Instagram’s Unskippable ‘Ad Breaks’: Revolutionising Engagement or Alienating Users?

Instagram Ad Breaks: Game-Changer or User Turn-Off?

Everyone is buzzing about it, but not all the chatter is positive.

Instagram is currently testing YouTube-style unskippable ads, known on the platform as ‘Ad Breaks.’ These ads will halt users’ scrolling for a set period, reportedly around 8 seconds—which, in social media terms, is quite substantial—before they can continue scrolling.

In a statement to TechCrunch, Instagram confirmed it is testing this new format ahead of a potential wider rollout. “We’re always testing formats that can drive value for advertisers,” a Meta spokesperson said.

The response on Reddit has been overwhelmingly negative. But what does this mean for advertisers?

Ad Break's impact on your advertising strategy

There’s a good chance this could impact your ad spend negatively.

We know from YouTube (2022) that while unskippable ads drive volume, they often lack quality in terms of engagement. You'll certainly get more eyes on your ads, but are you reaching and engaging with the right users within your target audience?

YouTube offers both skippable and unskippable options. From experience, skippable ads generate higher-quality engagement and traffic from genuinely interested consumers, whereas unskippable ads drive a higher volume of lower-quality views and traffic.

The jury is still out on Insta's Ad Breaks

The jury is still out from an advertiser perspective on Instagram's ‘Ad Breaks.’ From a user perspective, the initial feedback has been overwhelmingly negative. Instagram will make an official announcement if this test leads to a major platform change.

So, it looks like we’ll have to wait and see what happens in the coming days and weeks.

What are your thoughts if Instagram rolls this out globally?

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