Should You Boost Your Instagram Reels? Why It’s a Total Waste of Money

If you’re thinking about boosting your Reels because you’re not getting enough views, likes, or engagement—don’t do it.

I’ve wasted thousands of dollars on this mistake, and I’ll tell you exactly why it doesn’t work.

1. Boosting Doesn’t Fix Bad Content

If your content isn’t getting engagement organically, then paying to boost it won’t magically make it better.

Think of boosting as a multiplier—but if you’re multiplying zero engagement, you’re still getting zero.

💸 $10 x 0 engagement = 0 results
💸 $100 x 0 engagement = 0 results
💸 $1,000 x 0 engagement = 0 results

You’re just paying to put a golden turd in front of more people. It’s still a turd, and nobody cares.

2. Boosting Isn’t the Same as Running Ads

People confuse boosting with running a real ad campaign.

• Boosting just throws money at a post for vanity metrics—likes, views, and surface-level engagement.
• A real ad campaign is strategic—it has a purpose, like getting leads, sign-ups, or sales.

If you’re not selling anything, then boosting is literally burning money just to get more views from random people who don’t care.

3. When Boosting Does Make Sense

The only time it’s worth spending money on boosting content is if you’re using a lead magnet.

A lead magnet is a free resource that provides real value in exchange for something—usually an email sign-up.

Example:
✅ Step 1: Someone sees your video with a free offer (like a free webinar, PDF, or training).
✅ Step 2: They click and sign up by entering their email.
✅ Step 3: They watch your free content and get value.
✅ Step 4: Now you sell them something.

This works. Why? Because now you’re boosting a sales funnel, not just a random post.

4. What You Should Do Instead

Instead of wasting money on boosting, fix your content first.

✅ Focus on organic reach—If your video isn’t hitting at least a few thousand views organically, boosting it won’t change that.
✅ Test different content styles—Improve your hooks, storytelling, and delivery.
✅ Grow your audience first—Build real engagement before throwing money at ads.

Final Takeaway: Don’t Boost. Build.

If your content isn’t performing, boosting won’t save it. Make better content first.

But if you have a lead magnet that actually drives sign-ups and sales, then yes—run ads, but do it strategically.

Otherwise, save your money.