Instagram is a place where people and businesses share their everyday and epic moments. And with the launch of Instagram Stories last August, businesses are bringing their stories to life in another, more ephemeral way.

In the five months since it was launched, Stories has grown considerably. Now, more than 150 million Instagrammers use it daily. And Stories is contributing to more content and engagement. In fact, one in five stories on Instagram gets a direct message from its viewers. And when it comes to stories from businesses, people are highly engaged. People and businesses have been discovering each other since the beginning, with 70% of Instagrammers following a business, so it's no surprise that one third of the most viewed stories are from businesses.¹

The momentum for stories from businesses is clear, so today we're unveiling tools that inform ephemeral interaction between people and businesses: stories insights in Business Tools, and full-screen adverts in stories.

In the coming weeks, Instagram Business Tools will now include insights on stories. Businesses that have converted to a business profile will be able to see the reach, impressions, replies and exits for each individual story within Business Tools. By viewing these insights, you can learn how to create more relevant content that resonates with your audience.

In addition to viewing insights, you'll soon be able to run immersive, full-screen adverts in stories. Adverts in stories will let you use targeting, reach and measurement capabilities that make your adverts personally relevant to the people you want to reach, which is unmatched in a stories experience today.

To unveil this first-ever, full-screen advert to Instagram Stories and make the most impact for businesses and Instagrammers alike, we'll be testing it with more than 30 clients around the world, including Capital One, Buick, Maybelline New York, Nike, Yoox, Netflix and Qantas.

Global leader in accommodation Airbnb is using Instagram Stories to help build awareness and buzz around its largest product launch to date: Trips on Airbnb. Through a series of 15-second videos, Airbnb highlights the ability to access unique experiences by connecting travellers with local experts who share the same interests, from art collectors to avid hikers. Using broad (25-44) targeting of men and women in the US, Airbnb is gaining awareness of its new product by using Instagram's new immersive, sound-on storytelling format. Airbnb is excited to tap into interest targeting for future campaigns to drive its message home amongst its most relevant users.

Instagram Stories will be rolled out globally with the Reach objective and to all interfaces in the coming weeks. From there, we'll help you meet even more of your business objectives with direct response options available in the coming months.

Already, brands such as Mulberry UK are seeing people swipe up within its story to learn more and take an action.

The launch of this advert format, with its sophisticated back-end-to-target, measurement and report performance, is unmatched in a stories experience today. While we're just getting started with adverts in stories, we're excited about launching even more ways to help you achieve your business needs in the future.