet and post a picture of the bouquet on Instagram or Twitter with the hashtags #NuggetBouquetContest and #TysonNuggetsofLove.

Other prizes included $5,000 and a year’s supply of Tyson chicken nuggets.

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11. Lancôme – Valentine’s Day Advent Calendar

Every year, cosmetics company Lancôme releases a Valentine’s Day advent calendar filled with products for consumers to try and discover. From lotion to mascara to perfume — the advent calendar contains a wide variety of products. The idea is excellent because it introduces consumers to new products that they may want to buy more of going forward.

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12. El Paso Zoo – Valentine’s Day ‘Quit Bugging Me’ Event

Every year, the El Paso Zoo holds a Valentine’s Day event where scorned lovers can name a cockroach after an ex. The cockroach would then be fed to a zoo animal. The event is so popular it’s been referenced on Saturday Night Live.

13. Gü Desserts – Love-themed Packaging

In 2020, British brand Gü Desserts released a series of love-themed packaging called “Love Notes” for selected desserts. The packaging was adorned with a love song title adapted to the brand.

For example, the brand’s salted caramel cheesecakes came with packaging that read “I’m in love with the shape of Gü.”

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14. Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing – Customized Bottle

Nothing says Valentine’s Day like giving someone a bottle of — Ranch Dressing?

In 2021, while flower companies and B2C brands were highlighting the romantic gifts partners could give to each other, Hidden Valley took a funny approach to this strategy by offering audiences customized Valentine’s Day-themed bottles of Ranch salad dressing.

While this seems like an odd gift to some, Hidden Valley knows it has fans out there that just love to cover everything they eat with Ranch dressing. To those audiences, this gift is funny, personalized, and potentially useful.

15. Pandora – Little Acts of Love

In 2022, Pandora revisited its successful”Little Acts of Love” campaign with an ad placement featuring more couples doing small acts of love for each other.

The ad shows couples displaying acts of kindness towards one another that would be appreciated any day of the year. This ad reminds us all that thoughtful gestures can go a long way.

16. 1-800-Flowers – Galentine’s Day

Valentine’s Day isn’t just for significant others, and 1-800-Flowers wants friendships to be celebrated as well.

This ad depicts two friends talking about how they established their friendship, reminding the viewer that platonic love also deserves to be celebrated. The two friends in the ad ask each other thoughtful questions about their friendship and how much they mean to each other.

It’s an emotional ad that will inspire you to call your best friend, and maybe send them some flowers.

17. Target – Valentine’s Day Haul Instagram Post

Many people have experienced walking into Target without a list, relying on Target to tell them what they need. This user-generated post on Target’s Instagram account captures the spirit of what we all love about Target — how easy it is to load up on fun items (though our bank accounts may not share the love).

In the video, the original poster fills their cart with festive Valentine’s Day merchandise at their local Target. Though it isn’t a traditionally produced ad, it’s a relatable post for Target shoppers who may have been inspired to visit their local store and pick up some of the items they saw featured in the post to celebrate.

18. MeUndies – Match Me Valentine’s Day

This relatable MeUndies ad from 2021 captures the spirit of communicating via Zoom that many people have become familiar with since early 2020.

In the ad, couples talk about some of their pre-pandemic plans including travel and weddings. Though many of those events didn’t go as planned, the couples talked about ways they’ve grown closer despite the challenges and uncertainty brought on by the pandemic all while wearing matching merch from MeUndies.

19. Winc – Be Wine Instagram Post

Wine is a popular Valentine’s Day gift that is up there with roses and chocolate. Wine subscription company Winc typically devotes real estate on itssocial channels for Valentine’s Day-themed posts in the weeks leading up to the holiday.

In 2021, the Winc Instagram account had a series of posts consisting of unique and user-generated content related to Valentine’s Day. The “Be Wine?” post was among the most popular. We loved the punny caption and heart-themed visuals.

20. OpenTable – Millennial Experiences

If you’ve ever marketed to millennials, you may know that millennials value experiential gifts. Or, as OpenTable says in this 2020 ad, dates.

