TikTok is a popular short-form video app with over 1 billion monthly active users. Like other social media platforms, TikTok allows businesses and creators to promote their content through paid advertising. One advertising option on TikTok is Boosted Posts, which amplify the reach of organic posts for a fee.
Boosting a post is an easy way to get your content in front of more of your current followers and new potential followers. TikTok charges for the promotion based on factors like engagement, video views, and traffic driven to your profile. The cost varies based on the goals and duration of your boosted post campaign.
What is a Boosted Post on TikTok?
A boosted post on TikTok is a post that has been promoted through paid advertising to reach a wider audience beyond just your followers. TikTok allows users to “boost” their posts to increase engagement, views, follows, shares and overall reach.
When you boost a TikTok post, you pay TikTok to show your content to more users on their For You feed. Your post enters an auction and competes against other promoted content for viewership. TikTok’s algorithm determines how widely your boosted post will be distributed based on factors like your target audience, bid price, and content quality.
Boosting is an easy way to get your content in front of new potential followers and increase engagement beyond what you could organically achieve on TikTok. It’s similar to running ads on other social platforms like promoted tweets on Twitter or boosted posts on Facebook. Overall, boosting gives creators and brands the ability to enhance their reach on TikTok by paying for broader distribution of their posts.
Why Boost Posts on TikTok?
Boosting posts on TikTok can help creators, brands, and businesses reach a larger audience and increase engagement. Here are some of the key benefits of boosting TikTok posts:
Reach More Users
TikTok’s algorithm shows your content to a limited portion of your followers at first. Boosting expands the reach to more of your followers as well as new users who may be interested in your content based on TikTok’s recommendation system. This gets your videos and messages in front of more eyes.
Increase Engagement
In addition to reaching more viewers, boosted posts can drive greater engagement. When more users see your content, you’re likely to get more likes, shares, comments, follows, and other actions. Higher engagement signals to the algorithm that your content resonates, which can further amplify your reach.
Cost Factors for Boosted Posts
There are several factors that affect the cost to boost a post on TikTok:
Geolocation
Where you want your boosted post to be shown has a major impact on cost. Targeting larger cities or countries with high populations costs more than targeting less populated areas. Boosting a post to reach TikTok users in the United States will be significantly more expensive than boosting it for a small town.
Audience
Your target audience for the boosted post also drives cost. A narrowly defined audience with specific interests relevant to your content is more affordable to reach than a broad, generic target audience. Factors like age, gender, interests, behaviors, and more can be used to refine your target audience.
Objectives
What you aim to achieve with your boosted post also affects cost. If your goal is to get more views or followers, it will likely be cheaper than if your objective is to drive traffic to your website or get more conversions. The more specific the objective, usually the more it costs to promote a post targeting that outcome.
Typical Pricing for Boosted TikTok Posts
The cost to boost a TikTok post can vary greatly depending on your campaign’s objective, target audience, and location. Here are some typical price ranges:
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Awareness Campaign: $5 – $20 per day
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Traffic Campaign: $10 – $30 per day
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Conversion Campaign: $20 – $50+ per day
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Engagement Campaign: $10 – $40 per day
Location also impacts cost. Targeting the US, Canada, UK, or Australia generally costs more than targeting developing nations. Broadly targeting worldwide can be very affordable but provides less relevant reach.
Narrowing your target audience, such as focusing on a specific age group, gender, interests, or device type will increase costs. Broad campaigns targeting all users tend to be the most budget friendly.
In general, you can expect to spend between $5-$50+ per day for a boosted TikTok post depending on your goals and target market.
Tips to Reduce Costs
There are a few best practices that can help lower your cost-per-thousand (CPM) when boosting posts on TikTok:
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Target a narrow, focused audience. The more targeted your audience, the lower your CPM will typically be. Define your target audience clearly using interests, demographics, behaviors, etc.
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Set a lower daily budget cap. Your daily budget directly impacts CPM – set a budget limit per day and stick to it.
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Avoid peak times for bidding. The auction-based ad system means competition drives up pricing. Avoid boosting at peak hours for your target audience.
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Test content first. See what content performs best organically before spending to boost it. This ensures you choose the right content.
