How Instagram ads use machine learning
To decide which ads to show you, we use advertisers’ audience selections and the results of our ad auction to determine the best ad to show you at a given point in time.
Our machine learning models are part of our ads delivery system that learns as it receives new information, without being explicitly programmed. This allows the machine learning models to carry out tasks quickly and efficiently, like delivering ads that might be relevant to you.
What determines which ads you see
The two main factors we use to determine which ads to show you are:
- Advertiser audience selection
- Results of our ad auction
During the ad auction our machine learning models calculate a “total value score” from three major factors: the advertiser bid, the estimated action rate and the ad quality score.
The ad with the highest total ad value is the one that is delivered to you.
Advertiser audience selection
When creating an ad campaign, advertisers first choose their desired audience through our business tools.
Advertisers can create audiences based on criteria like age, location, interests and categories. For example, some information you provide us, combined with actions you take, might suggest to us you’re interested in something, like cooking or fitness, or that you might be part of a larger group (called a category), like a mobile user.
Advertisers can also use information they have about their audiences, like a list of emails or people who’ve visited their website, to build a custom audience or a lookalike audience.
Note:
- There are limits to how advertisers can reach young people (those under 18 years old globally, under 20 in Thailand, and under 21 in Indonesia).
- When advertisers show ads about credit, employment or housing opportunities, we limit the categories they can choose to create an audience.
Ad auction
The second step we use is an ad auction to determine the best ads to show you at a given point in time.
Our system gathers ads for which you were included in the advertiser’s selected audience and moves them into the auction stage.
For ads that enter the auction, our system selects the top ads to show to you based on which ads have the highest total value score to make sure the winning ad maximizes value for both people and businesses. The total value score is a calculation that takes into account three major factors: the “advertisers bid”, the “estimated action rate” and the “overall ad quality.”
- Advertiser bid. This is the bid placed by an advertiser for an ad. Because we use the total value score to determine the winner of the ad auction, an advertiser with the highest bid doesn't always win the auction.
- Estimated action rate. The estimated action rate is an estimate of how likely it is that you'll take the advertiser’s desired action, like visiting the advertiser’s website or installing their app. To estimate this, our machine learning models may consider things like your activity on and off Meta technologies, as well as other factors.
- Ad quality. The ad quality score is a measure of the quality of an ad. The ad quality score is determined by machine learning models and uses many sources including feedback of people viewing or hiding the ad, as well as assessments of low-quality attributes (like too much text in the ad's image, sensationalized language or engagement bait).
The estimated action rate and ad quality help make sure that you see ads that are more relevant to you, even if that ad did not have the highest advertiser bid.
Note:
- If an advertiser engages in clickbait and engagement bait, it does not improve the performance of their ad.
- We may make adjustments that could affect auction outcomes and prices. Learn more about ad auctions adjustments.
How machine learning improves ad delivery
As more people view an ad, share feedback, or click through to make a purchase on an advertiser’s website, our models get better at predicting the estimated action rate and ad quality of an ad.
Ways to review and manage your privacy and ads on Instagram
- Customize your Ad preferences to influence the ads you see. You can also update your ad settings to choose whether we show you ads based on your activity information from ad partners. Note: You must be logged in to change your ad preferences and ad settings.
- Hide an ad that isn't interesting or useful to you or review how Instagram decides which ad to show you.
- Update your visibility and walk through Security Checkup to make sure you're sharing your information with who you want.
- Download your Instagram information for review.
- Learn more about why you’re seeing a particular ad with the “Why you're seeing this ad” feature that helps you see more details about who the advertiser wants to reach and gives you access to the ad in Meta Ads Library. You can access this feature from the ... menu on any ad you see on Instagram.
Important things to know about ads on Instagram
- Meta does not sell your information to advertisers or anyone else.
- We don’t share information that personally identifies you with advertisers unless you’ve given us permission.
To learn more about the information we receive and how we use it, visit our Privacy Policy and Cookies Policy.
| English (US) | + |