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Instagram Ads for Government: Reach Younger Australians

Reels and Stories put public messages in front of younger Australians in the format they watch. We make captioned vertical video that informs, meets the campaign guidelines and drives action.

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Instagram Ads Explained

What Is Instagram Advertising for Government?

Instagram advertising for government uses paid Reels, Stories and feed ads to reach younger audiences with public information and a clear next step.

It suits short, visual messages, such as enrolment, safety, health and recruitment campaigns.

How Younger Australians Meet a Public Message on Instagram

People see it mid-scroll, so the first seconds decide whether the message lands.

  1. 01

    Mid-Scroll in Reels

    A full-screen vertical video appears between creators’ posts and has seconds to earn attention.

  2. 02

    Between Friends’ Stories

    Stories ads sit between friends’ updates, with a button through to the landing page.

  3. 03

    A Fast Mobile Page

    The page must load quickly on a phone and say the same thing as the ad.

  4. 04

    Act, Save or Share

    People act, save the post or send it to a friend, which carries the message further.

16minimum age for Instagram accounts in Australia since 10 December 2025eSafety Commissioner, 2026
21.4%of Australians have disability, so captions and clear visuals matterABS, 2024

What Actually Moves Instagram Results for Government

  • Under-16 Account Rules

    Instagram must take reasonable steps to stop under-16s holding accounts. Messages for school-age children need to reach parents or run elsewhere.

  • Captions and Auslan

    NSW guidance asks agencies to consider captioning and Auslan interpretation in government ads. Build both into Reels from the first edit.

  • Creators and Electoral Rules

    If a creator shares your message, check the AEC’s guidance on authorising electoral matter from content creators before you brief them.

  • Hook in the First Seconds

    Lead with the action or the benefit in the opening frames, before people scroll past.

  • Real, Diverse Imagery

    Commonwealth guidelines ask campaign imagery to reflect the diversity of Australians, including First Nations people, CALD communities and people with disability.

  • Story Sequences

    Run a short series of Stories that builds the message over several views, then retarget people who watched.

Creative That Reaches Everyone

Instagram is visual first, so accessibility and fair representation have to be built into the edit.

01

Captioned Vertical Video

Burned-in captions, high-contrast text and safe margins, so the message reads on any phone with the sound on or off.

02

Representation Checks

Casting and imagery are checked against the Commonwealth guidelines’ expectations on diversity before production starts.

03

Audience Testing

The guidelines expect campaigns to be tested with target audiences. We test hooks and cuts with small budgets before scaling spend.

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Meet the People Behind Your Instagram Campaigns

Our creative and Meta ads teams script, cut and run every Reel together, so the edit and the targeting are planned as one.

Why Instagram Ads Matter for Government Now

72 %

of Commonwealth campaign media spend went to digital in 2024-25 (Department of Finance, 2025)

$ 11 k

Commonwealth campaigns above this a year must be formally evaluated (Department of Finance)

8 m

Australians have disability, up from 17.7% of people in 2018 to 21.4% (ABS, 2024)

Instagram vs Facebook for Public Campaigns

Instagram

Facebook

Both run from the same Meta account. We split the budget by audience and format, then follow the results.

How We Run Instagram Ads for Government

Creative-led, accessible and tested before we scale.

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1

Brief, Audience and Rules

We confirm the audience, age limits, authorisation needs and guideline requirements before any scripting starts.

2

Script for Vertical Video

We script hooks, cast to reflect your community and deliver captioned Reels and Stories in several cuts.

3

Test, Then Scale

We test cuts on small budgets, keep the winners and move spend to the placements that drive the action.

4

Report and Learn

Reports cover reach, video completion and actions, plus what the winning creative tells you for the next campaign.

Instagram Ads for Government Pricing

From $2,000 a month

What’s included

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Instagram Ads for Government Questions, Answered

Can government ads reach under-16s on Instagram?

Not through their own accounts. Since 10 December 2025, Instagram must take reasonable steps to stop Australians under 16 having accounts. For messages aimed at children, we target parents and carers instead.

Do Reels ads need captions?

They should. 21.4% of Australians have disability, and NSW guidance asks agencies to consider captioning and Auslan interpretation in government ads. Captions also help anyone watching with the sound off.

Can we work with creators or influencers?

Yes, with care. The AEC publishes guidance on authorising electoral matter created by content creators, and Commonwealth campaigns must stay free of party politics. We brief creators to those rules.

Is Instagram better than Facebook for government campaigns?

It depends on who you need to reach. Instagram suits younger audiences and short vertical video. Facebook suits broader ages, longer updates and local community Pages. Most campaigns use both.

Do you make the video?

Yes. We write the scripts, plan every cut and deliver captioned versions for each placement. Shoots are sized to your budget.

Do Commonwealth agencies buy Instagram ads through you?

Non-corporate Commonwealth entities place all paid media through the Central Advertising System. For them we deliver strategy, creative and landing pages, and work with the master media agency on placement.

How much should we spend on Instagram ads?

We usually suggest $50 to $100 a day to start testing, then scale the creative that works. The right budget depends on audience size and the campaign objective.

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