In 2020 OpenTable released 14 ads as part of a two-week countdown to Valentine’s Day, encouraging customers to make reservations early to avoid the holiday rush.

Each of the ads targeted a different audience that could benefit from using OpenTable to make Valentine’s Day reservations, with a clear call-to-action and messaging that appeals to the ideal viewer.

Honorable Mention: Match.com’s “Match Made in Hell” campaign.

Technically, this campaign wasn’t created for Valentine’s Day specifically. But, many of our marketers thought it had all the perfect elements of a great Valentine’s Day campaign.

In the commercial, directed by actor Ryan Reynolds, Satan sits in Hell using Match’s app when he sees he’s matched with a woman named 2020. When he meets up with her on Earth, he nervously says “Hi 2-0-2-0.” She replies, “Please, call me 2020” — pronouncing it like the year.

As the commercial continues, 2020’s character appears to be the epitome of everything that happened in 2020.

For example, the ad shows Satan and 2020 causing mischief, stealing toilet paper from store shelves, having a picnic in empty stadiums, and ultimately posing for a selfie in front of a dumpster fire.

The couple frolics to the familiar sounds of Taylor Swift’s hit song, “Love Story,” which also sparks a sense of rom-com nostalgia for millennials.

On the same day of this ad’s December release, Match and Reynolds also shared another commercial showing the pair explaining how they met in couple’s counseling.

In this video, Satan explains how he found 2020 on Match:

“I started by using the Match custom search filter. I filtered out joy, happiness, toilet paper, and reason,” Satan says in the video below:

Although this didn’t launch in February, it was a very clever newsjacking example that many of our marketers say they enjoyed when they were asked to share their favorite Valentine’s campaigns.

While 2020 was a difficult year for many, Match and Reynolds identified a tasteful way to create content that audiences could relate to. At the same time, they still told an epic, hilarious love story with a pleasant, entertaining tone. Although they discussed a truly terrible year, they did so in a way that felt like escapism for the viewer.

Valentine’s Day Campaign Takeaways

As you create and launch Valentine’s Day campaigns, take note of these strategies many of the brands above used:

Grab your audience’s attention:Like with any holiday, marketers around the globe are churning out content around it. To compete with this overly saturated Valentine’s Day ad landscape, you’ll need to grab and keep your viewer’s attention with entertaining elements or valuable information.
Be relatable: Around this time of year, many people are inundated with high-budget Valentine’s Day ads that offer them no useful information or value. Even if you want to tell a mushy romance-fueled love story with your content, make sure it still feels relatable or authentic. To do this, you can leverage tactics like telling a story your audience will relate to, or leveraging user-generated content from your followers — like Twitter has.
Test out different platforms: While some companies on this list took to Instagram, others embraced physical campaign strategies like special products or billboard use.

Now that you have some ideas for your next Valentine’s Day marketing campaign, you’re ready to find new ways to make consumers fall in love with your brand.

Editor’s Note: This blog post was originally published in Feb. 2013, but was updated for comprehensiveness.

Whether you’re teaching a new hire how to use a tool, explaining a complex project when an email just won’t do, or recording a personalized product demo, you need to know how to record your computer screen.

Fortunately, we’ve put together a quick and easy guide for recording your computer screen on a Mac, Windows PC, iPhone, iPad, and Android. Use the links below for quick navigation to each section.

How to Screen Record on Mac
How to Screen Record on Windows PC
How to Screen Record on Android
How to Screen Record on iPhone and iPad
Best Free Screen Recording Tools

How to Screen Record on Mac

Apple pre-installed QuickTime Player, an app that lets you record, edit, play, and share audio and video files onto every Mac. You can use it to record your computer screen.

Step 1: Navigate to Launchpad > Quicktime Player.

Step 2: Go to File > New Screen Recording.

Step 3: Choose your screen preferences and click Record.

Microphone: Choose None to record your screen with no sound. Choose Built-in Microphone to record your screen with sound.
Options: Choose Show Mouse Clicks in Recording if you want your clicks to appear as a circle during your screen recording.

