Boosted Posts vs. Paid Social Ads: Which Drives Better Results?
If your business is active on Facebook or Instagram, you've likely come across the little blue button that says “Boost Post.” It’s tempting, just a few clicks and suddenly your post is being seen by more people. Simple, fast, and effective… right?
The truth is, while boosting a post might get you a few more likes or eyeballs, it doesn’t always translate into real, measurable business outcomes. If your goal is long-term growth, better engagement, leads, or conversions, you might need more than a boost; you might need a full-fledged paid social campaign.
At PGH Digital, we’re often asked: “What’s the difference between boosting a post and running a paid social ad?” This question is more important than most people think, because while the two options seem similar, they serve very different purposes.
Let’s unpack the differences and help you decide which strategy makes the most sense for your goals.
The Basics: Boosted Posts
Boosting a post is Facebook and Instagram’s most beginner-friendly form of advertising. You simply take an existing post, something already live on your page, and pay to show it to a wider audience beyond your organic followers.
Boosted posts are great for:
Building general awareness
Promoting content that’s already performing well organically
Increasing reach and post engagement (likes, comments, shares)
Maintaining visibility with your existing audience
They’re quick, easy, and can be effective if your goal is simply to get more eyes on something without too much time spent on strategy.
But, and this is important, boosted posts come with limitations.
The Power of Paid Social Ads (Meta Ads)
Paid social ads, on the other hand, are created and managed through Meta Ads Manager. This tool gives advertisers access to far more customization, control, and performance optimization options.
When we talk about a paid social ad campaign at PGH Digital, we’re talking about ads built from the ground up to achieve specific objectives, whether that’s driving traffic to your website, generating leads, increasing online sales, or promoting a new product launch.
With paid social ads, you can:
Choose your campaign objective: awareness, engagement, website traffic, conversions, app installs, store visits, lead generation, and more
Target more precisely: based on user interests, behaviors, locations, demographics, past purchases, and even retargeting website visitors or email subscribers
Run multiple creative versions and test them against one another (A/B testing)
Track performance at a deeper level: beyond likes and comments, you can see clicks, conversion rates, cost-per-action, return on ad spend, and more
Optimize delivery: let Meta automatically serve your ads to the users most likely to complete your chosen action
In other words, you’re not just promoting a post, you’re running a strategic campaign designed for results.
So, Which Drives Better Results?
It depends on what you're measuring. If you just want more likes or more eyes on your content, a boosted post might be all you need.
But if you’re looking for something more, more website traffic, more leads, more phone calls, more conversions, paid social ads are a better investment.
Boosting a post is like tossing a flyer into a crowd and hoping it lands in the right hands. Running a paid campaign is like handing that flyer directly to someone you know is interested, and following up at the perfect time.
How PGH Digital Helps You Get It Right
We know social media marketing isn’t one-size-fits-all. Every business has different goals, budgets, and customer behaviors. That’s why we take a consultative, data-driven approach to every campaign we manage.
With PGH Digital, you get:
A customized social strategy based on your business goals
Professional creative direction and ad copywriting
Advanced targeting and retargeting setup
Transparent, 24/7 access to campaign dashboards
Monthly performance reviews where we walk you through what’s working, what’s not, and what we’ll do next
Our team is committed to making your advertising dollars work smarter, not harder.
Want to get more from your social media budget?
Boosted posts have their place. They’re a quick way to extend your reach or amplify a specific message. But when it comes to driving performance, paid social ads are simply more powerful, more flexible, and more aligned with long-term growth goals.
If you’re unsure which route to take, or if you’ve tried boosting but aren’t seeing the return you hoped for, let’s chat. PGH Digital is here to help you map out the smartest next move for your business and turn your social media presence into a true growth engine.