Stop Boosting Posts — Here's What to Do Instead

Boosting posts is Instagram’s way of letting you light your money on fire in exchange for a few dopamine hits. You get likes. Maybe a few hearts. Your mom drops a comment. But it doesn’t drive sales...

Boosting is a feel-good tactic. It’s the fast food of digital marketing: cheap, easy, and ultimately unsatisfying. You might get some "engagement," but you're not building a funnel, collecting leads, or converting customers.

If you’re serious about using Meta (or any platform) to grow your business, then stop pressing that shiny blue button. Open up Ads Manager and build a campaign like you mean it.

Here’s what to do instead:

1. Define a clear goal. Do you want leads? Website traffic? Conversions? Engagement with intent? Know exactly what you're optimizing for before you even touch the ad setup.

2. Choose the right campaign objective. Meta gives you several options: traffic, conversions, lead generation, video views, and more. Choose based on your actual business goal — not what makes your reach number look impressive.

3. Build real audiences. Use data. Create lookalike audiences from previous customers or email subscribers. Set up retargeting for people who visited your website or engaged with your content. Stop throwing ads at "people who like coffee" and hoping for the best.

4. Craft a proper funnel. Don't ask for marriage on the first date. Warm up cold leads with value content, retarget them with offers, and close with a strong CTA. Build trust before asking for money.

5. Use strong creative. Your visuals and copy should stop the scroll and make people say, "Damn, that speaks to me." Whether it's video, bold graphics, or a spicy headline — make it count.

6. Write real copy. Not fluff. Speak to your audience's pain points. Be clear about what you’re offering. End with a direct CTA: sign up, buy now, learn more, book a call — pick one and own it.

7. Set a budget that makes sense. Don’t expect world domination with $5 a day. But don’t overspend without a plan either. Start with a test budget and scale what works.

8. Measure and adjust. Track your cost per lead, click-through rate, conversions. Know your numbers. If something flops, tweak it. Don’t just throw your hands up and blame Meta.

Boosting posts is what people do when they don’t understand strategy. You’re better than that. Run real ads, with real intent, and watch your results change.