You know the feeling. 

You’ve just posted something on Facebook or Instagram. 

It’s been 10 minutes. No likes. No comments. One sad little view from your cousin in Toowoomba. 

You panic-click that bright blue “Boost Post” button like it’s life support for your business. 

$30 later? A couple hundred impressions. No leads. No sales. No clue what actually happened. 

It’s the digital equivalent of setting your wallet on fire and hoping someone sees the smoke. 

Here’s the thing most local business owners don’t realise: 

Boosting is not bad—but it’s not strategy either. 

It’s easy. It’s tempting. But it’s also blind. You don’t know who’s seeing the post, how they’re reacting, or whether it’s doing a damn thing for your business. 

And worst of all? It can lull you into thinking you’re “doing marketing”… while nothing actually moves the needle. 

So in this blog, we’re going to break down: 

• What boosting really does (and doesn’t do) 

• When it actually makes sense to boost a post 

• And what to do instead if you actually want results 

Let’s fix this. 👇

What Boosting Actually Does (And Doesn’t Do) On Meta 

Let’s start with what really happens when you boost a post, especially on platforms like Meta (Facebook and Instagram). 

Boosting shows your content to more people. That’s it. 

And those people aren’t always the right people. 

Boosted posts focus on engagement-based metrics, likes, views, impressions, rather than actions that matter to your business (leads, sales, conversions).  

It’s the equivalent of yelling into a crowd and hoping someone in there happens to need what you’re selling. 

And on Meta, boosting uses limited targeting, barely any control over placements, and no real room to test what works. 

Sure, it’ll inflate your reach. 

But reach without relevance is a vanity metric. 

Ads Manager > Boost Button. Always. 

If you want your marketing to do more than look good, you need to step into Ads Manager. 

Because Ads Manager gives you control. 

You get to choose your objective, leads, website visits, conversions.  

You get to split test different creatives. You get to track performance in detail, tweak things in real-time, and target people with laser precision. 

Instead of boosting and praying, you’re building a system. 

Ads Manager is like setting up a stall at the exact market where your ideal customers shop. 

When Boosting Can Work (on TikTok) 

Now let’s talk TikTok. 

Boosting can work on TikTok, if you do it right. 

TikTok’s algorithm works differently.  

When a video does well organically, it means it’s already resonating with the right audience.  

Boosting it pushes it further into similar audiences, and that’s where the magic happens. 

Think of it like this: 

Your first organic video that performs well is like throwing a rock in a pond. 

The ripples are what the algorithm notices. Boosting that post sends a stronger signal, and helps the algorithm learn what kind of audience engages with your content. 

And once it knows that, every post after becomes sharper.  

The algorithm builds a profile of your page, and starts feeding your future content to better, more aligned audiences. 

But the key rule is: Only boost your best-performing content. 

If a video flopped, boosting won’t fix it. You’re just throwing fuel on a wet log. 

When Boosting Can Work (on TikTok) 

Don’t just boost based on gut. Use the data. 

Here’s what to check: 

• Watch Time (TikTok): Are people watching most of your video? 

• Engagement Rate: Are they commenting, sharing, saving — not just liking? 

• CTR (Meta Ads): How many people are actually clicking through? 

• Cost Per Result: What are you paying for every conversion, lead, or action? 

If you ignore these metrics,  just because they make you feel bad, you’re sabotaging your own growth. 

Don’t Ignore the Data Just Because It Hurts Your Feelings

Now here’s the part most people don’t want to hear. 

You are not your audience. 

Just because you like the design, the photo, the headline, the caption, doesn’t always mean your customers will. 

And that’s the trap. 

We get emotionally attached to content we created.  

We hit publish, and when it doesn’t perform, we start blaming the algorithm, the time of day, the lack of budget… anything but the content itself. 

But here’s the deal: 

Your feelings don’t pay the bills, performance does. 

If a reel flops but a basic photo post crushes it with leads and link clicks, you go with the photo post.  

If a caption you thought was “too simple” outperforms the clever one you spent an hour writing… guess what? The simple one wins. 

The market decides what works. Not your ego. 

So check the numbers, not your emotions. 

That’s where the real clarity (and cashflow) lives. 

Why “Boost and Hope” Happens, and How to Fix It 

Boosting is attractive because it’s easy. 

You’re running a business. You’ve got calls to answer, staff to manage, invoices to chase. And suddenly, the algorithm offers you a silver bullet in a blue button. 

But here’s the truth: ease doesn’t equal effectiveness. 

If your goal is to build real visibility, trust, and customers, you need a strategy. 

Start by asking: 

• What’s the goal of this post? 

• Who do I actually want to reach? 

• What do I want them to do next? 

If you can’t answer that, don’t boost. 

Instead, create content that earns its way into feeds by being genuinely useful, entertaining, or relevant. 

Use Ads Manager to back it with purpose and precision. 

Stop Paying Just to be Seen, Monetise it! 

Getting attention is easy. 

You can buy a thousand views, rack up some likes, maybe even go viral. 

But attention on its own? That’s cheap. And fleeting. 

The real power comes when you monetise that attention. When those eyeballs turn into clicks, leads, sales, or actual momentum for your brand. 

Because it’s not about being seen. It’s about being chosen. 

When you’re boosting content, the goal isn’t just to get numbers on a screen. The goal is to move people. 

• From scroll to click. 

• From click to action. 

• From action to customer. 

That’s why the best posts to promote aren’t just the “pretty” ones, they’re the ones with a purpose. 

Got a lead magnet? Boost that. 

Running a free quote offer? Boost that. 

Pushing a landing page with a strong call to action? You know what to do. 

Every dollar you spend should have somewhere to go. A reason to exist. A job to do. 

Otherwise you’re just throwing money at attention for the sake of it, and hoping something sticks. 

Build Smarter, Not Louder 

Boosting posts can be a part of your marketing… but it should never be the whole strategy. 

If you’re throwing money at random posts, hoping they magically bring in business, you’re playing the wrong game. 

Real growth comes from strategy. From intention. From putting your budget behind content that’s crafted to convert, not just exist. 

And if you’re tired of wasting cash on boosts that don’t lead anywhere, we can help. 

At Purple Bunny Marketing, we don’t do fluff. We build ad campaigns that are structured, strategic, and backed by data that actually means something. 

So if you’re ready to move beyond guesswork and finally run ads that get real results… 

Contact us today and let’s build something that works!