Click your screen to record your entire computer screen.
Drag a section of your screen that you want to record.

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Step 4: To stop recording, click the stop button on the screen or touch stop on the touch bar.

Step 5: To save your recording, go to File > Save, and name your recording.

How to Record Your Screen on Windows 11

On Windows 11, Microsoft pre-installed the Xbox App, which has a built-in screen recorder that’s designed for recording video games on your computer. You can still use it to record your screen for marketing purposes, though.

Step 1: Type “Xbox” into the search box, and open the app.

Step 2: To open the Game Bar, which lets you record your screen, hold the Windows+G keys on your keyboard.

Step 3: Click the gear icon at the far right of the top widgets toolbar.

This will open Settings, then click Capture in the pop-up menu to view options in the Xbox app. Here, you get to choose your screen recording’s quality setting, determine whether or not you want to record audio, or set a maximum clip length,

Step 4: Click the Record button or hold the Windows+Alt+R keys on your keyboard to start recording your computer screen.

Step 5: Click the Stop button when you’re finished recording.

Step 6: Go to Settings > Gaming > Captures to find your recorded video.

How to Screen Record on Android

Step 1: Swipe down from the top of the screen to view the settings.

Step 2: Tap the Screen Record button.

Step 3: When you’re ready to record, tap Start.

Step 4: To stop recording, swipe down again and tap Screen Record.

How to Screen Record on iPhone and iPad

Step 1: Swipe down from the top of the screen to view the settings.

Step 2: Tap the Screen Record button.

A three-second countdown will begin, and then the screen recording will start.

Step 4: To stop recording, tap the red flashing button in the top left corner of the screen.

Best Free Screen Recorders for Mac and Windows

If you’d like to record your screen with more advanced tools, check out our list of the best free screen recording tools.

1. Loom

Loom helps you quickly record your screen (with optional video or audio) and share your video with others. Your share link can also include a password for extra privacy and security. Loom also offers easy editing capabilities, allowing you to trim the video or add a call-to-action (CTA) and custom thumbnail. Loom’s easy-to-use platform and privacy features make it an excellent choice for workplace communication.

2. OBS Studio

OBS Studio is an open-source software for video recording and live streaming. Designed for gamers to record and stream themselves playing video games, OBS Studio offers advanced post-production tools, like customizable transitions, muting or turning on audio sources, and editing, which allows you to tinker on almost every aspect of your recording or broadcast.

3. Zoom

You may know Zoom for being one of the most popular virtual meeting softwares on the market, but you can use the free version of Zoom to record your screen for up to 40 minutes. You can simply start a new meeting by yourself, click “share screen” and start recording. You’ll get a high-quality MP4 file after you’re done that you can edit, stylize, and more.

4. Google Meet

Not just for meetings, Google Meet can be used to grab quick recordings of your screen when you’re not in the mood to install a new software program or create a new account. Simply open your Chrome browser, click the nine dots in the top right corner, and choose Google Meet. From there, you can start a new meeting and record your screen with ease.

5. Apowersoft Free Online Screen Recorder

Apowersoft is a web-based screen recorder, so you don’t have to download it. By just visiting their website, you can record your screen for however long you want, pick a certain part of your screen to record, insert your webcam into your screen to talk about what exactly you’re doing, capture video and audio at the same time, and make annotations while recording.

6. Icecream Screen Recorder

With support for over 50 languages, Icecream Screen Recorder is one of the best screen recorders for global teams. You can also add your own watermark to your recordings, choose your recordings’ video quality, trim recordings, and set timers for each task you want to complete during your screen recordings.

7. TinyTake

TinyTake is a more basic screen recorder, but you can still record your screen for up to two hours, email your screen recording to colleagues, and even create a shareable link.

Screen Record on Your Computer, Phone, or Tablet

The use cases for recording your screen are endless. Use this simple guide on how to record your screen across different devices to add more context to your video content.

