Not quite.
While both options involve spending money to increase your reach, boosted posts and paid ads serve different purposes, offer different levels of control and can lead to very different results.
What Is a Boosted Post?
A boosted post is a regular post from your business page that you pay to promote to a wider audience. It’s one of the easiest ways to start advertising on social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram.
Typical use cases:
• Increasing post engagement (likes, comments, shares)
• Reaching more people within your existing audience
• Promoting content that’s already performing well organically
Boosted posts are ideal for brand awareness and getting quick exposure without diving deep into ad strategy.
What Are Paid Social Ads?
Paid ads (also known as ad campaigns) are created through platforms like Meta Ads Manager or LinkedIn Campaign Manager. These tools offer advanced targeting, multiple objectives, A/B testing and greater creative flexibility.
Typical use cases:
• Driving traffic to a website or landing page
• Generating leads or sales
• Running remarketing campaigns
• Installing apps or promoting events
Paid ads are much more powerful if you have a specific conversion goal or want to track detailed performance metrics.
When Should You Boost a Post?
Boosted posts work best when:
• You want to increase visibility of a post that’s already doing well
• You’re looking for quick engagement or local reach
• You’re just starting out with social media advertising
It’s a great top-of-funnel tool to get eyes on your content—but not ideal for serious conversions.
When Should You Use Paid Ads?
Paid ads are the go-to if:
• You’re focused on conversions, leads or sales
• You want to target specific audience segments
• You need detailed tracking and performance optimisation
• You’re running a long-term or multi-stage marketing campaign
With paid ads, you have far more control and far more potential to generate ROI.
Can You Use Both?
Absolutely! A smart strategy might include:
• Boosted posts for increasing brand awareness or engagement
• Paid ad campaigns for targeted lead generation and conversion
By using both, you can create a full-funnel approach that guides users from awareness to action.
