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Boosting posts on Instagram might feel like a quick win, but it’s actually one of the easiest ways to waste your money—especially if you’re using an iPhone.
We break down why the boost button isn’t your friend, what Instagram’s algorithm is really doing, and better strategies for reaching your audience through Meta Ads Manager.
Learn how to run smarter campaigns that actually grow your list, attract quality leads, and convert them into paying customers.
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Kwadwo [QUĀY.jo] Sampany-Kessie’s Links:
- Get 1:1 Meta Ads Coaching from Kwadwo!
- Say hi to Kwadwo on Instagram
- Subscribe to The Art of Online Business’s YouTube Channel
Jamie Sampany-Kessie’s Links:
- Say hi to Jamie on Instagram
Speaker 1:
I don’t know why people still do this, and even I’ve had current ad clients do this. Stop, please. It’s wasting money and you don’t want to make this mistake. What am I talking about? It’s boosting your post on Instagram Because I know listeners right now have had the thought that it’ll bring in new leads and sales, so I’m going to try it when Instagram tempts me with that message. Your post is reaching more people than normal. Hit this blue button and we can reach even more.
Speaker 2:
Oh geez, that’s so true. Today, we are going to uncover why boosting posts is a poor strategy, especially if you’re an iPhone user, and what should you be doing instead to actually grow your business with Facebook and Instagram ads?
Speaker 1:
Oh, oh man, our notes don’t go in this order, but I feel like I should just say if you are team iPhone, do not boost a post, because Instagram charges you 30% more extra for not a thing. Yeah, not a thing. You’re just lining their pockets. Just a little in-app purchase. And okay, now we’ll go back to our predetermined podcast notes. And okay, now, now, now we’ll go back to our predetermined podcast notes. Why people boost? Why do they boost?
Speaker 2:
Okay. So we as Facebook ads managers, we still get current clients who are paying us to manage their ads, who still ask us like, oh, should I boost this post? And we’re like, no, you’re already paying for ad manager, or just get an email.
Speaker 1:
Yeah like I tried to boost this post but it like didn’t quite work. So could you, you know, do this for me from inside of Ad Manager, like with Ad Manager targeting, and I’m like well yeah, that’s what we’re doing here, right. Okay, so we’re going to talk a bit about like, why, like, how using targeting inside of Meta Ad Manager is way better.
Speaker 2:
But you know I?
Speaker 1:
It’s like press one button and it works.
Speaker 2:
Right. It feels like this quick win, like oh, it’s going to get out to more people, it’s that one-click solution. It seems harmless.
Speaker 1:
But here’s what actually happens when someone boosts a post, like when you not you, because you listen to the Art of Online Business podcast with Jamie and Kwejo, but it focuses on engagement on the post. It looks for people who would watch the post and like the post, and that’s the equivalent to get a bit technical of an objective inside of Meta Ad Manager. That’s called the traffic objective. This objective is just to get traffic and eyeballs. It’s not actually an objective that’s designed to convert leads or sales and that’s what’s happening. So there’s no strategy there. And also, when we think about more strategy here, it’s like not just are you using the equivalent of the wrong objective inside of Facebook ads, but, like Jamie, is there targeting even?
Speaker 2:
Boosting. It’s not gonna give you the precision that you need to find people who are actually going to convert right.
Speaker 1:
So it’s like, at best it’s ineffective.
Speaker 2:
At worst it’s just wasting your money. Well, like, the targeting is ineffective, at worst is just wasting your money.
Speaker 1:
Well, the targeting options inside of Instagram when you boost a post are very limited. I did boost a post. I did boost lots of posts. I spent over like five, seven thousand dollars boosting posts in China yeah, back when I had the elementary Chinese teaching business and you know what it got me famous. Yeah, but didn’t line our pockets.
Speaker 2:
No, it did not. No, unfortunately.
Speaker 1:
If only, like every Instagram follower, ended up doing business with you. Don’t make that mistake, please, please, please, please. Also think about how is the post you’re boosting even connected to an offer? It’s not like Instagram is thinking on behalf of you or them?