Editor’s note: This post was originally published in [Month Year] and has been updated for comprehensiveness.

Welcome to HubSpot Marketing News! Tap in for campaign deep dives, the latest marketing industry news, and tried-and-true insights from HubSpot’s media team.

The facts on Snapple bottle caps are getting an AI-powered glow-up.

In a recent press release (partially written by AI) the beverage company debuted the Snapple fAIct Generator, an online tool that allows users to discover and share fun facts at the click of a button.

The rollout of the tool coincides with the 20th anniversary of Snapple Real Facts®, and now the brand is inviting customers to create their own facts by visiting the website or scanning the QR code on a bottle of Snapple. The AI-generated facts will be saved and fact-checked by Snapple, and some of them may be featured on bottle caps in 2024.

Interactive marketing has been a part of Snapple’s marketing strategy for decades. In the 90s the brand ran a string of successful commercials featuring Snapple employee Wendy Kaufman, who became known as the Snapple Lady, reading fan mail from customers.

Over the past 20 years, the Snapple team has shared 1,677 facts, though the accuracy of some of the facts has been widely debated. Snapple joins Mint Mobile as an early adopter of openly using generative AI in its marketing.

Marketing Snippets

The latest marketing news and strategy insights.

TikTok adds new features to its Promote service aimed at helping small businesses run campaigns smoothly.

Twitter has seen a decline in ad spend from over half of its advertisers.

Battle of the AI tools: what marketers need to know about ChatGPT, Google’s Bard, and Microsofit’s Bing Chatbot.

Snapchat ads: the best ad formats for new advertisers.

Super Bowl ads: a round-up of the 30 best ads of all time.

40% of podcast listeners use an in-app search bar to discover new podcasts. The trend is clear: if you want more reach, you need to optimize your podcast for search.

One way to get there is with podcast SEO. Think of it as invisible levers you can pull to boost your ranking and drive more traffic to your podcast. 

In this post, we’ll cover how to optimize your podcast for Spotify, YouTube, and search — plus uncover how to find great topics for your next episode.

Table of Contents

How to Optimize a Podcast for Spotify

How to Optimize a Podcast for YouTube

How to Optimize a Podcast for Search

How to Find Topics for a Podcast

How to Optimize a Podcast for Spotify

Update your show page.

Every podcast on Spotify has a show page. You can think of it as a landing page for your podcast.

According to Spotify, the purpose of a show page is to give listeners everything they need to know about your podcast, including:

Its title
Its cover art
Its show description
A “Follow” button
A list of recently published episodes

The show page isn’t something to rush through — or leave to collect dust. Ensure each element is up-to-date, accurate, and as compelling as possible.

Include sub-topics in your show description.

Show descriptions are typically short and concise, so you need to make every word count. To get an SEO boost, incorporate phrases or sub-topics that match what your potential audience is searching for. 

For instance, the health and wellness podcast Maintenance Phase includes sub-topics like “health fads,” “wellness scams,” and “nutrition advice” in its description. These are search teams that could lead someone to the podcast. 

Front-load key information in your episode description.

Writing an episode description is another way to optimize your podcast, but many skip it. This space offers keyword opportunities, meaning you can rank individual episodes in search.

Spotify recommends using the first 20 words of your description to hook new listeners. Don’t repeat information in your episode title or general podcast description. Instead, jump right into the episode’s topic or guest.

How to Optimize a Podcast for YouTube

Add video chapters.

A few years ago, Google began surfacing YouTube content in search results. For instance, a quick Google search of “How to have a breakthrough” populates a list of relevant videos — including a video chapter from the Tony Robbins Podcast:

To show up in search results, start by dividing your podcast into different sections, also known as video chapters. This creates a structure for Google to understand your video.

It’s not enough to add video chapters — you also need to optimize them. The key is adding relevant keywords in the title of each chapter.

In the video below, the primary keyword is “email marketing,” but, by leveraging video chapters, it also targets the keywords email list and email segmentation.

