You’ve created the perfect instagram post—a captivating product shot or a viral reel—but when you go to boost it, the button is grayed out, unresponsive, or you’re hit with an error message. It’s a frustrating but common problem for creators and businesses.
The good news? It’s usually an issue with your account, the content itself, or a simple technical glitch. By understanding the common reasons and following our troubleshooting guide, you can get your post seen by more people and get your ad campaigns back on track.
reasons your instagram post won't boost:
if the “boost post” button isn’t cooperating, here are the most frequent culprits and how to fix them.
1. it's not a professional account
the reason:
only instagram business accounts or creator accounts can boost posts. personal accounts do not have this feature.
the fix:
go to your profile, tap the menu (three lines) > settings and privacy > account type and tools > switch to professional account. follow the prompts to set up either a business or creator account.
2. You're not a Facebook page admin:
the reason:
your instagram professional account must be linked to a facebook business page, and you need to have an admin role on that page to manage promotions.
the fix:
log in to your facebook business manager. check your page roles to ensure your personal facebook profile has admin access to the linked page. if you don’t, ask the page owner to grant you the necessary permissions.
Sometimes you could be the own the page but you are an admin, so to make sure, you must first understand the accesses when it comes to Meta, and if you have any issues with that please feel free to contact us.
You can also check this article about all type of accesses on Meta
3. Your post violates meta's advertising policies:
the reason:
Meta (facebook and instagram’s parent company) has a strict set of advertising policies that govern what content can be promoted. common violations include:
prohibited content: promoting illegal products or services, discriminatory practices, or adult content.
copyright infringement: using copyrighted music, images, or video clips without permission. this is a very common issue with reels that use trending audio from a personal library.
misleading claims: making exaggerated promises or false claims about your products or services.
the fix:
review meta’s advertising policies thoroughly. edit your post to remove any non-compliant elements. if you’re using music, make sure you use the audio from instagram’s “for businesses” library or original audio. you can also check your meta business suite account quality account quality to see if any specific policy violations are flagged.
4. Ad account or page restrictions:
the reason:
your linked facebook ad account might be restricted, disabled, or have payment issues. this can happen due to policy violations, a declined payment method, or an expired credit card.
the fix:
go to your meta business suite or facebook business manager on a desktop computer. navigate to the ad account settings or account quality section to check for any alerts, policy violations, or pending payments. resolve any payment issues immediately and appeal any disabled accounts directly through the platform.
5. New account or ad account restrictions
the reason:
instagram places a temporary hold on new accounts to prevent spam and malicious activity. you may have to wait at least 30 days before you can boost posts.
the fix:
unfortunately, there is no way around this. you’ll have to wait until the 30-day minimum has passed.
6. Video resolution or aspect ratio issues
the reason:
meta has specific technical requirements for boosted posts. for example, instagram reels must have a 9:16 aspect ratio with a resolution of 1080 x 1920 pixels. if your video is a different size, it may not be eligible for promotion.
the fix:
re-edit or re-upload your video to meet the correct size specifications.
7. Post type limitations:
the reason:
not all types of content are boostable. instagram does not support boosting posts that contain:
interactive elements in reels, like most stickers or polls (except for the swipe-up cta).
certain carousel posts that mix photos and videos.
the fix:
remove any tappable elements from your reels or, if it’s a carousel post, try boosting a single image or video instead.
8. Ad account spending limits:
the reason:
you may have reached the spending limit set for your ad account. this is a cap on how much your account is allowed to spend on promotions.
the fix:
log in to meta ads manager, go to billing and then ad account spending limit. from there, you can adjust or remove the cap.
how to get your posts boosting again:
check your account type: make sure your account is a business or creator account.
verify your permissions: confirm you have admin access to the linked facebook page.
review your content: check your post for any policy violations or copyrighted material.
address account quality: go to your meta business suite and resolve any flagged issues with your ad account.
check for technical problems: try clearing your app’s cache or boosting the post from a desktop browser using meta business suite instead of the app.
Final Thoughts
By systematically going through these potential reasons and troubleshooting steps, you’ll be well on your way to successfully boosting your Instagram posts and reaching a wider, more engaged audience.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs):
1. what is the difference between boosting a post and running an ad campaign in meta ads manager?
Boosting a post is a quick, simple way to promote an existing piece of content directly from the instagram app, primarily designed to increase reach, engagement, or video views with basic targeting options. In contrast, running an ad campaign through the Meta Ads Manager (formerly Facebook Ads Manager) provides a much higher level of control and sophistication, allowing you to select from a wider range of campaign objectives like website conversions or lead generation, utilize advanced audience features like custom and lookalike audiences, and access more detailed performance reporting, making it the preferred method for strategic, long-term business growth.
2. how long does it typically take for an instagram post boost to be approved?
The approval process for a boosted instagram post is usually quite fast, with most ads reviewed and approved within 1 to 24 hours by Meta’s automated and manual systems. However, in some cases, such as during peak advertising periods, or if the content is flagged for a potential policy violation that requires a manual review (like those involving sensitive topics, political content, or health claims), the review process may take up to 48 hours. It is always recommended to submit your post for boosting well in advance of a major launch or event to account for any potential delays.
3. what should i do immediately if my boosted post gets rejected?
If your boosted post is rejected, you should first review the rejection notice from Meta, which will specify the exact advertising policy or community standard that your content violated, such as a misleading claim, copyrighted material, or inappropriate content. Next, edit the original post to remove all non-compliant elements—for example, by swapping out copyrighted music or revising a problematic claim—and then resubmit the post for boosting, which will trigger a new review process. Alternatively, you can directly appeal the decision through the account quality section of your meta business suite if you believe the rejection was a mistake.
4. can i boost a carousel post that contains both images and videos?
Generally, Meta does not fully support boosting a standard carousel post, especially those that mix different media types like both images and videos within the same carousel, or those that contain certain interactive elements. While some types of carousel posts may be eligible depending on recent platform updates and the specific placement you are targeting, the “boost post” button may be disabled or you might receive an error. For reliability, it is often best to create a separate boosted post using a single image or video, or use the more flexible meta ads manager to create an ad campaign from a carousel post.
5. does a new instagram professional account have any boosting restrictions?
Yes, new instagram professional accounts (both business and creator) often face a temporary restriction on boosting posts as a preventative measure against spam and malicious activity on the platform. This restriction typically requires the account to be active for a minimum period, which is often cited as at least 30 days, before the boost post feature becomes fully available. Unfortunately, there is no technical workaround to bypass this initial waiting period, and you must simply continue to use the account organically until the hold is lifted.
