The turbulent relationship between tech giants Meta and Apple has recently brought another problem for advertisers. iPhone users in the US will now have to pay an added 30% fee to Apple to boost posts on Facebook and Instagram. Ouch! But Meta is offering businesses a way around it…
What’s happening?
If a company wants to host their app on Apple’s App Store, they’re currently charged a 30% fee to allow users to make digital purchases in that app. This includes any transaction on social media apps to boost posts, as is possible on Facebook and Instagram. Although Apple updated their App Store Review Guidelines back in October 2022, Meta is only now being forced to comply for its boosted posts feature.
Starting in the US and soon rolling out to the rest of the world, Facebook or Instagram boosted posts that are paid for in-app will incur this 30% fee to Apple. The cost of boosting the post will also need to be paid upfront, rather than after the fact.
What has Meta said?
Meta has released a statement acknowledging the impact the added charge will bring, particularly for small businesses. However, while they want to place the blame entirely at Apple’s door, Meta is responsible for their decision to pass these fees to their customers, rather than take the hit themselves.
What’s the solution?
Well, hope is not lost for those wanting to use Facebook and Instagram boosted posts. The main takeaway is that you should avoid doing it in-app on Apple systems. There are a couple of ways you can do that:
Use a web browser to access Facebook and Instagram when boosting posts
This is the advice Meta themselves are giving. Tools used to boost posts on the iOS apps are all available when using the web browser versions of Facebook and Instagram, except you’ll avoid those in-app fees. This is likely to be the most straightforward solution for the time being.
Use the Meta Ads Manager app
If you’re not keen to use the web browser, you also have the option of paying for boosted posts using the Meta Ads Manager app. The App Store guidelines exempt ad campaign management apps from the in-app payment fee, so you’ll incur no extra charges for boosting your posts this way.
What’s the difference between a boosted post and a paid ad?
Boosted posts are regular posts made to Facebook or Instagram that you can pay to reach a wider audience. These don’t require as much technical know-how as paid ads do. Therefore, they’re a great way for small businesses to get noticed. Posts can be boosted using any of the methods we’ve talked about, including directly from the Facebook and Instagram apps, so long as you’re willing to pay the added fee to Apple if you’re using one of their devices.
Paid Ads will appear similar to regular in-feed and Story posts. They offer more options for customisation and optimisation to reach your target audience. Using Meta Ads gives you a lot more options to pursue different strategies that work for your business goals.
How do I create a boosted post?
Head to your Facebook Page or Instagram profile, find the post you’d like to boost, and then click the ‘Boost Post’ button that appears at the bottom. Sometimes, there may be reasons why a post can’t be boosted. E.g. if you want to boost an Instagram Reel, it must be less than 90 seconds and can’t use any copyrighted music.
From there you can set your goal, audience, budget and duration. You can choose whether to have the post on your connected Facebook or Instagram (depending on which you’re using to boost your post) or keep it on just one platform. Finally, you can adjust placements and Advantage+ creative settings before completing the process.
As soon as your post has been reviewed, it’ll go live and remain boosted for however long you’ve set the duration for.
Want to know more about how you can use boosted posts and Meta ads for your business? Get in touch with our Newcastle digital marketing agency today, we’d love to chat!