Facebook Boosted Post vs Ad: How to Choose the Right Option?

If you’ve ever run a Facebook promotion, chances are you’ve hit the “Boost” button without really thinking about what it does. It seems simple enough — just boost your post and watch the engagement grow, right? And there’s no need to go through multiple steps in the Ads Manager. 

But is boosting a post really the same as running a Facebook ad?

The truth is, many businesses using Facebook marketing don’t realize the differences between the two, and it can lead to confusion over what’s going to work best for their goals. 

In this article, we’ll break it down for you and explain the key differences between Facebook boosted posts and ads, and when you should choose one over the other.

By the end, you’ll understand which option suits your business needs and how to make the most of both. 

What is a boosted post on Facebook?

A boosted post on Facebook is just a regular post from your Facebook or Instagram Page that you pay to promote.

When you boost it, Facebook will show that post to more people outside your followers based on basic targeting like location, interests, or age. It looks almost the same as your original post in the feed, but with a “Sponsored” label. 

You might see a "Boost" button under some of your posts if they're eligible for boosting

So, how do boosted posts work on Facebook? It’s a pretty simple setup. You choose several basic settings:

• Your goal: it can be website clicks, page engagement, getting more messages, and so on. 
• Text: you can keep the original text from your post or add a few variations. Meta will test the different versions to see which one performs better.
• Schedule and duration: choose when your boosted post starts and ends, or let it run continuously until your budget is spent. 
• Your budget: decide how much you want to spend over the course of your campaign. 
• Audience: go with Meta’s suggested audience or build your own based on traits like age, location, and interests.
• Placements: pick where you want your boosted post to appear.

That’s it — no need to dive into Facebook Ads Manager or build a full-blown ad campaign. But since you’re paying to boost your post, it will be treated similarly to an ad by Facebook: you’ll receive a bill for it and will be able to track its results in Ads Manager. 

Here’s an example: let’s say you’ve shared an organic post – a carousel or a video showing your products in an aesthetic setting. 

Boosting this post can help you reach people interested in products like yours, even if they don’t follow your page yet. It’s a quick way to get more eyes on the products and bring in potential customers. 

This can be useful for small businesses, bigger brands, content creators, and practically everyone who posts organic content on Facebook. 

At the end of the day, boosted posts are all about keeping it simple. In this case, Meta’s algorithms will focus on delivering your visibility, not necessarily ROI.

What is an ad on Facebook? 

A Facebook ad is something you build from scratch inside Meta Ads Manager. Instead of boosting a post you’ve already shared, you start fresh, with more control from the very beginning.

In contrast with boosted posts, here’s what you can get with a regular Facebook ad campaign: 

• More available placements – you can select all kinds of placements like Facebook Feed, Messenger, Instagram and Facebook Stories and Reels, Facebook Instant Articles, Meta Audience Network, and others. 
• More campaign goals – it’s not just engagement or traffic, but also sales, leads, video views, app installs, etc.
• More targeting options – you can use custom and lookalike audiences, set more targeting parameters, and even use tools like Advantage+ creative to automatically show the best-performing version of your ad to each person.
• More creative options – want to run a carousel ad or test a few versions of your copy? You can do that here. You can also schedule ads to run at the best times for your audience.

For example, if you want to drive more sales, you can create an ad campaign that’s built exactly for that in your Ads Manager. With it, you can target past visitors from your website, test different creatives, and track what’s working.

Basically, Facebook ads are made for businesses that want to do more than just get seen (which is what boosted posts are good for).  If you're ready to test, scale,  and grow, Facebook Ads Manager gives you the tools to make it happen.

And if you're new to running campaigns from Ads Manager, here’s a guide on how to create Facebook ads to help you get started.

Facebook boosted post vs. Ad: what to choose? 

Now you know what a Facebook boosted post and a Facebook ad are. But which one should you choose? 

Facebook boosted post vs. Facebook ad: key differences

While both options can help expand your reach, they are built for different objectives and levels of control. Let’s break down when to use each one based on their differences and what you want to achieve.

When to use Facebook boosted posts 

Boosted posts are easy to set up and are great for getting more eyes on your content quickly. They're ideal when you want more visibility or engagement without spending too much time setting up a campaign.