Besides the search benefits, video chapters also improve user experience. For instance, have you ever skimmed an entire video to find a particular conversation or topic? By adding chapters to your podcast, viewers have a roadmap to skip to the topics that most interest them.

Create playlists.

If your podcast covers a range of topics, consider creating a playlist for each topic. Why? YouTube populates playlists in its search results, giving your content another chance to be seen.

Playlists can also organize your podcast library and send viewers down a content rabbit hole, encouraging them to spend more time watching related videos.

For example, the Jay Shetty Podcast has a number of playlists on its YouTube channel, including health tips, money habits, and relationship advice. If you’re interested in one of these topics, you could spend hours listening to a single playlist.

Add the target keyword to your video’s file name, title, and description.

Before hitting “Publish” on your next YouTube video, make sure the following areas are optimized:

The file name. You should first mention your primary keyword in the video’s file name. Here’s why: YouTube can’t actually “watch” your video to see how relevant it is, but it can read your video’s file name, which is one (of many) context clues.
Video title: When possible, naturally incorporate your target keyword in the video title. On top of that, keep your title clear, compelling, and short (aim for 60 characters or less).
Video description. Front-load your video description with the most crucial information — such as a keyword-rich summary, crucial links, or a CTA. Keep in mind that YouTube only displays the first two or three sentences before viewers have to click “Show more” to see the entire description.

Now let’s take a look at how to optimize your podcast for search.

How to Optimize a Podcast for Search

Plan your episodes around specific keywords.

Keywords are the name of the game when it comes to podcast SEO. After all, the number one way people discover new podcasts is via the search bar.

By planning your episodes around keywords, you can put your show (or individual episodes) in front of users who have specific intents.

For instance, if you have an entrepreneurial podcast like The Side Hustle Show, you might target keywords like “side hustle,” “print on demand,” and “affiliate marketing.”

Always include written content for Google to index.

Never skip out on writing a title or description for each podcast episode. Yes, it’s time-consuming, but it gives Google something to “read” and understand in more detail. 

It’s also a good idea to add a transcript to your podcast. While Google’s text-to-speech capabilities are improving, it’s not always accurate.

By adding your own transcript — either manually or automatically — Google can better understand the content of your episodes. Plus, with the right topic, keywords, and keyword placement, you can boost your podcast’s discoverability and ranking.

Create a website for your podcast.

While this isn’t necessary — especially when you’re just starting out — having a dedicated website for your podcast has SEO benefits. A website offers more real estate for keywords and gives search engines more information about your podcast beyond just the title and description.

You can also create blog content that compliments your podcast. This is a great way to cross-promote across multiple channels and build a bigger following in the process.

How to Find Topics for a Podcast

Whether you’re just starting a podcast or have been in the game for years, it’s essential to find good topics to talk about.

Podcasts cover a range of subject matters. Here are the three main types:

Trending topics — these are topics that receive higher-than-average attention and engagement on social media. 
Evergreen topics — these are topics with consistent search demand and interest.
Interviews — these are topics that relate to an interviewee and/or their area of expertise.

How to Find Trending Topics

The best way to find trending topics is by checking what words, phrases, or stories are trending on social media. Twitter is a great place to start.

You can also leverage keyword research tools such as Google Trends, Moz, and Semrush to spot trending keywords and gauge the popularity of certain topics.

How to Find Evergreen Topics

Here, the goal is to find topics that are tailored to your audience and achieve a particular purpose. For instance, you might be a real estate investor looking to offer advice to new professionals in the field. 

This requires doing a deep dive into your audience. What are their interests? Needs? Pain points? These questions are key when finding evergreen content.

In addition, use a keyword research tool (like the ones listed above) to find topics relating to your niche, industry, or expertise. Always check to see if demand is consistent or fluctuates throughout the year.

Back to You

As the popularity of podcasts continues to surge, so does the need to optimize them for maximum reach. Following the tips above, you can ensure your podcast content is properly optimized for search engines. 

Ah, Instagram Stories — the one-stop-shop to find short, engaging content from high school friends, celebrities, and major brands alike.

