How To Boost an Instagram Post: Top Tips for Boosting Posts

For ecommerce businesses, optimizing Instagram for growth can prove to be a major key to success. With two billion active monthly users, the content-sharing app has the potential to increase your brand awareness exponentially—and boosted posts are one of the most powerful tools at your disposal.

In contrast with organic posts, which may or may not reach non-followers, boosted posts amplify your Instagram reach, driving traffic to your organization’s Instagram account while also increasing brand awareness. Let’s take a look at how boosting an Instagram post works, as well as what can make it an accessible, affordable, and effective component of your Instagram marketing strategy.

What does it mean to boost an Instagram post?

Boosting means turning organic Instagram feed posts into ads. In a user’s home feed, these boosted posts appear with a sponsored label. Many post types are eligible, including Instagram Stories, Reels, and both static and carousel posts.

You might choose to boost an already high-performing post so that it reaches new audiences—potentially gaining you new followers in the process—or you could boost a post that you expect to be engaging content, like a promotion for a special offer or event. While you can’t make changes to an original Instagram post after you choose to boost it, you’ll still have the power to set the budget and duration of the boost. You can spend as little as $3 per day, but Meta advises a minimum daily budget of $5 for six days.

Boosted Instagram posts vs. paid ads

The biggest reason to create boosted Instagram stories or posts over using paid Instagram ads is simplicity. When you run ads using the Meta Ads Manager, you have access to advanced customization and detailed analytics across various metrics. But that Instagram strategy is more time-consuming and requires more planning.

For instance, when boosting a post, you choose among three clear-cut goals: more profile visits, more website visits, or more direct messages. Contrast this with using Ads Manager, where you have twice as many campaign objectives to choose from, with even more sub-selections based on your choice. While those can all be worthwhile additions to your marketing strategy, boosting is a more streamlined and straightforward alternative that requires less effort.

The costs for boosting Instagram stories or posts and running paid ads can be comparable. Your budget can be as little as a dollar with Ads Manager, although experts do recommend budgeting 10% to 30% of your business revenue.

How to boost an Instagram post through the app

1. Set up your Instagram business account
2. Select your post
3. Define your goal
4. Choose your target audience
5. Set the budget and duration
6. Review and submit

Boosting a post through the Instagram app can be a convenient way to manage your promotions; however, it’s costlier than using Instagram.com. This is because the Apple App Store charges a 30% service fee when you boost posts using the Instagram iOS app—a fee you’ll have to pay on top of what you’re already planning to spend on ads. That said, many people find the ease of boosting pots via their phone to be well worth the extra expense. Here’s how the process works:

1. Set up your Instagram business account

Boosting posts is only possible through an Instagram business account or creator account, but you must first establish a personal account before converting to a business one. Luckily, making the switch is easy. Just tap “Edit profile,” scroll down until you see “Switch to a professional account,” and then follow the prompts. After setting up an Instagram business account, you’ll be able to track Instagram insights and access creator and business tools beyond boosting posts through your professional dashboard.

2. Select your post

Head to your profile and tap the post you want to boost—one you believe is likely to garner a high engagement rate. For example, you might boost a post spotlighting a limited-edition offer or an upcoming event. Also, Meta advises choosing posts with images smaller than eight megabytes. Once you’ve made your selection, tap the blue “Boost post” button below the post’s image. With posts and Reels, you’ll see this button above the caption; with Instagram Stories, you’ll see it at the bottom.

3. Define your goal

Next, Instagram will prompt you to choose one of three goals: more profile visits, more website visits, or more direct messages. Choose the action you want Instagram users to take after seeing your boosted post. Having a well-defined Instagram marketing strategy in place will help clarify this choice. For instance, if you want to heighten brand awareness, your goal will be to increase profile views. If you want to boost sales of your product or services, you’ll want more website views. And if you want to increase customers’ trust in your brand, your goal will be to receive more direct messages.

4. Choose your target audience

In this step, your choice determines the Instagram feeds in which your boosted post will appear. Instagram provides two options when it comes to choosing your audience, which it calls automatic or custom. Selecting automatic means the Instagram algorithm will curate your audience based on your existing followers and those who have engaged with your content in the past. If you’d prefer to instead tailor your target audience manually, choose Custom to specifically select the demographics you’re chasing, such as the users’ locations, ages, and interests.

5. Set the budget and duration

Here’s where you decide on your daily budget and how long you want to boost the post. Meta advises starting with at least $5 and a duration of six days. As you adjust your settings, you’ll be able to see the projected spend and reach. Choose whether you want to run the ad until you pause it, or set it for a specific range of time.

6. Review and submit

Your next screen will provide a summary of your details. If everything looks good, tap “Boost post” to submit. Then you’ll just need to wait for Instagram to review the post to ensure it adheres to the platform’s ad policies. A typical wait time is 24 hours.

How to boost an Instagram post through Meta Business Suite

If you want to avoid paying the 30% service fee the Apple App Store charges each time you boost through the mobile Instagram app, you can always boost an Instagram post using Meta Business Suite on a desktop instead. Here’s how:

1. Set up a Facebook business account. To use Meta Business Suite, you’ll first need a Facebook business account. You can do this from your personal account through the menu on the left side of your profile. Click Pages, then “Create new page.”

2. Access your posts. Access Meta Business Suite through facebook.business.com, and then click the Content section on the left-hand menu. There, you will find all your Instagram and Facebook posts.

3. Boost your post. Next to qualified posts, you’ll see the “Boost post” button. You’ll then receive a prompt to enter details like the above.

4. Define your goal. Choose from more profile visits, more website visits, or more direct messages.

5. Choose your audience. Decide whether you want Instagram to choose your audience or customize your target audience based on demographics.

6. Set budget and duration. Specify how much money you want to spend and for how long you want to boost the post.

7. Review and submit. Click “Boost post” and wait for approval.

Tips for boosting an Instagram post

You can do a few more things to ensure a boosted post is successful. These tips could mean the difference between a minimal increase and a more dramatic spike in engagement and performance:

• Choose high-performing content. Use what is already working. The Instagram content that sparks your immediate audience’s interest will likely engage other similar followers.

• Utilize hashtags. Effectively using hashtags assists the Instagram algorithm in reaching the right audience. Perform hashtag research beforehand to optimize this strategy.

• Perform tests. Try creating content that’s similar to your best-performing posts, but change up the details, like your captions or target audience, before boosting both of them. Note which one your audience prefers. Explore different demographics or adjust your budget to learn which settings achieve the best outcome. Apply your results to future boosted ads.