Speaker 1:
Here, get on camera with me. It’s just not so like if I’m boosting a post and that post goes quote unquote, viral or it gets lots of likes and shares, but like, is that post even hooked up to mini chat with, like, a comment response, get a DM sort of functionality to where somebody gets a lead magnet or there’s a low ticket offer? Because if it’s not, then we’re just kind of hoping for more likes and hoping that they’ll get changed into or converted into sales.
Speaker 2:
Okay, so I have a question then. So what if someone is not running ads and they want to get in front of more people? Mm-hmm and they see that magical little boost this post button. Like what? What should someone do? Because we’re telling you please do not boost post. But what if they’re like? Well, but I’m not running ads right now, what do they do?
Speaker 1:
Okay, here’s the deal. If you want to boost post in that situation, I’m going to give you my bank account number and the promise is that you can send me the money instead and me from Mexico, I will make a sign with your business name on it and I will go in the streets of mexico and tell people to go find your business. That’s, that’s how little I believe in this on you, the listener. That’s just, I’m trying to drive home a point there. You know, like you might as well go buy an extra golden retriever and to start burning money on its puppy chow. All right, like, don’t post anymore there. That’s Instagrammable, all right, okay, so now we’re going to go.
Speaker 1:
This episode is sponsored by my course, the ad testing cheat code, and we’re not talking about testing as here, but, like you deserve to like, chop your lead cost in half and I’ve talked about it on this podcast and when I guest up here on other podcasts how to do that and in this course it’s exactly how to do that with your ads just through testing. It’s called my Olympic gold medal testing framework and you can learn it from me and then see me do it in client accounts and for a limited time that’s discounted to $1.
Speaker 1:
So, yeah, I mean, I want you to go do it Like I want people to go do it.
Speaker 2:
Yeah, yeah, he really does, I really do. He wouldn’t be offering it for just one time. Maybe I didn’t run that past my wife, but it’s okay as long as you go use it. That’s the thing.
Speaker 1:
And people are like don’t sell something for a dollar. And I’m like I don’t care. If somebody goes and uses it, then it’s another person that I’ve helped.
Speaker 2:
All right.
Speaker 1:
Next I’m a little saucy today, you are.
Speaker 2:
I know it’s Friday.
Speaker 1:
We’re like Friday.
Speaker 2:
It’s because boosting posts like it just it does get us fired up as a manager.
Speaker 1:
Why Okay?
Speaker 2:
so tell us what are some better alternatives to boosting?
Speaker 1:
Okay, I mentioned. If you have mini chat, comment to DM automation.
Speaker 2:
Yes.
Speaker 1:
Hooked up to an Instagram post. That would be a better way than boosting what am I trying to say? No, let me say it the right way. If you were to not listen to me at all and still boost a post and you were confident that I couldn’t come find you, then you would want to make sure that the post was very specific. You then you would want to make sure that the post was very specific, likely made for a lead magnet, right, and you would want to have mini chat hooked up to that post, such that when you deliver the content in a carousel or like a direct talking to camera sort of video, and gave a specific call to action to comment whatever word so that somebody could be DM’d a link, then maybe you could boost that post. If you were like super, not wanting to do the right thing, and hop into Meta Ad Manager and just go through some simple step Well, kind of simple steps Meta Ad Manager actually can be a minefield but it is yeah.
Speaker 1:
Maybe under those circumstances I might pardon you if I discovered that you were boosting a post.
Speaker 2:
Maybe we have to partner with that. Is it like Joe Monkey? What’s that guy that finds people?
Speaker 1:
Oh yeah, he’s the guy who you can just take a video of yourself anywhere in the world and like kind of spin around and like he will. He will locate you on the map. Like by looking up images, by hunting, looking through all the clues, like you can find out where you are located, like down to the block. It’s pretty cool.
Speaker 2:
That would be fun if someone would be like oh Quajo, I boosted a post, come find me, come find me. No, but really this is your hard-earned money.