With over 500 million daily active users, Instagram Stories is an undeniably powerful opportunity to connect with new audiences.

And, if you’re not using Instagram Stories as a marketing tool, you should be. In fact, Instagram reports that of the 500 million accounts using Instagram Stories, one-third of the most viewed stories come from businesses.

I can personally attest to the power of Instagram Stories to incentivize purchasing decisions. For instance, the other day I was mindlessly scrolling through Stories when I came across an ad for Crest 3D whitestrips — with a $50 off coupon attached. I swiped up to purchase without ever leaving the app itself.

Here, let’s dive into what Instagram Story ads are, and how you can run Instagram Story ads for your own business. Plus, we’ll explore examples of Instagram Story ads and best practices to ensure your ads are as powerful as they can be.

What are Instagram Story ads?

Instagram Story ads are vertical ads you can run on Instagram’s Stories feature. (To recap, Instagram Stories are photos and videos visible to an Instagram account’s audience for 24-hours, and is published separately from the content found on your Instagram profile.)

Instagram allows you to target your ads by reach, video views, traffic, conversions, app installs, and brand awareness. Additionally, unlike an organic Instagram Story, an Instagram Story ad doesn’t disappear after 24-hours — instead, you can choose the length of the campaign and frequency of ads on Facebook’s ad platform, like any other ad created for Instagram or Facebook.

An Instagram Story ad is immersed seamlessly into a user’s Stories viewing experience. Additionally, a user doesn’t have to follow your account to see an ad from your brand. For instance, I don’t follow Crest on Instagram, but I was still shown a Crest ad.

You have a few different options for ad formatting, including video, photo, or carousel. A video ad plays for up to 15 seconds, an image ad will play for five seconds, and a carousel ad lets brands play three separate pieces of content (video, photos, or both) within one ad.

If you aren’t sold on running ads on Instagram Stories yet, consider these facts:

Instagram users have high disposable income. In fact, 42% of U.S. Instagram users make more than 75k per year. 
Instagram is the social channel with the second-highest ROI among marketers. 
Videos on Instagram get 21.2% more interactions compared to images and 18.6% more interactions compared to carousels.
71% of U.S. businesses use Instagram. It surpassed Twitter in business users in 2017.
500 million Instagram users use the app daily.

If you’re convinced Instagram ads could be a good platform for you, let’s dive into how you can run your own Instagram Story ads, next.

For the full rundown on all things Instagram advertising, make sure to check out our guide below:

How to Run Instagram Story Ads

1. Go to your Ads Manager, and click “Create”, which will bring you to “Quick Creation”. If you’d prefer, you can switch to “Guided Creation”, instead.

2. Next, select a marketing objective — your options for Instagram Stories include “Brand Awareness”, “Reach”, “Video views”, “Conversions”, “App installs”, “Lead Generation”, or “Traffic”.

3. In the Placements section, you’ll want to select “Automatic Placements”, where Instagram Stories is selected by default. However, if you choose “Manual Placements”, check the box for “Stories” under Instagram.

4. Next, set your ad’s budget and schedule. 

5. Next, you’ll want to choose “Single Image or Video” or “Carousel” as your ad’s format.

6. Add videos or images to your ad, and finish including any other details, including headline and description. If you’d prefer, you can use Stories Templates, which will transform your image into an ad automatically, and add movement to grab a viewer’s attention.

7. Once you’re happy with your ad, select “Confirm” to finish the process.

Instagram Story Ads: Cost, Specs, & Length

There are three separate areas you can place an ad on Instagram: Stories, Feed, and Explore.

For the purposes of this post, we’ll focus on the cost, specs, and length of an Instagram Stories ad.

First, all feed photo and video dimensions are supported in Stories (anywhere from 1:91 to 4:5). However, 9:16 ratio is encouraged to fit the full-screen, vertical format of Stories.

Additionally, .mp4 or .mov is recommended for video ads, and .jpg or .png file type is recommended for photo ads.

