How to Boost a Post on TikTok

Boosting an existing post is one of the simplest ways to get your best content in front of a brand new audience on TikTok. Unlike complex ad campaigns, it lets you put a little budget behind a video that's already working, extending its reach far beyond your current followers. This guide will walk you through exactly how to use TikTok's Promote feature, from choosing the right video to setting your budget and tracking your results.

What Does "Boosting" a TikTok Post Even Mean?

On TikTok, "boosting a post" refers to using the native Promote feature. This is a form of in-app advertising that lets you turn any of your organic public videos into an ad with just a few taps. It's designed to be quick, easy, and accessible directly from your profile.

This is different from running a full campaign through the TikTok Ads Manager, which is a more robust, desktop-based platform with advanced targeting options, different ad formats, and complex analytics. Think of the Promote feature as the fast track to advertising: you pick a video, set a simple goal, define a basic audience, and pay to show it to more people. It's perfect for creators, small businesses, and marketers who want to amplify successful content without a steep learning curve.

Why Should You Consider Boosting a TikTok?

Pouring money into a platform might seem intimidating, but boosting a post has some clear, tangible benefits that can give your account a significant lift. It's a strategic move to accelerate your growth when organic reach just isn't cutting it.

• Reach a Wider, Targeted Audience: Your organic videos primarily reach your followers and a slice of the For You Page algorithm. Boosting lets you break out of that bubble and reach an audience based on their interests, age, and location. You get your content in front of people who are likely to be interested but haven't discovered you yet.
• Drive More Profile Views and Followers: One of the main goals you can select is "More Followers." A boosted video acts as an introduction to your brand or personality. If viewers like what they see, they're just one tap away from checking out your profile and hitting that follow button.
• Increase Website Traffic: Got a product to sell, a blog to promote, or a newsletter to grow? You can add a clickable link to your boosted post, sending traffic directly to your website. It's a straightforward way to translate TikTok views into off-platform actions like sales or sign-ups.
• Gain Quick Feedback and Data: Sometimes you need to test a concept or product quickly. Boosting a post can get you a high volume of views and engagement in a short period, giving you valuable data on what resonates with a broader audience. It serves as a rapid-fire market test for your content ideas.

The Golden Rule: Only Boost Your Winners

Before you even think about pressing that "Promote" button, you need to choose the right video. This is the single most important step. Boosting a weak video will not save it, it will only waste your money faster. A successful promotion amplifies what is already working.

How to Spot a "Winner" for Boosting:

• Strong Early Engagement: Look for a video that performed well organically within the first 24-48 hours. This means it has a good initial ratio of likes, comments, shares, and saves relative to its views. The algorithm has already validated that this content is engaging.
• High Watch Time: TikTok values content that keeps people on the app. Check your analytics for videos with a high average watch time or a high percentage of viewers who watched the full video. This indicates the content is "sticky" and captivating enough to hold attention.
• Broad Appeal: Some videos are inside jokes for your existing followers. Those aren't the best candidates for promotion. Choose a video that someone who has never seen your content before can understand and enjoy instantly. Is it educational, entertaining, inspiring, or relatable to a wide audience?
• A Clear Message or CTA: The best videos for promotion have a purpose. Whether it's showing off a product, sharing a valuable tip, or telling a compelling story, the viewer should walk away knowing exactly what the video was about. If your goal is website clicks, the video should naturally lead to that action.

Go through your feed, open up your analytics, and find that video that outperformed the others. That's your primary candidate for promotion.

How to Boost a Post on TikTok: A Step-by-Step Guide

Ready to get started? The process is very straightforward. Here's exactly what you need to do.

Step 1: Make Sure You Have a Business Account

You can only use the Promote feature if you have a TikTok Business Account. If you have a Personal Account, switching is free and only takes a moment.

To switch, go to your Profile >, Tap the three lines in the top-right corner to open Settings >, Go to Account >, Select Switch to Business Account and follow the on-screen instructions. A Business Account also gives you access to more analytics, which is vital for seeing if your promotion is working.