Speaker 1:
I don’t want you spending your hard-earned money in a way that’s not going to get return for your business Like this, is people’s life at stake.
Speaker 2:
Yeah exactly.
Speaker 1:
If they’re meant to serve someone, then they should get in front of the right people to serve. Right, right Okay it’s all about strategy, right, jayden? Like it’s all about strategy, and at least this way, if somebody had to boost a post, they would have put thought into the lead magnet they’re promoting and still better results would be had inside of Ad Manager. Okay, so Running lead ads inside of Ad manager is the recommended option.
Speaker 1:
They work because you’re directly promoting your lead magnet to a very targeted audience that’s not available in Instagram’s boost to post function. We’re talking like uploading your email list to Meta and saying, give me another audience that’s very similar to these folks. Or maybe uploading your customer list and saying, hey, I want another larger audience of 2 million folks that are very similar to my customers. Or if you have like a big blog website presence, then saying, hey, Meta, these folks that spend lots of time on my blog, on my website, give me an audience to target that’s like them, but 2 million folks strong.
Speaker 2:
Yeah, because Meta is going to learn who is most likely to opt in and they’re going to optimize accordingly, right?
Speaker 1:
Whereas when you boost a post on Instagram, they’re learning who’s more likely to watch your stuff, not learning who’s more likely to opt in at all, plus what’s required.
Speaker 2:
then, jamie, if you hop into Meta Ad Manager and set up some ads, well, you’re going to need to know how to do your ad, targeting which audiences you want to target. You’re going to have to work on your copy your visuals, your campaign setup right specifically who you are trying to reach. So you’re going to have to think about some of those things. It is a little bit more work than just pressing a button, there’s more work.
Speaker 1:
I love that quote by Thomas Edison which says we miss out on opportunity because it is dressed in overalls and it looks like work. Most things worth doing, do take some work. And this isn’t just about getting more leads. It’s about getting the right kind of leads who are more likely to convert into paying customers.
Speaker 2:
Right, Right.
Speaker 1:
So, Jamie, you want to bring it home for us.
Speaker 2:
So the main point here is boosting posts is ineffective. Do not do it. It can be expensive, especially for all of you iPhone users. We are Team iPhone. But instead of boosting, go ahead and connect your post to ManyChat or run your targeted lead ads in Meta Ads Manager.
Speaker 1:
We do not endorse boosting posts. Right, right, okay.
Speaker 2:
So ads work best when they are tied to a strategy that grows your list and leads to conversions. Oh, that’s great.
Speaker 1:
I mean, feel free to share like good friends. Do not let friends real friends do not let friends boost posts, right. Right, if you have a friend who boosted a post or you ever find out, send them this episode. I give you permission. It’s like that Batman and Robin meme, you know where. Like Batman is like backhanding Robin. It’s almost to that level. I don’t promote violence, but that meme is pretty funny. Oh, by the way, if you want to cut, like your lead costs, then get my ad testing cheat code. Start off testing your ads in the right way and lower your lead costs way further than you could have if you didn’t test.
Speaker 1:
I don’t want you hoping and praying although I believe in hoping, we both believe in hoping and praying to Jesus that your ads are going to work, or the one ad copy with the one ad visual is going to keep working Like that’s not a good ad strategy. Yeah, make more visuals, make more ad copy and test them in the right way and learn how to read the signs so that your ads can work better for your business. Yeah, anything else you want to say?
Speaker 2:
It’s $1.
Speaker 1:
It’s $1.
Speaker 2:
So go ahead.
Speaker 1:
It’s just $1. You know it’s easily the easiest investment that you’re going to make for your own business.
Speaker 2:
Yeah.
Speaker 1:
We look at ads every day, yeah.
Speaker 2:
Yeah, look at ads more like we do All right.
Speaker 1:
Take care until the next time, be blessed and we’ll see you in the next one.
Speaker 2:
Bye.
Speaker 1:
Bye.