If you’re creating a video ad, 4GB file size is encouraged — and, for a photo, 30MG file size is suggested.

If you’re creating a video ad, the length can’t surpass 120 seconds. For a photo ad, five seconds is the default for how long the image will be shown.

Finally, the recommended resolution is 1080 x 1920, with a minimum dimension of 600 x 1067.

Instagram ads, including Instagram Story ads, cost between $0.70 to $1.00 per-click on average — although cost varies depending on industry, days of the week, time of year, targeted ages and sexes, ad placement, and plenty of other factors. In some cases, Instagram ads can exceed $5.00 per-click.

Fortunately, you have plenty of control over how much your ads cost by setting a pre-determined budget. You can choose your budget based on how much your company is willing to spend daily, or the total cost you’re willing to spend over a campaign’s lifecycle.

What Consumers Want to See in Instagram Story Ads [New Data]

It’s important to note — if you’re planning your own Instagram advertising campaign, you’ll want to consider the type(s) of ads that perform best on the platform.

For instance, in a recent survey HubSpot conducted, we found 50% of Instagram users prefer image-based ads that show product shots and light text — which is followed by 31% who prefer video-based ads that showcase real customers.

Perhaps most intriguing, the majority of people (80%) don’t necessarily care if an ad includes a discount or coupon. This suggests that Instagram users are more interested in appealing, engaging content that highlight a product’s benefits. 

User preferences will vary depending on your audience, industry, and message, but consider keeping this data in-mind when preparing your own Story ad. When in doubt, try A/B testing to figure out which types of ads your own audience prefers.

Let’s dive into some other best practices, now. 

Instagram Story Ads Best Practices

With four million active advertisers on Stories as of January 2020, it’s going to take a lot to ensure you’re able to stand out and drive results.

Here, let’s dive into a few best practices to follow when designing your own Instagram Story ad.  

1. Pay attention to speed.

Facebook reports that Instagram Stories are consumed faster “than any other mobile format”. People’s attention is severely limited when perusing Stories, especially since the content has a 24-hour time limit before disappearing forever.

For that reason, you’ll want to ensure you get straight to the point and capture a viewer’s attention from the first frame. Unlike other forms of content, suspense isn’t usually effective here, especially since images can’t surpass five seconds, and videos have a 120-second limit. You’ll want to jump the viewer right into the message you’re hoping to deliver.

2. Include motion in your ad.

Facebook reports that “ads that use motion perform better.” Motion captivates the viewers’ attention and can help you tell a story faster than you could with a static image. Even if you’re using animation, consider how you might add motion to create more engaging content.

3. Ensure you’re using sound in your ad.

60% of Stories are viewed with the sound on, so you’ll want to ensure you use sound in your ad to provide optimal value to your audience. Consider how you might use music, sound effects, or voice-over to capture viewers’ attention in a new way. If you’re unsure which types of sound work best in your ad, try A/B testing to conclude what your audience prefers.

4. Create your ad for Stories first — rather than attempting to repurpose an existing ad made for another vertical.

It can be tempting to simply copy-and-paste the ad you’ve already created for Facebook or Instagram news feed, but that could result in a less-than-ideal experience for those viewing your ad in Instagram Stories. For one, your ad might not follow Instagram Story sizing best practices, resulting in key parts of your ad being cropped out. Additionally, you’ll want to play around with features exclusive to Stories to ensure your ad is as effective as possible.

5. Use your call-to-action wisely.

Ultimately, your Instagram Stories ad won’t be effective if you don’t include a clear call-to-action you want viewers to follow. You might use language like “Learn More”, “Shop Now”, or “Swipe Up” to encourage viewers to take action, depending on your goal — for instance, if your goal is brand awareness, “Learn More” tells viewers you simply want to educate them about your brand’s offerings, which is a very different CTA from “Shop Now”.

Take a look at the examples, mentioned above, for more CTA inspiration.

6. Include text to emphasize key message.

Including text is a best practice for accessibility in general, as it helps viewers’ who are hard-of-hearing decipher your ad’s message. Additionally, text can help emphasize your key points — for instance, Aveeno’s “Get Healthy Looking Skin Every Day” text illustrated their main point, and convinced me to purchase.

