If you’ve ever hit the “Boost Post” button on Facebook or Instagram, thinking you were running an ad campaign, you’re not alone. Many business owners and marketers fall into this trap, believing that boosting posts is the easiest way to reach more people and generate sales. But here’s the truth: boosting posts and running strategic ads are not the same.
While boosting a post might seem like a simple way to get more engagement, it lacks the depth and precision of a proper advertising strategy. In this blog post, we’ll break down the key differences between boosting posts and running ads and why relying on boosting alone could be wasting your money.
What is Boosting a Post?
Boosting a post is when you take an existing post on your social media page and pay to have it shown to more people. It’s a quick and easy way to increase reach, likes, shares, and comments.
When you boost a post, Facebook gives you limited options:
✅ Basic audience targeting (location, age, interests)
✅ Budget and duration settings
✅ Goal selection (engagement, messages, or website visits)
Sounds simple, right? But that’s also the problem. Boosting is a simplified version of advertising with very limited control.
What is Running Ads?
Running ads using Facebook Ads Manager is a more advanced, strategic way to advertise. Unlike boosting, running proper ads allows you to:
🎯 Target the Right Audience – With detailed targeting options (custom audiences, lookalikes, behaviors, and more).
📊 Choose Your Campaign Objective – Whether you want leads, sales, website visits, video views, or conversions.
📈 A/B Test Your Ads – Test different headlines, creatives, and audiences to find what works best.
💰 Optimize for Conversions – Ads Manager lets you optimize for actual sales, leads, and actions—not just engagement.
📉 Track & Analyze Performance – Get deeper insights into ad performance to maximize ROI.
Simply put, ads allow you to control every aspect of your campaign, ensuring your money is spent wisely.
Why Boosting Posts is NOT a Smart Strategy
- Limited Targeting: Boosting only gives you basic audience selection, while Ads Manager lets you target high-intent buyers.
2. No Conversion Tracking: When you boost a post, you’re paying for reach and engagement, not necessarily sales. Ads Manager allows you to track clicks, purchases, and leads.
3. No Optimization for Sales: Facebook’s algorithm prioritizes engagement (likes/comments) for boosted posts, not actions that drive revenue.
4. Wasted Ad Spend: Without testing, tracking, and optimizing, you could be throwing money at audiences that won’t convert.
5. No Retargeting: Boosting doesn’t allow you to retarget people who’ve visited your website, interacted with past ads, or abandoned their carts. Ads Manager does.
So, When Should You Boost a Post?
While boosting isn’t ideal for driving sales, there are a few cases where it can be useful:
✔️ If you want to quickly increase engagement on an important post.
✔️ If you need to grow brand awareness and reach more people.
✔️ If you’re testing content to see which posts perform best before turning them into full ads.
However, if your goal is to generate leads, sales, or build an automated marketing funnel, you must use Ads Manager instead.
How to Start Running Proper Ads (Instead of Boosting!)
If you’re serious about scaling your business, it’s time to stop wasting money on boosting and start running proper ad campaigns. Here’s how to do it:
✅ Use Facebook Ads Manager – Set up a campaign with a clear objective (e.g., leads, sales, conversions).
✅ Target the Right People – Use detailed audience targeting, including lookalikes and retargeting.
✅ Optimize for Sales, Not Likes – Focus on conversions, not just engagement.
✅ Test and Improve – Run A/B tests to see what messaging and creatives work best.
✅ Retarget Warm Leads – Use custom audiences to bring back people who’ve already interacted with your brand.
If you’ve been hitting “Boost Post” and wondering why your business isn’t growing, now you know why. Boosting is just a temporary engagement boost, it won’t bring consistent leads or sales.
If you want to build a profitable business with Facebook and Instagram ads, you need to run strategic ad campaigns inside Ads Manager.
Ready to stop wasting money and start running ads that actually convert? 🚀 Let us help you set up a high-converting sales funnel and ad strategy. Get in touch today.
