Lesson Objective

By the end of this lesson, you will understand what boosting a post means, when it is useful, when to avoid it, and how to run a careful beginner boost without spending more than intended.

What Is a Boosted Post?

A boosted post is a normal Facebook Page post that you pay to show to more people. It is the simplest form of Facebook advertising and is usually easier for beginners than using Ads Manager.

Boosting can help a good post reach more people, but it should only be used when the post has a clear purpose, strong image or video, and a useful next step.

When to Boost a Post

• Launching a new website.
• Promoting a useful tutorial.
• Announcing your Facebook Academy.
• Promoting the Hokianga booklet.
• Sharing a strong photography post.
• Promoting an event.
• Sending people to a finished website page.
• Testing whether people are interested in a new offer.

Good Posts to Boost

A good boost candidate usually has:

• A clear opening line.
• A strong image or video.
• A useful message.
• One clear call to action.
• A working website or Messenger destination.
• Some natural engagement already, such as likes or comments.

Poor Posts to Boost

• Posts with no image or weak image.
• Posts with confusing text.
• Posts that only say “Buy now”.
• Posts with broken links.
• Posts that send people to an unfinished page.
• Posts that do not explain the benefit.
• Posts with no call to action.

Before You Click Boost

Check these items first:

• Your post is published and looks correct.
• Your image or video displays properly on mobile.
• Your website link opens correctly.
• Your Page profile picture and cover photo look professional.
• Your call to action is clear.
• You know your goal.
• You know your audience.
• You know your maximum budget.

Choosing a Boost Goal

Facebook may ask what result you want from the boost. Choose the goal that matches your real purpose.

Common boost goals

• Get more website visitors: best for sending people to itianknowledge.com.
• Get more messages: best for booklet enquiries or pickup arrangements.
• Get more engagement: best for comments, reactions, and shares.
• Get more Page followers: useful when building a new audience.

Choosing an Audience

Your audience controls who Facebook shows the boosted post to.

Beginner audience options

• People who like or follow your Page.
• People similar to your followers.
• People in a location such as New Zealand or Northland.
• People with interests related to photography, technology, Facebook, websites, or local travel.

Example Audience: ITIAN Website

Example Audience: Hokianga Booklet

Budget and Duration

Start with a small test budget. The goal is to learn what happens, not to spend heavily straight away.

• Beginner test budget: NZ$10–20.
• Suggested duration: 5–7 days.
• Check results each day.
• Do not increase the budget during the test unless you understand the results.
• Record what you spent and what happened.

How to Boost a Post

1. Open your Facebook Page.
2. Find the post you want to promote.
3. Tap or click Boost Post.
4. Choose the goal.
5. Choose the audience.
6. Set the budget.
7. Set the duration.
8. Check the preview.
9. Confirm the payment method.
10. Review everything carefully.
11. Publish the boost.

Example: Website Launch Boost Post

Example: Booklet Boost Post

Measuring Results

After boosting, measure what happened. Do not judge the boost only by how many people saw it.

• How many people saw the post?
• How many clicked?
• How many reacted?
• How many commented?
• How many messaged you?
• How many visited your website?
• Did anyone buy, enquire, follow, or share?
• Was the result worth the cost?

When to Stop or Pause a Boost

• The link is wrong.
• The image or text has an error.
• The wrong audience was selected.
• The budget or duration is incorrect.
• The post is attracting the wrong type of comments.
• The boost is spending money but producing no useful result.

Common Beginner Mistakes

• Boosting every post.
• Boosting a weak post.
• Choosing no clear goal.
• Spending too much too soon.
• Choosing the wrong location.
• Forgetting to check the website link.
• Not checking results after the boost.
• Assuming views mean sales.

Practical Exercise

Choose one post that could be boosted, but do not boost it yet. Complete this plan:

• What is the goal?
• Who is the audience?
• What is the budget?
• How many days will it run?
• What website page or Messenger action will it use?
• What result would make it worthwhile?

