Where can Facebook ads appear across Meta's apps?
Meta groups its ad placements into feeds; stories, status and reels; in-stream ads for reels; search results; and apps and sites. They span Facebook, Instagram, Messenger, WhatsApp, Threads and Meta Audience Network. Which ones you can use depends on your campaign objective, ad type and settings.
A placement is a specific spot where your ad can be shown, such as the Instagram feed or Facebook Reels. Meta groups placements by how people experience them, so stories on Facebook, Instagram and Messenger sit together. Meta recommends Advantage+ placements, because they let the delivery system try to make the most of your budget, but you can also pick placements manually. Some placements are still in development and may not be offered in every location yet.
What placements does Meta offer?
This list follows Meta’s own grouping in “About ad placements across Meta technologies”:
| Group | Placement | Where the ad shows |
|---|---|---|
| Feeds | Facebook feed | Desktop and mobile Facebook feed; includes the Friends tab from March 2026 |
| Feeds | Instagram feed | Instagram home feed in the app, desktop and mobile web |
| Feeds | Instagram profile feed | The feed view of public Instagram profiles of people 18 and up |
| Feeds | Threads feed | The Threads app on mobile devices |
| Feeds | Facebook Marketplace | The Marketplace homepage or while browsing Marketplace in the Facebook app |
| Feeds | Facebook right column | The right column on Facebook, for people on computers only |
| Feeds | Facebook notifications | The Facebook notifications tab |
| Feeds | Facebook Business Explore | Opens when someone taps a business post header or comments in mobile feed |
| Feeds | Instagram Explore home | A tile in the Explore grid |
| Stories, status and reels | Facebook Stories, Instagram Stories, Messenger Stories | People’s stories on each app |
| Stories, status and reels | Instagram Reels, Facebook Reels | The Reels tab on each app |
| Stories, status and reels | WhatsApp Status | WhatsApp Status |
| In-stream ads for reels | Facebook in-stream reels | Video on demand and selected approved partner live streams |
| In-stream ads for reels | Ads on Facebook Reels | Banner or video ads shown as people watch reels |
| Search | Facebook search results | Next to relevant Facebook and Marketplace search results |
| Search | Instagram search results | Results after a keyword search in the Instagram app |
| Apps and sites | Audience Network native, banner and interstitial | Apps on Audience Network |
| Apps and sites | Audience Network rewarded videos | Videos people watch in an app in exchange for a reward |
Why can’t you see every placement in Ads Manager?
Placements are limited by your ad type and settings, and not every placement is available for every ad. Meta keeps a separate article that maps which placements and formats (image, video, carousel, collection) work with each objective. A few conditions from that article:
- Facebook profile feed becomes available once you’ve consistently run ads that comply with Meta’s advertising policies.
- Instagram search results are only available if you select placements at the ad set level.
- In the carousel format, Facebook Reels, Instagram Reels and WhatsApp Status support image carousels only.
Meta also notes that interfaces such as Ads Manager may not yet offer every placement its API supports. If you exclude placements manually with the Traffic, Engagement, Leads, App promotion or Sales objective, the optional “Allow limited spend to excluded placements” setting lets up to 5% of your budget go to each excluded placement when that is likely to improve performance.
Do more placements make your ads cost more?
No. Meta states that adding more placements does not increase the cost of your ad, and that multiple placements increase the number of people who can see it and can improve results.
How do you see results by placement?
In Ads Manager, open Campaigns, Ad sets or Ads, click Breakdown and choose a placement, platform or device breakdown. The table updates to show results split that way. Meta notes these values are estimated.
FAQ
Do I need an Instagram account to run ads in Instagram placements?
No. Meta says you don’t need to set up an Instagram account for your business to select the Instagram placement. Your Facebook Page can serve as the voice of your ad on Instagram, though the placements available still depend on your objective and ad settings.
Can my ads show in live streams?
Yes. With the Facebook in-stream video placement, your ads can appear in partner live streams. Meta lets you exclude live streams from all partners in Ads Manager for specific ads or campaigns, or in brand safety controls for your whole ad account.
Does the Facebook feed placement include the Friends tab?
Yes. Meta’s placement articles note that starting in March 2026, the Facebook feed placement includes the Facebook Friends tab. Meta does not list the Friends tab as a separate placement, so an ad set that uses the Facebook feed placement covers it as part of that feed.
Sources
- About ad placements across Meta technologies (Meta, checked 2 Oct 2026)
- Available ad placements and ad formats by ad objectives in Meta Ads Manager (Meta, checked 2 Oct 2026)
- Choose ad placements in Meta Ads Manager (Meta, checked 2 Oct 2026)
- View ad results by platform, device and placement in Meta Ads Manager (Meta, checked 2 Oct 2026)
Drafted with AI and checked claim by claim against the pages linked under Sources. Found a mistake? Tell us via the corrections policy.