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Comprehensive Guide to Boost an Instagram Post [2022]

This article is your go-to place for explanations and step-by-step guides to learn how to boost an Instagram post.
Introduction
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Guide to Boost an Instagram Post

Boost an Instagram Post: Introduction

This article is your go-to place for explanations and step-by-step guides to learn how to boost an Instagram post.

Although Instagram started as a social media app for personal use, it has become more significant. Businesses can now use the app for marketing more effectively and share their name globally. It’s a great place to do so because of the different demographics of people, it’s easy to use, and the "boost" feature within the app.

If you’re interested in using Instagram for your business, there are two things to consider when getting started. Create a business account and boost your posts.

Personal vs. business account

The difference between personal and business accounts on Instagram is straightforward.

When you post on Instagram, you are driven to show some type of content to a certain audience. This can be anything from sharing a vacation photo with friends and family to announcing a new product from your store to update consumers. The options are endless, which is the beauty of social media.

With these examples, the goals are relatively different. Sharing vacation photos for friends and family is a personal life update and doesn’t have any further motives. This can be found on a “personal” Instagram account, which most individuals use.

On the other hand, a company is more likely to use a different approach regarding posts about their work. A “business” account has more in-depth features that they can utilize to see analytics about their posts. Considering it’s easy to set up, free to use, and reversible, this component is a nice advancement for any account.

At this point, you may be wondering why business accounts are being mentioned in a blog article about boosting Instagram posts. The answer is that you need to have a business account to boost an Instagram post. It’s not a feature included for personal accounts.

In addition to the account differences, bringing your business to Instagram gives it more exposure. Studies by Instagram revealed that 90% of people on Instagram follow a business. In addition, 50% of responders from around the world between the ages of 18 and 64 said that they were more interested in a brand when presented with an ad.

If you own a small business, check out this blog post –Instagram Ads and How Your Small Business Can Use Them- to learn more about how Instagram Ads can help you!

Business account features

For readers who don’t know what a business account is or how to create one, this section is for you. Remember that you don’t need to create an entirely new account. This process only converts a personal account into a business one.

After posting something to your Instagram account, you can see how people interact with it. This includes how many people liked the post and commented and who these people are for both components. These are the analytics for a personal account but aren’t the only available options.

Creating a business account grants access to features that could benefit your company. There are many components to consider taking advantage of. The main ones are Instagram Insights, displaying contact information, and boosting Instagram posts.

Instagram Insights provides analytics regarding content that can help the company analyze what type of content works best for them and their consumer audience. When tapping “View insights” on a specific post, it shows accounts reached, accounts engaged, content interactions, ads, and plays (for video-related content). A more in-depth explanation of Instagram Insights can be found on Meta’s website.

A business account also allows you to add contact information on your Instagram profile, where it’s most accessible. Adding this information (email, phone number, etc.) adds a new button to your profile called “Contact” for visitors to do just that. Remember to allow your account to display the information, which can be changed on the profile screen under “Edit profile”.

Screenshot: tap "contact" on profile

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How to create a business account on Instagram

Before starting, note that this process must be done on the mobile app because it will not work on PC or desktop versions.

  1. Go to your profile and tap “” (hamburger menu icon, located in the top right corner).
Screenshot: go to profile and tap the hamburger icon in the top right
  1. Tap “Settings”.
Screenshot: tap "Settings"
  1. In Settings, select “Account”.
Screenshot: in Settings, select "Account"
  1. Scroll to the bottom and tap “Switch to professional account”.
Screenshot: in account settings, tap "Switch to professional account"
  1. Complete the given prompts and checklist items.
Screenshot: complete given prompts and checklist items

Boosting an Instagram Post

What does it mean?

Instagram does its best to get the right content to the right people because why would you want to scroll and not find anything that fits your interests? The key words in that first sentence are “does its best” because while some algorithm work is being done, nothing’s perfect. To help ensure that your posts are reaching the right people, there’s something else that can be done.

When opting to boost a post, Instagram essentially converts said post into an ad. This will allow it to reach more people and help your company gain exposure. Please note that this process can only be done on the mobile app (just like creating a business account).

While creating an ad on Instagram, you can choose some specifics to maximize the post’s purpose. There are three different goals that Instagram allows you to choose from, which are to have more profile visits, website visits, or messages.

It’s also important to consider that other types of content on Instagram can be boosted and turned into an ad, not just posts. These include stories, reels, and branded content. This article only covers how to boost an Instagram post, but information for boosting other Instagram content can be found on Instagram's help directory in the how-to section of this article.

Why you should do it

Some may wonder why they bother paying money to boost an Instagram post when the app is already effective without putting in a single cent. The answer is that this extra step makes your business more discoverable. Which, of course, is a huge part of social media.

Making this investment is like the saying, “a little goes a long way.” Choosing to boost an Instagram post not only gives your page more exposure but also gives you control over the types of demographics it reaches. These include age, gender, interests, geography, etc.

When boosting a post, Instagram will ask you what the objective is (more page visits, website visits, or messages). This helps the algorithm know the purpose of the post and shares it with this intent in mind. A screenshot of these options is shown in step 5 of the following section.

Don’t invest time and money into your content and have it reach the wrong people. Boost your posts to turn them into ads and ensure they reach the right people for the right reasons.

How to boost an Instagram post

Here is a step-by-step guide on how to boost your Instagram post. Please note that the process was done on an Android and adjust accordingly for this example.

  1. Go to your profile and tap “Ad Tools”.
Screenshot: Go to your Instagram profile and tap "Ad Tools"

  1. Tap “Choose a post”.
Screenshot: Tap "Choose a post"
  1. Select the post you would like to boost. Then, tap “Next” for iOS or “” for Android (top right-hand corner).
Screenshot: Select which Instagram post boost and hit continue
  1. Link a Facebook account if you haven’t previously done so or tap “Skip”.
Screenshot: Connect to Facebook, or skip
  1. Select a goal from the options “More profile visits”, “More website visits, or “More messages”. Note that the option for increased website visits may require you to enter further information. In this example, “More profile visits” is selected.
Instagram screenshot: Select a goal
Screenshot: Select a goal
  1. Select an audience from “Special ad category”, “Automatic”, or “Create your own”. Note that the first and third options require you to enter some additional information manually. In this example, “Automatic” is selected.
Screenshot: Select target Instagram audience
  1. Enter a budget and duration. The amounts entered in this example are the default settings, not a recommendation (there is nothing inherently wrong with these values but select what works best for your company).
Screenshot: Determine a budget and duration
  1. Review the ad and enter a payment method. Once everything is filled in and you’re satisfied, tap “Boost post” to finish.
Screenshot: Choose a payment method and boost

If you’re interested in learning more about Instagram, check out our blog article, Comprehensive Guide About Instagram Ad Specs.

Conclusion

There is a lot to consider in social media marketing, but at this point, you’ve learned how to get your foot in the door of marketing on Instagram with just two simple things. Thanks for reading until the end! We hope that you found it helpful and were able to learn how to boost an Instagram post.

Looking for more social media marketing tips? Check out our blog at stiddle.com for tons of resources, and not just for Instagram! Expand your business across multiple platforms and make the most of this rising form of marketing.

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