Lesson Summary

Boosting a Facebook post is the simplest form of paid promotion. It can be useful when the post is strong, the audience is relevant, the budget is small, and the result is measured carefully.

Lesson Objective

By the end of this lesson, you will understand what audience targeting means, why it matters, and how to choose beginner-friendly audiences for Facebook boosts and advertising campaigns.

What Is Audience Targeting?

Audience targeting means choosing who should see your Facebook advertisement. Instead of showing your ad to everyone, you choose people based on location, interests, age range, behaviour, or connection to your Page.

Good targeting helps your advertisement reach people who are more likely to care about your message, visit your website, send a message, follow your Page, or buy a product.

Why Targeting Matters

• It helps your budget go further.
• It shows ads to people more likely to be interested.
• It reduces wasted views.
• It helps local promotions reach local people.
• It helps different messages reach different groups.
• It gives more meaningful results from advertising tests.

Main Audience Targeting Choices

Location

Choose where people live or are located. This is especially important for local products, local services, workshops, events, and community posts.

Age Range

Choose an age range that makes sense for your offer. Avoid narrowing too much unless you have a clear reason.

Gender

Use this carefully. For many beginner campaigns, leaving this broad is best unless the product or service is genuinely aimed at one group.

Interests

Interests may include photography, technology, Facebook, small business, travel, Northland, websites, online learning, or similar topics.

Connections

You may target people who already follow your Page, friends of followers, or people similar to those who already engage with you.

Targeting by Location

Location is often the most important setting for local projects.

Examples

• Hokianga booklet: Hokianga, Northland, or New Zealand.
• Local pickup: close to Omapere, Opononi, Rawene, or nearby areas.
• Online tutorials: New Zealand or broader English-speaking audiences.
• Photography prints: Northland, New Zealand, or people interested in NZ landscapes.

Targeting by Interest

Interests help Facebook understand what people may care about. Keep interests relevant.

Possible ITIAN interests

• Facebook
• Technology
• Websites
• Online learning
• Small business
• Cyber security
• Google tools
• Microsoft 365

Possible NZTHRILLVIBES interests

• Photography
• Landscape photography
• New Zealand travel
• Northland
• Hokianga
• Local art
• Nature
• Photo books

Audience Example: ITIAN Facebook Academy

Audience Example: Hokianga Booklet

Audience Example: Photography Course

Broad Audience vs Narrow Audience

Broad Audience

A broad audience reaches more people but may be less focused. It can be useful for general awareness or if you are not sure who responds best.

Narrow Audience

A narrow audience is more specific. It may be useful for local products, niche interests, or a limited budget, but if it becomes too narrow, Facebook may struggle to deliver the ad.

Testing Audiences

Audience testing means trying one audience, measuring the result, then trying another audience later.

Simple testing method

• Test one audience at a time.
• Use the same post or ad where possible.
• Use a small budget.
• Run for 5–7 days.
• Record results.
• Compare cost, clicks, messages, and website visits.

What Makes a Good Audience?

• It matches the topic of the ad.
• It matches the location of the offer.
• It is not too broad or too narrow.
• It includes people likely to care about the message.
• It connects logically to the action you want people to take.

Common Beginner Mistakes

• Targeting everyone.
• Choosing random interests.
• Ignoring location.
• Using too narrow an audience.
• Changing audience settings too often.
• Running ads without recording results.
• Assuming views mean success.
• Using the same audience for every type of post.

Practical Exercise

Create three audience plans:

• One audience for ITIAN Knowledge Hub.
• One audience for the Hokianga booklet.
• One audience for a photography course or tutorial.

For each audience, write the location, interests, goal, and destination page.

Lesson Summary

Audience targeting is one of the most important parts of Facebook advertising. The better your audience matches your message, the more useful your advertising budget becomes. Start simple, test carefully, and measure real results.