You might use a boosted post when:

• You want to reach more people fast: boosting a post can help you show it to a larger audience in just a few steps.
• You want more likes, shares, or comments: boosted posts are great if your goal is to get people to interact with your content.
• You’re promoting something time-sensitive: have a flash sale, event, or announcement? Boosting helps you get the word out quickly.
• You want to get more life out of a strong organic post: if a post is already performing well, a boost can help it go even further.

Verdict: boosted posts don’t offer as much control as full-on Facebook ads, but they’re a solid way to get your message in front of more people, especially if you’re focused on building awareness or getting early engagement. 

When to use Facebook ads

Facebook ads give you way more control than boosted posts. You can choose a more precise audience, tweak your creative, pick exactly where your ads show up, and track performance in detail. They’re a better fit for campaigns focused on driving results: getting leads, sales, or sign-ups.

Here’s when to use Facebook ads:

• You want to collect leads: Ads Manager lets you run lead ads and sync them with your CRM or email tools.
• You want to retarget visitors: if someone checked out your website or added something to their cart, you can follow up with tailored retargeting ads.
• You’re focused on outcomes: whether it’s purchases, app installs, or newsletter sign-ups, Ads Manager helps you measure and optimize every step.
• You want to test what works: you can run A/B tests to compare different ad versions and find the top performer.
• You want better targeting: with Ads Manager, you can build custom audiences, lookalikes, or go deep with advanced targeting that boosted posts don’t support.

Verdict: if your goal is to get people to take action, Facebook Ads Manager gives you the tools to do it right through ad campaigns. 

Want a broader look at why Facebook and Meta ads are worth it? Check out the key benefits of Meta advertising.

When to use boosted posts and Facebook ads together 

Besides choosing either one of these options, you can also decide to use them together. 

Why? Because using both tools strategically lets you cover both reach and results, covering different stages in a full-funnel approach. 

Here are a few examples. 

If you’re running an e-commerce or direct-to-consumer business, you might boost a product launch or lifestyle post to build excitement. Then, use Facebook ads to retarget people who engaged with your post with dynamic product ads or time-sensitive offers. It’s especially useful during a seasonal promotion or when launching something new.

For local businesses (restaurants, gyms, etc.), boosted posts are great for promoting events or reviews to people nearby. Next, you can follow up with Facebook ads to drive bookings, offer deals, or encourage visits. The boosted post builds awareness, and the ad drives the action.

If you have a B2B or service business, you can boost a helpful post (e.g., a guide, checklist, or case study) to build credibility, then run Facebook ads to promote a lead magnet and retarget people who interacted. This helps you warm people up before asking for their email or a call.

Other types of businesses can benefit as well. You can use boosted posts to build an emotional connection through storytelling or user-generated content and then rely on Facebook ads to hit specific performance goals.

Bottom line? When you combine the two, you can guide people from first impression to conversion.

How to boost posts on Facebook 

If you’ve decided to boost your posts on Facebook, you can do it right from your Page in just a few steps.

However, before you start, you’ll need to check some boxes: 

• You have a Facebook business Page.
• The post you want to boost is eligible (look for the Boost post button under it). If you see that it isn’t, check why the Boost is unavailable and read what to do instead. 
• You have the right Page role. Admins, editors, moderators, and advertisers can boost posts.
• You’re not using an account with restrictions, such as a Meta subscription that removes ads.

If you see that everything’s fine, you’re ready to boost your post. Here’s what you need to do next: 

1. Go to your Page and find the post you want to boost.

Look for the blue Boost post button under the post. If the button isn’t there, the post might not be eligible.

2. Choose your goal.

Decide what you want to achieve — more engagement, website visits, messages, etc. You can either let Facebook pick the most relevant goal or select one manually.

3. Set up your action button (optional).

Add a button like Learn More, Shop Now, or Send Message, depending on your goal. You can link it to a website, Messenger, or another destination.

4. Define your audience.

You can target people by location, interests, age, gender, and more. You can use Facebook’s recommended audience or create your own from scratch.

5. Set your budget and duration.

Choose how much you want to spend and how long you want the boost to run. Facebook will estimate how many people you’ll reach based on your settings.

