We analyzed two campaigns to compare the effectiveness of advertising exclusively on Instagram versus the traditional approach of advertising across All Platforms (Meta, Instagram, Audience Network).

The two campaigns consisted of 16 ads showcasing various features and value propositions of a school-based app. Our goal was to determine which platform yielded higher engagement in terms of Click-Through Rate (CTR), reach, impressions, and audience demographics. All ads and analyses presented in this report were generated using our proprietary tools.

The app we use to test is a school-based, parent-to-parent social community aimed at facilitating resource sharing such as carpooling, trade goods, and services among parents of pre-K and elementary school kids.

• Discover and Share Resources with Other Parents
• SAHM or teacher; list your service
• Event planning and signups within your school community

We maintain the same ad creative, content, and copy for both.

When we compared All Platforms (Meta, Instagram, Audience Network) with just the Instagram Platform, we found that the combined platforms had double the click-through rates (CTR). However, Instagram alone performed much better in terms of reach, having 1K more impressions than all platforms together. Despite this higher reach, it's important to highlight that the cost per result was twice as high for the Instagram Platform.

Our analysis showed that Instagram has a younger audience, while the age distribution across All Platforms is more balanced.

Results show that while combined platforms doubled click-through rates (CTR), Instagram alone has higher reach and impressions than all platforms combined. Despite this, the cost per result was twice as high for Instagram.

Although reaching a larger audience may improve measures of engagement (such as click-through rates), it does not necessarily guarantee cost efficiency.