Let's tackle one of the most common questions businesses have about social media: What’s the difference between boosting a post and running a custom ad on Meta — and which one’s better?

Boosted posts

Boosting means you’re paying to promote an existing post. It’s simple to set up, good for local visibility and typically used to cast a wider net for posts already engaging your audience, meaning it’s been liked, shared or commented on. Boosted posts are ideal for sharing customer testimonials, showcasing a finished project or announcing company milestones and awards.

Try this

Boost posts that already have strong engagement — it increases your chances of being seen by more ideal clients.

Custom ads

Running custom ads through Meta’s Ads Manager gives you full control — from targeting to layout to campaign goals. You can set up geographical boundaries, test different creative/copy, include Meta’s audience network (display ads outside of Facebook and Instagram) and run lead generation campaigns to gather contact information from your prospective customers.

Custom ads take more work to set up, but if you’re running a specific marketing campaign, they can be an effective tool. Sales events, lead generation forms, geo-specific ads, highly targeted demographic marketing and driving a brand new audience to your website are a few times when using Meta Ads Manager is worth the extra effort.

Final thoughts

You don’t need to be a marketing guru to grow your audience on social media. Just like you didn’t need to be born with a shovel in hand to build a strong retaining wall — you learned the craft.

Start by boosting posts to gain visibility, then level up with custom ads when you’re ready for a more robust social marketing campaign. Test, learn and don’t be afraid to dig in.

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