Boost post or Ads Manager? Which Facebook option to use

Facebook and Instagram give you two main ways to advertise: the Boost button on a post, and Meta Ads Manager. Both can work. The right one depends on how much control you need.

Boosting a post

Quick and simple. You choose a goal (like more messages or calls), a basic audience, a budget and dates. It's a good way to start, especially for promoting a post that's already doing well.

• Good for: quick promotions, testing, small budgets.
• Limits: fewer targeting and placement options, less detailed reporting.

Ads Manager

The full advertising tool. You can run several ads and audiences at once, choose placements, set schedules and see detailed results.

• Good for: ongoing campaigns, testing different audiences and creatives, retargeting people who've already engaged.
• Trade-off: more settings to learn.

Our advice

• Pick your goal first: messages, calls or website visits.
• Use video. Short, vertical videos usually perform well.
• Start with a modest daily budget and check results after a few days.
• Keep what works, pause what doesn't, and try a new creative.

If a post won't boost, the issue is often the post itself (for example certain music or formats). Creating the ad directly in Ads Manager usually solves it.