6. Choose where the ad will appear.

You can run the boosted post on Facebook, Instagram, or both. Make sure your Instagram account is connected to your Page if you want it to appear there.

7. Review your payment method.

Confirm your payment method or add a new one if needed.

8. Publish your boost.

Once everything looks good, hit the Boost post. Your post will go through a quick review, then start reaching people beyond your followers.

Once you’ve boosted your post, you can start tracking its results from your Facebook Page: just find the Ad Centre on the left menu and select View results next to the active boosted post. You’ll see metrics based on the goal you chose: post engagement, reach, clicks, or messages.

After your boosted post goes live, you can edit some of its settings in the Ad Centre. Find your post there and click More options  ->  Edit ad. You can change your audience, budget, end date, and payment method. 

But when it comes to creatives (text, image, or video), you won’t be able to change them once the post is boosted. If you want to update those, create a new post and boost that version instead.

Note for Apple users: if you boost posts through the Facebook iOS app, Apple may charge a 30% service fee on your total payment. 

To avoid this fee, boost your posts using a desktop or mobile browser instead. You can also boost posts through Meta Business Suite or Meta Ads Manager on desktop or via their apps, which won’t trigger the Apple fee. Another option is to add prepaid funds to your ad account on facebook.com, then use those funds to boost from the iOS app without the fee.

Facebook boosted post tips: how to do it right

Boosting a Facebook post sounds simple, but if you want more than just a few extra likes, you’ve got to be strategic.

Here's how to make sure your boosted posts deliver actual results: 

1. Know what you want to achieve

Before you boost anything, get clear on why you're boosting it. Are you trying to get more engagement? Drive website traffic? Generate leads? 

Your goal should shape everything, from the content you want to boost to how you measure success. Track KPIs like reach, clicks, engagement, etc., depending on your objective.

2. Pick the right post to boost

Don’t waste budget on average content. Boost posts that are already getting strong organic engagement — high likes, shares, or comments. These posts are proven winners, and boosting them can help you drive even more social proof. 

Pro tip: videos usually perform best for engagement. Images or carousels are better when your goal is traffic or conversions.

3. Try more precise targeting 

Avoid the temptation to reach everyone with your boosted posts. It might feel good to get more eyes on your best content, but a narrow, well-defined audience is likely to convert better. 

Better yet, use what you already know. Where do your customers live? What are their hobbies? Who buys from you? If you know these characteristics, start there.

4. Boost posts for a specific timeframe

Keep your boosted posts for a short timeframe. Running a boost for more than a week can lead to ad fatigue: your audience will see the same post over and over, and will eventually stop caring. What’s worse, they might find it annoying. 

Instead, give Facebook time to optimize your ad (about 3-7 days), and then reassess. For evergreen content, you can extend the timeline a bit, but always monitor performance closely.

5. Don’t set it and forget it

You’re not done once the post is boosted. Check your results often, and if something’s underperforming, pause it, tweak your audience or other settings, or test a new post.

Also, don’t forget to see what your competitors are doing, i.e., what they’re posting and how their audience responds. If some of their posts get a lot more engagement than others, they were probably boosted at some point. You can analyze these posts to understand why they were boosted and draw some conclusions. 

This can help you learn what works in your niche so you can do it better. Look at post types, tone, visuals, and engagement levels to guide your content strategy.

Conclusion

So, should you hit "Boost" on your posts, or dive into Ads Manager and create an ad campaign? It depends on what you're after.

If you’re looking to get more views and engagement on a great post or you want to quickly spread the word about a sale, event, or product launch, boosted posts are quick, easy, and effective. 

But if you’re aiming for specific results (sales, leads, sign-ups) and want full control over your targeting and creative, it’s worth spending the extra time in Facebook Ads Manager. That’s where you can get more tangible results. 

If you’re trying to achieve multiple objectives at the same time, try using both. Boosted posts can help you start the conversation, and Facebook ads will keep it going and guide people toward taking action.

At the end of the day, it’s not about choosing one over the other — it’s about using each one for what it’s good at. Play to their strengths, and you’ll get way more out of your Facebook marketing.