Short answer: To run ads on Instagram you need a professional account. The quickest way is to boost a post: on your profile, tap the post, tap Boost, set the goal, audience, budget and duration, and tap Create ad. Instagram reviews the ad before it runs. For more control, create the ad in Meta Ads Manager and choose Instagram as a placement. In the Instagram app on an iPhone or iPad, an Apple fee of 30% may apply when you add funds; boosting on instagram.com avoids it.
Before you start
Instagram only runs ads from a professional account, business or creator. If yours is still personal, our guide on how to set up an Instagram business account covers the switch.
A Facebook account is optional for a simple boost. You need one to boost with a Meta ad account, to use Ads Manager, or to show the ad on Facebook too.
Where you can create Instagram ads
| Where you create the ad | What you get |
|---|---|
| The Instagram app or instagram.com | Boost a feed post, Reel, Story or partner content. Audience and placements are set automatically |
| Your Facebook Page | Ads that can run on Facebook and Instagram, with some audience and placement options |
| Meta Business Suite | Posts, ads, permissions and insights for both apps in one place, with some Advantage+ features |
| Meta Ads Manager | Every Advantage+ feature available to you, and campaigns across Instagram and Facebook |
From Instagram’s help page Ways to advertise on Instagram.
Boosting from the app and from instagram.com has the same features. The difference is how much you control: a boost starts from automatic audience and placement settings, while Ads Manager lets you choose each one yourself.
How to boost a post on Instagram
These are Instagram’s steps in the app. On instagram.com they are the same:
- Go to your profile and tap the post you want to boost. Below the post’s image, tap Boost.
- Choose With a Facebook ad account or Without a Facebook ad account. With an ad account, tap Continue and log in to the Facebook account that has admin access to it.
- Set the Goal, the result you want from the ad, and the Audience, the people you want to reach.
- Set the Budget, how much you want to spend each day, and the Duration. Then tap Next.
- Tap Create ad below Review. Instagram reviews the ad against its ad policies, and it starts running once it is approved.
To pause a boost, go to your profile, tap Professional dashboard, then Ad tools under Your tools. Tap Edit on the ad, then Pause ad and Pause.
With or without a Meta ad account
Instagram recommends boosting with a Meta ad account. You get your Facebook payment method and ad settings in Instagram, plus features such as saved audiences. Without one, you enter a payment method the first time you boost, and you manage the ad only in Instagram.
To connect it, go to your profile and tap Menu. Under For professionals, tap Ads payments, then Add new payment method with a Facebook account. Check the ad account shown and tap Continue.
Instagram’s help also warns that anyone with access to your professional account can use the connected ad account and see its payment information. If you move from a non-Meta ad account to a Meta one, you can’t go back, and you lose access to the ads you made before. Pause them first.
Apple’s 30% fee on iPhone and iPad
When you boost in the Instagram app on an iPhone or iPad, you pay through the App Store. Instagram says an Apple service fee of 30% of the total ad payment, before taxes and local fees, may apply when you add funds there. Apple keeps it, not Instagram or Meta.
Instagram lists ways to avoid it: boost on instagram.com from a computer or a phone’s browser, or add funds to the ad account from a computer or the Ads Manager app. You can also boost from Meta Business Suite or create the ad in Ads Manager.
Instagram ads in Meta Ads Manager
Ads Manager is where you pick the objective, the placements and the audience yourself. In Meta’s steps, you click + Create, choose an objective that supports Instagram and click Continue. Then you set the budget, schedule, audience and placements.
To show the ad only on Instagram, click Show more settings in placements and select Instagram under Platforms. Meta recommends Include all available placements instead, so the ad can run across its apps. Click Next, add the identity, destination and creative, and preview the ad before it goes to review.
Your Instagram account connects to Ads Manager through your business portfolio or your Page’s settings. Our guide on how to run Facebook ads walks through a full campaign in Ads Manager.
Boosted ads that also run on Facebook
Meta is rolling out an option to show an Instagram boost on Facebook too, from the Instagram mobile app. It needs an Instagram business or creator account, a personal Facebook account and a Facebook Page, and it works for ads that click to WhatsApp and for lead ads.
Tap Boost post, choose a goal such as More messages or More leads, and under Audience turn on Allow Facebook placement. Instagram says the option is reaching some countries first and may not be available to every advertiser.
Budget and payment
Instagram doesn’t publish a fixed price. You decide how much to spend each day and for how long. Instagram ads run through the same Meta tools as Facebook ads. Our article on how much Facebook ads cost gives what a lead costs by industry.
Before you boost
- A professional account, business or creator.
- A goal that matches what you want: messages, leads or visits.
- A daily budget and an end date you are comfortable with.
- On an iPhone, boost on instagram.com or add funds from a computer.
- If you use a Meta ad account, only trusted people with access to the Instagram account.
RememberBoost from your profile to start fast, or use Ads Manager to choose the audience and placements yourself. Connect a Meta ad account if you can, and boost on instagram.com to avoid Apple’s 30% fee on iPhone.
If you want us to plan and run your Instagram and Facebook ads, see our Meta Ads service.
Quick answers about Instagram ads
How do I boost a post on Instagram?
From a professional account, go to your profile, tap the post and tap Boost. Choose to boost with or without a Facebook ad account, set the goal, audience, daily budget and duration, then tap Create ad. Instagram reviews the ad before it starts running.
Do I need a Facebook account to run Instagram ads?
Not to boost a post: Instagram lets you boost without a Facebook ad account and enter a payment method in the app. To boost with a Meta ad account, or to create ads in Ads Manager, you log in with Facebook.
How do I pause a boosted post?
Go to your profile and tap Professional dashboard, then Ad tools under Your tools. Tap Edit on the running ad, then Pause ad and Pause to confirm. If you plan to connect a Meta ad account, pause boosts made without one first.
Why is my boosted post not running yet?
Every boosted post is reviewed against Meta’s ad policies, and it starts running only after it is approved. Until then it is created but not shown to anyone, so check it again later from the Professional dashboard.
Can my Instagram ads also show on Facebook?
Yes. Ads made in Ads Manager can run on both. From the Instagram app, Meta is rolling out an option to also deliver ads that click to WhatsApp, or lead ads, on Facebook. It needs a Facebook Page and is not available to every advertiser yet.
Sources
All read on November 2, 2026. Instagram Help Center: Ways to advertise on Instagram and Boost ads on Instagram with Meta Ad Account options. Also About Meta Ad Account options for ads on Instagram and Connect your Instagram professional account to a Meta ad account. Then Create Instagram ads that deliver to Facebook and Avoid the Apple service fee by boosting on instagram.com. Meta Business Help Center: How to create Instagram ads in Meta Ads Manager.