Meta has updated its Reminder Ad offerings on Instagram via the Marketing API, giving marketers who are creating Reminder Ads in third-party apps the same functionality previously available in Meta Ads Manager.

"Before August 19, 2024, developers could not create Instagram reminder ads that used some features available via Meta Ads Manager but not via Marketing API," the company explains in a recent blog post. "This lack of parity created unwanted friction for our partners and their customers who wanted to run reminder ads."

Meta says it has heard consistent feedback from its developer community and their clients about this "lack of parity" and have therefore introduced these new features, which include the ability to reach people on Instagram Reels placement with reminder ads, reminding people over the right time period, and adding events to ads optimizing for thruplay or reach, according to the company.

Reminder Ads, which Instagram first began testing last year, are part digital reminder and part online ad. Users who decide to opt into reminder receive three push notifications from the app informing them when a specific event is, whether it's in one day, 15 minutes, or about to begin.

Reminders are delivered using "event start time" and "date," which allows developers the option to configure the timing of reminder notifications for event subscribers through the IG API.

In addition, Meta says developers can also use the start time and date to surface relevant information on other ad types and determine when reminders are delivered.

According to the company, reminder ads are designed to help advertisers bridge the gap between promotion and launch time by "encouraging people interested to set reminders."

Now, Reminder Ads on IG can be delivered to the app's Feed, Stories, and Reels placement when created using the platform's Marketing API, theoretically allowing developers to reach people with their Reminder ads on IG Reels, which have proven to be Meta's most popular social feature since its launch.