Step 1 of 3 in Level 4: Run it as an ad

How to boost an Instagram post

Boost a live Instagram post from Blackbox: the post itself runs as the ad and keeps its likes and comments. Pick a goal and budget, then start it.

About 3 minutes 6 steps Updated

Short answer

To boost an Instagram post with Blackbox (blackbox.plus), the post has to be live on Instagram, posted from Studio, and the brand needs a Meta ad account connected. Open the post, go to step 3, Post, and click Boost this post in the Paid card. The review shows the post and caption exactly as they are on Instagram, because the post itself runs as the ad and keeps its likes and comments. Pick a goal: Get likes and comments, the default, or Be seen by more people. There is no website or sales goal, since a boosted post has no button. Check who it reaches, the account it runs as and the ad account, then enter an amount a day and a number of days. Click Create the boost (paused); nothing spends until you click Start the boost, and Meta reviews it first, usually within a day. To send people to your website instead, use Make a new ad from it instead.

Before you start

A post live on Instagram, posted from Studio

Published to an Instagram account from Blackbox. See How to schedule Instagram posts.

Meta Ads connected

An ad account for the same brand. See Connect your Meta ad account to Blackbox.

How to boost an Instagram post in Blackbox

  1. 01

    Open the Paid card

    Open the post from the Library tab in Studio and go to step 3, Post. Once the post is live on Instagram, the Paid card says Keeps its likes and comments — people see the post itself as the ad. If the post is doing better than your usual ones, it also says Blackbox suggests boosting this — it’s doing better than your usual posts. Click Boost this post.

  2. 02

    Check the post

    Boost this post opens with the post and caption as they are on Instagram. They can’t be changed here, because the boost is the post itself; See the post opens it on Instagram. If the post went to more than one Instagram account, pick the one to boost under Which post — the boost keeps that copy’s likes and comments.

  3. 03

    Pick the goal and who sees it

    Goal is Get likes and comments by default; pick Be seen by more people to reach as many people as possible. Under Who, click Edit audience to adjust it; it stays inside your country, and Meta may widen it to people likely to respond.

  4. 04

    Check the account

    Runs as shows the Instagram account that posted it, and can’t be changed — a boost always runs from the post’s own account. Under Ad account, pick one if the brand has more than one.

  5. 05

    Choose how much, for how long

    Under How much, for how long, enter an amount a day, in your ad account’s currency, and a number of Days, from 1 to 90. The line underneath shows the most it can spend in total. If the amount is below Meta’s daily minimum, it says so.

  6. 06

    Create it, then start it

    Click Create the boost (paused). When it says The boost is made and paused. Nothing is spending yet., click Start the boost. It then says Your boost is running. Meta reviews it first, usually within a day., and See it on Meta opens it in Meta. Back on the post, the Paid card says Boosted on Meta, with Boost again.

Good to know

  • Create the boost (paused) makes the campaign, ad set and ad in one go, all paused. Only Start the boost spends.
  • If you close the review before starting, the Paid card says Boost made and paused — nothing is spending yet. Click Review and start it to finish.
  • Want different words, a button or a link to your website? Click Make a new ad from it instead — it opens the new-ad review. See Turn an Instagram post into a Meta ad.
  • When the Inbox suggests boosting a Studio post, the card has Open the post; once you boost it from the post, the card says Done — this post was boosted.
  • A boosted post stops counting as organic, so its paid results are not mixed into how your posts are doing.

Questions people ask

Should I boost the post or make a new ad from it?
Boost when the post is already doing well and you want more of that: it keeps its likes and comments, which helps it look trusted. Make a new ad from it when you want website visits, orders or sign-ups, different words, or a post that is not published yet — a new ad has a button and a link, but starts with no likes or comments.
Does it spend straight away?
No. Create the boost (paused) makes it with nothing spending. Money is only spent after you click Start the boost, up to the amount a day you set, for the days you set.
Why is there no goal for website visits or sales?
A boosted post shows as it is on Instagram, with no button, so there is nothing to click through to. It can bring likes, comments and reach. For visits or orders, use Make a new ad from it instead.
Can I boost a TikTok post?
Yes, a video post that is live on TikTok, when TikTok Ads is connected: the Paid card shows Boost this post, and the boost aims at more people watching it. If no TikTok account on your ad account owns the video, Blackbox asks for the video's ad authorisation code from the TikTok app. Photo posts can't be boosted from Blackbox yet; use Launch as ad to make a new ad from them instead.
Can I boost a post I didn’t make in Blackbox?
Not from a post page — Boost this post is for posts sent from Studio. But the Inbox looks at every post on your connected Instagram account, and when one does much better than your usual it may suggest boosting it with a Boost on Instagram card, where you set the amount a day and the days and approve it.
How do I stop the boost?
It stops on its own after the days you set. To stop it sooner, open it with See it on Meta and pause it in Meta Ads Manager.

Stuck at any step? Send us a message and we'll do it with you on a call. All of Level 4: Run it as an ad