How to Boost a Post on Instagram: Step-by-Step Guide

Need help boosting an Instagram post? Follow our step-by-step guide to learn how to boost your latest post (with tips and tricks!)

Posted 3 years ago

Written by

Mackenzie Taylor

Posted 3 years ago

If you’re in the world of social media, you’re probably familiar with ads, promotions, and boosting posts online. As you scroll down your feed taking in photos of people’s cute dogs, food, and girls posing in front of wings painted on a brick wall, you’ve probably also noticed posts that say “sponsored” at the top. What in the world are these posts and why do they keep showing up on your feed? They’re boosted posts. When someone boost an Instagram post, they put money towards the post to make sure the most amount of people possible will see that photo.

If you’re struggling with engagement and reach, or you just need to know how to boost your Instagram post for work, you’ve come to the right place. We’ll take you through the steps on how to boost your Instagram post and what things to look for when boosting.

How do you boost a post on Instagram?

When you boost a post on Instagram (or any social media platform!), you pay the social media platform to show your post to either more of your followers, a recommended list, or a specific targeted audience you’ve chosen. After you boost your post, it will show up on the feeds of your audience as a sponsored post.

The best place to start when boosting a post on Instagram is to make sure that you have the capability to create an ad or boost in the first place. Head to your Instagram page and click on a photo. If you don’t see “Promote” under the photo, one of two things needs to be done:

You need to change your account to a Professional Account. If you need help converting your account, check out this step-by-step guide.
If you have a professional account, but still are experiencing issues, you might not be a Page Admin of the Facebook Page that is connected to your Instagram professional account. If that’s the case, contact the admin of the Facebook Page and have them add you!

Do you need a Facebook account to boost an Instagram post?

Yes, because your Instagram page must be connected to a Facebook page for you to be able to create ads. Sadly, that account you’ve wanted to delete since you were in high school must stay.

Now get your credit card ready because it’s time to boost your posts.

Pick an existing post on that you want to boost.

Once you find the post, click the “Boost Post,” “Promote” or “Create Ad” button at the bottom of the post.

Pick your goal

Now, what’s your call to action for this post? Do you want it to reach the most amount of people possible? Do you want more profile visits? Website traffic? More direct messages? Whatever the aim is for your post, make sure to choose the best option that will help you.

Choose your audience

Who are you wanting to reach? Is there a specific audience? When choosing your audience, you have the option to choose “Automatic” or “Manual.” If you choose Automatic, Instagram will target people who are similar to the followers you already have.

If you decide to create your own audience, you can name the audience so you can keep track of your different audience lists. You’ll then be asked to specify your audience. Choose the location that you want to target. What are their interests?

Example: If you own a dog grooming company in Seattle, your target audience will likely be Seattle dog lovers.

You can then select what age range and gender you want to target as well. Are you looking for people who have a higher income? You might want to select a higher age group.

Set your budget and duration

How long do you want your ad to run and how much are you willing to put towards the ad? This is where you put that information. Instagram will estimate the expected reach and clicks that your boosted post will attract once you post your Instagram ad live.

Create the promotion

Now that you’ve selected the photo, choose your audience, and set your budget and duration, it’s time to go live! Your ad will be submitted for review to make sure that it meets Instagram’s ad policies. Once it’s been reviewed and approved, you’ll receive a notification that it’s running.

Once the ad finishes running, you can review how well it did under the insights tab.

Instagram Analytics

Grow your account with best-in-class Instagram Analytics.

Now that you know how to boost your post, it might be a good time to start figuring out how to make that content you already produce into paid sponsorships from brands. Check out our tips and tricks on how to get sponsored on IG and making money on your ads instead of spending money on ads.

If you’re trying to figure out new ways to boost awareness that isn’t putting money behind an ad, be sure to learn all the tips and tricks when it comes to hashtags. With the right hashtags, you’ll be able to reach more people and have even better engagement on photos. Learn more about them here.