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Use optimal formats. Short videos tend to have lower CPMs than images or long videos on TikTok currently.
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Analyze and optimize. Check your analytics to see what’s working and refine your targeting, bidding, etc. to improve results.
Following best practices with your boosting strategy is key to getting the lowest cost-per-impression and cost-per-engagement over time.
Measuring Return on Investment
When boosting posts on TikTok, it’s important to track metrics to determine if you’re getting a return on your advertising investment. Here are some key metrics to monitor:
Engagement Rate – Calculate the engagement rate by dividing the number of likes, comments, shares and other interactions by the number of views. Look for an increase in engagement rate compared to non-boosted content.
Views – Pay attention to not just the total views but also views from the targeted audience. Make sure views are increasing thanks to the boost.
Followers – Monitor follower growth before, during and after the boosted post. Aim for a noticeable bump in new followers.
Conversions – Track conversions like email signups, purchases, app installs or other desired actions. Measure conversions directly attributable to the boosted post.
ROI Calculation – Add up the revenue generated from conversions and attributed sales. Factor in the cost of the boost. Divide total revenue by cost to get your ROI. Look for an ROI of at least 2:1 or higher.
By regularly analyzing these metrics for boosted posts, you can determine the overall impact and adjust your boosting strategy accordingly to maximize returns.
Comparing TikTok to Other Platforms
When deciding whether to boost a post on TikTok, it can be helpful to compare it to paid advertising options on other major social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram.
Facebook and Instagram allow businesses to create highly targeted ads that reach a precise demographic or interest group. The platforms offer robust analytics on impressions, clicks, and conversions. However, Facebook/Instagram ads can be expensive and it may take significant testing and optimization to achieve results.
Boosting a post on TikTok generally costs less than Facebook or Instagram ads for the same level of reach. However, TikTok’s targeting options are not as advanced. It’s easier to get cheap reach on TikTok but harder to zero in on a specific audience. TikTok also provides more limited analytics compared to Facebook/Instagram.
In general, TikTok post boosting is most effective for raising brand awareness and engagement rather than generating conversions. It can amplify organic content at a reasonable cost. Facebook/Instagram ads are better for honing in on specific demographics and driving traffic or sales.
The ideal strategy may be utilizing TikTok’s organic content and post boosting to expand reach combined with targeted Facebook/Instagram ads to convert that audience into customers. Testing on both platforms is needed to determine the right balance and ROI.
Frequently Asked Questions
Here are some common questions about boosted posts on TikTok:
How much does it cost to boost a post for 1 day?
The cost to boost a post for 1 day can range from $5 to $20 depending on factors like your audience, objectives, and bid strategy. Most users report spending $10 to $15 to boost a post for a day.
Does a boosted post reach more people?
Yes, the purpose of boosting a post is to reach a wider audience beyond just your current followers. TikTok’s algorithm will show your boosted post to more users who are likely to engage with it.
Can I target a specific audience with a boosted post?
Yes, you can target your boosted post to reach particular demographics, interests, behaviors, locations, and more. This allows you to strategically get your post in front of your ideal audience.
How many views do boosted posts usually get?
There is no fixed number of views for boosted posts. The reach depends on factors like your targeting, bidding strategy, budget, and how engaging your content is. Most users report a significant boost in views, often 2x to 10x normal reach.
Should I boost all my posts or just my best ones?
It’s best to be selective and only boost your very best, highest-quality posts. These are the posts that are most likely to resonate with new audiences and get engagement. Boosting lower-quality posts may waste money.
Conclusion
Boosting posts on TikTok can be a cost-effective way to expand your reach and gain new followers on the platform, if done strategically. While prices vary based on factors like audience targeting, objective, and bidding strategy, most brands can expect to pay somewhere in the range of $5 to $20 to boost a standard TikTok post. The key is testing different options to find the best formula that provides a positive return on ad spend for your account.
When comparing TikTok to other platforms like Facebook or Instagram, the costs to boost organic content are generally more affordable on TikTok. However, it’s important to analyze performance data and optimize boosting strategies over time. With careful testing and targeting, boosted TikTok posts can become a valuable piece of your overall social media marketing approach.
