It’s a familiar story. You’ve created a stunning Instagram post, you’re getting great engagement, and you feel confident that it could reach a wider audience. So, you hit the “Boost Post” button, only to be met with a frustrating message: “You can’t boost this post.”
The Top Reasons You Can't Boost Your Instagram Post
You Aren't Using a Professional Account:
Settings and privacy -> Account type and tools and select Switch to professional account. This simple step will unlock the feature for you. Your Post Violates Meta's Ad Policies:
Prohibited Content: Things like misleading claims, content related to adult products, or anything that promotes illegal activity.
Copyright Infringement: Using a copyrighted song in a Reel without commercial licensing is a very common mistake. This is why many business accounts get limited music options.
Restricted Content: Certain industries like alcohol, gambling, and financial services have strict restrictions on how they can advertise.
The Fix: Review Meta’s Advertising Policies carefully. The easiest way to solve this is to either edit your post to remove the non-compliant elements or delete it and recreate it with compliant content. For Reels, always use music from Instagram’s commercial library or original audio to avoid copyright issues.
Your Ad Account Has Restrictions or Issues:
Issues to Look For:
Payment Problems: An old credit card, a failed payment, or an expired card can disable your ad account.
Policy Violations: A previous ad you ran may have been flagged, putting a restriction on your entire ad account.
Ad Account Disabled: In severe cases, your account may have been disabled altogether.
The Fix: You must go to the Meta Business Suite or Facebook Business Manager on a desktop browser. Check the “Account Quality” section for any red flags or alerts. Resolve any pending payments or, if your account is disabled, follow the instructions to appeal the decision.
Technical Glitches and App Issues:
The Fix:
Update your app: Make sure your Instagram app is the latest version.
Restart your phone: A classic solution that often works.
Clear your app’s cache: This can resolve many bugs related to a build-up of temporary files.
Use Meta Business Suite: Try to boost the post from a desktop browser using the Meta Business Suite instead of the mobile app.
Your Post Type is Not Boostable:
Carousels with mixed media: For example, a carousel with a combination of videos and photos.
Posts that have been edited too many times.
Posts with certain product tags that are not set up correctly.
The Fix: Create a new post that is a single image or video. Ensure any product tagging is correctly configured.
You're Losing Money with Your Current Ads
Here’s what you’re missing when you just “Boost Post”:
Precise Audience Targeting: The “Boost” button offers a very basic targeting menu. In the Meta Ads Manager, you can create hyper-specific audiences based on demographics, interests, behaviors, and even custom lists of your current customers. This ensures your ad is shown to people most likely to convert.
Optimized Ad Creative: A simple post is not an ad. An effective ad uses persuasive copy, a clear call to action (CTA), and visuals specifically designed to stop the scroll.
Strategic Bidding & Budgeting: The Ads Manager allows you to control your budget, bidding strategy, and ad placement to get the most for your money. You can test different budgets and schedules to find what works best.
Detailed Reporting & Analytics: A simple boost gives you basic metrics. The Ads Manager provides an in-depth breakdown of your ad performance, showing you exactly what’s working and what’s not, so you can optimize your campaigns and increase your return on investment (ROI).
Our services can help you with:
Get Your Ads Running for Free:
What does this include?
A Professional Ad Strategy: We will work with you to understand your business goals and develop a clear, targeted ad strategy.
Ad Creative & Copy Guidance: We’ll help you craft compelling ad visuals and copy that are designed to convert.
Precision Audience Targeting: We’ll build hyper-specific audiences for your campaigns to ensure your ads are seen by the people most likely to buy.
Ad Campaign Management: We’ll manage your campaigns, monitor performance, and optimize them for the best possible results.