Step 2: Find Your Video and Open the Promote Settings

Once your Business Account is set up, scroll through your profile and find the public video you want to boost. Remember, pick a winner!

1. Tap on the video to open it in full-screen mode.
2. Tap the three dots (...) on the right-hand side of the screen.
3. In the bottom row of icons, you'll see a flame icon labeled "Promote." Tap it.

You're now in the promotion setup screen.

Step 3: Choose Your Goal

TikTok will ask you, "What is your goal?" This is the most important decision you'll make in the setup process because it tells the algorithm what result you want to optimize for.

• More Video Views: This goal is straightforward. TikTok will show your video to as many people as possible who are likely to watch it. This is great for broad awareness campaigns where you simply want to get eyeballs on your content.
• More Website Visits: This allows you to add a clickable Call-to-Action (CTA) button to your video. You'll input your website URL and choose from preset button text like "Learn More," "Shop Now," or "Sign Up." Use this if your goal is to drive traffic and conversions.
• More Followers: With this goal, TikTok will optimize a CTA that encourages users to follow your account. It's an excellent choice if your primary focus is on building your community directly on the platform.

Select the goal that aligns with your overall marketing objective for this particular video.

Step 4: Define Your Target Audience

Next, you'll choose who sees your ad. You have two main options here:

1. Automatic: TikTok decides for you. The algorithm will show your video to users who are similar to your existing followers. This is the simplest option and can be effective if your follower base already reflects your ideal customer.
2. Custom: You take control. This option is almost always better for targeted campaigns. You can define your audience based on:
   • Gender: Male, Female, or All.
   • Age: Select from brackets like 13-17, 18-24, 25-34, etc.
   • Interests: This is the most powerful part. You can select multiple categories that match your audience's hobbies and passions, like "Beauty & Personal Care," "Gaming," "Home Improvement," or "Financial Services." Be specific, but not so narrow that your audience size becomes too small.

Once you create a custom audience, you can save it for future promotions, which saves you a ton of time.

Step 5: Set Your Budget and Duration

This is where you decide how much you want to spend and for how long. The interface is simple:

• Budget: You set a total budget for the campaign, typically with a minimum amount per day (e.g., $5/day).
• Duration: You choose the number of days you want the promotion to run, from 1 to 10 days.

As you adjust the budget and duration sliders, TikTok will give you an estimated number of video views your promotion will receive. This is just an estimate, but it gives you a good idea of the reach your budget can buy. For your first promotion, it's wise to start with a small budget ($20-$30) over a few days (2-3 days) to test the waters and see how it performs.

After setting your budget, you'll be taken to a summary page. Here, you'll add your payment information (credit/debit card or other options). Review everything one last time before hitting confirm.

After Hitting 'Promote': What to Expect

Once you submit your promotion, your video will go into a review queue to ensure it meets TikTok's advertising policies. This usually takes a few minutes, but can sometimes take up to 24 hours. The promote button will read "Under review," you'll get a notification when it's approved.

While the promotion is running, you can track its performance by going back to the same Promote settings for that video. TikTok provides simple analytics on:

• Video Views: The total number of paid views on your video.
• Clicks: (for website visit goals) Total link clicks.
• Follower Growth: (for follower goals) New followers gained from the ad.
• Audience Demographics: Basic data on the age and gender of people who engaged with your ad.

Take note of what works. Did a certain interest group perform better? Was the cost-per-click reasonable? Use this information to refine your strategy for your next boosted post.

Final Thoughts

Boosting a post on TikTok is a powerful, low-barrier way to grow your reach, drive traffic, and find new followers. It turns your best organic content into a growth engine by amplifying its success and placing it directly in front of a targeted audience you couldn't reach otherwise.

The foundation of any good social strategy, both paid and organic, is consistency and knowing what content resonates. At Postbase, we built our platform to make that planning and analysis effortless. By using our visual content calendar and easy-to-read analytics across all your platforms, you can see at a glance which Reels, Shorts, and TikToks are performing best. That way, when you're ready to put money behind a post, you're not guessing - you're making a data-backed decision to amplify your best work.