7. Test out mobile shots.

Facebook reports, “Mobile shots outperform studio shots for ad recall and intent, while studio shots tend to drive higher brand awareness.” For this reason, consider forgoing fancy studio equipment for video shot and edited straight from a mobile phone.

The majority of users consume Instagram’s content from their own smartphones, so you might as well try creating content on the same device. And, when in doubt, don’t be afraid to A/B test this theory for your own brand, as well.

For more best practices related to advertising in general, take a look at The Ultimate Guide to Mastering the Basics of Effective Social Media Advertising.

Examples of Instagram Story Ads

Below, I’ve collected a few impressive examples I found on my own Instagram Story feed. While most of these examples are bigger brand names, there are plenty of small-to-medium sized businesses using Instagram

1. Aveeno

Aveeno’s Instagram ads are clean and simple, with neutral colors — apart from the brand’s signature green — drawing attention to the brand’s daily moisturizer. The ad features a short clip of a hand pointing to a shopping cart, with a “Shop Now” swipe-up link. The ad focuses on the brand’s product and doesn’t distract with people, making it effective for anyone scrolling who’s in the mood to refill their moisturizer.

2. Miller Lite

This is an example of an ad that felt tailored towards me, a 27-year-old female in the Boston area. First, the ad features a call-out to the Boston Celtics, immediately capturing my attention. Once I’m intrigued, the ad segues into a picture of their Lite drink, with the text, “Great taste, only 96 calories, 3.2G carbs”. In this example, the ad does a good job drawing my attention to the things I care about most: namely, low-calorie alternatives to beer (and Celtics).

3. Trunk Club

This engaging, fast-moving ad shows a few different outfit options on the screen with the text, “Keep what you love, send the rest back”. The ad shows a few different outfits, ranging from dresses and cardigans to dress pants and heels, to capture the attention of a wider range of people than it could if it featured only one style. With the plain white background and easy-to-read black text, it’s simple, clean, and hard to miss.

4. Febreze

I mean, come on … who doesn’t love a puppy? This fun, clever Febreze ad shows an adorable puppy on a couch with the text, “Refresh wherever they roam”, with their Febreze product at the bottom of the screen. While most of the other ads in this list featured subdued, plain colors, Febreze goes all out with light blues, greens, and purples, inviting a sense of playfulness and fun into the user’s feed.

5. Tractor Beverage Co.

What I love most about Tractor Beverage Co.’s Instagram video is the end, which features a different call-to-action from most of the others in this list. Rather than “Shop Now,” this ad reads, “Now Available at Chipotle” with a “Learn More” swipe-up function. As a lesser-known brand, Tractor Beverage Co. wisely aims to use their ad space to increase brand awareness, so that next time you’re at your favorite nearby Chipotle, you might give their drink a try.

6. Crest

If you have the means, it makes a lot of sense to include a coupon or discount in your Instagram Story ad, like Crest does in its 3D Whitestrips ad. The $50 off encourages viewers to purchase immediately so they don’t miss out on the deal, and the fun, bright colors effectively capture viewers attention. With the limited time allotted in an Instagram Story, it makes sense for these brands to get straight to the point.

7. Kayak

Kayak, a travel search engine, created this impressive, engaging Instagram Story video ad to demonstrate how easy it is for Kayak users to filter flights depending on airline, price, cabin seating, and destination. Kayak served the ads to lookalike audiences based on the characteristics of its current website customers, and saw 5X increase in sales conversions, as well as a 50% increase in overall ROI, with combined ad placements on Instagram Stories, Instagram’s news feed, and Facebook’s news feed.

And there you have it! You’re all ready to begin creating an inspiring Instagram Story ad of your own. Just remember — you know your brand, and your audience, better than anyone. Use these best practices and examples as inspiration, but feel free to A/B test to figure out what works best for your unique business goals and social media objectives. Good luck!