Troubleshooting Promoted and Boosted Posts in Sprout Social

This guide helps you troubleshoot common challenges with promoted, boosted, and ad posts in Sprout Social. If you're experiencing setup errors, can't find campaign metrics, or have questions about how promotions work across platforms like Facebook and Instagram, this article will walk you through clear solutions and best practices.

Understanding the Basics: Organic vs. Promoted Posts

Before diving into troubleshooting, it’s important to understand the difference between organic and paid content.

• Organic posts are the regular, unpaid content you share directly to your social profiles.
• Promoted or boosted posts are organic posts you pay to amplify, helping them reach a wider or more targeted audience.

In Sprout, you can promote posts on Facebook and Instagram directly from:

• The Compose window
• The Publishing Calendar
• The Post Performance Report

You can also track the performance of your promoted content alongside your organic content using Sprout’s reporting tools. 

For information on how to promote posts, please check How do I run a promotion on my Facebook or Instagram Ad Account in Sprout?

Common Setup and Publishing Issues

Occasionally, you may run into an issue when setting up or publishing your promoted posts. Here are simple ways to resolve them:

• Disabled Ad Account: If your Facebook Ad Account is disabled or hasn’t been properly set up, you won’t be able to run promotions. Check your ad account status in Meta Business Manager and ensure all terms and billing methods are accepted and active.
• Pending Approval: Promotions may not run until Meta completes a review of your ad. This can take a few hours. You can view the status of your ad directly in Facebook Ads Manager.
• Ad Rejected: If your ad doesn’t meet Meta’s Advertising Policies (e.g., restricted language, imagery, or content), it may be rejected. View the rejection notice in Ads Manager and follow the appeal process or adjust the post accordingly.
• Payment/Fund Issues: If your ad account has reached a spending limit or if there’s a billing error, your promotion won’t proceed. In this case, it is important to make sure your payment method is valid and check for any limits that may block delivery.

Why is the ‘Boost Post’ option greyed out?

This usually happens when the Instagram profiles connected to Sprout are not properly linked to an ad account within your Meta Business Portfolio. 

To make sure your Instagram account is linked to the correct Ad Account:

1. Go to business.facebook.com and select the correct Business Portfolio that contains your Instagram accounts.
2. In the left navigation, click Accounts > Instagram Accounts.
3. Select the Instagram Business Profile from the list in the center panel.
4. Click the Connected Assets tab.
5. Under Ad Account, you'll see which ad accounts are currently connected.
   • If none appear, you need to connect an ad account from this section by clicking on Connect Assets at the top.
   • Once the Ad account has been connected as an Asset, the ‘Boost Post’ option becomes available in Sprout.

Can’t Find Your Ad in Ads Manager?

If you've boosted a post from Sprout but can’t locate it in Facebook Ads Manager, it could be due to:

• Incorrect Ad Account: Make sure you selected the right Facebook Ad Account when boosting. You must also have access to this account in both Facebook and Sprout.
• Sync Delay: After publishing or boosting a post, it may take a few minutes to sync with Ads Manager. Check back shortly.
• Dark Posts: If the post was unpublished or used for ad purposes only, it may appear under a different campaign or ad set in Ads Manager. Try filtering your view by "All Ads" or searching by post ID.
  
  For instructions on how to create Unpublished (Dark) posts via Sprout, please check What Facebook Ad Tools Can I Use in Sprout?
• Post is Scheduled, Not Yet Published: Boosted posts that are still scheduled don't appear in Ads Manager until they’re published.

My Ad Failed, but the Post Was Still Published

In some instances, your post will publish organically, but the associated promotion fails. This typically happens when:

• There’s an Ad Account Issue: Your ad account may be missing billing information, disabled, or awaiting a required agreement with Meta.
• The Post Violates Content Policies: Meta may reject your ad if it doesn’t meet community guidelines or contains restricted language or media.
  • To resolve this:
    • Navigate to Meta Ads Manager > Select Campaigns within the left menu.
    • Review the Delivery Column for details on your ad promotion failure and follow the instructions provided by Meta.

After addressing the issue (e.g., resolving the rejection or updating your account), return to the Post Performance Report in Sprout and try boosting the already-published post again.

Missing Paid Metrics or Paid Reporting Discrepancies

Seeing incomplete or inaccurate data for your promoted posts can be alarming. Here’s how to troubleshoot missing metrics:

• Check Ad Account Connection: Go to Sprout > Settings > Groups & Social Profiles > Locate your Ad Account. Ensure your ad account is correctly connected and authorized.
• Allow for Data Syncing: Paid metrics may take time to appear in Sprout, especially right after promotion launch. We recommend allowing 24 hours before reviewing performance.
• Dynamic Creative or Placement Asset Customization Errors: Ads that use Meta’s advanced placement customizations (like multiple image variants or creative A/B tests) may not be fully supported in Sprout's reporting. Consider running simplified ads for clearer tracking in Sprout.

Platform-Specific Boosting Information

Facebook

• You can boost single image, video, or text posts, as well as links and some carousel formats.
• Unpublished or "dark" posts promoted via Facebook won’t appear in the Sprout calendar.
• Boosting can be done from the Compose window, Calendar, or Post Performance Report.

Instagram

• You can boost image, video, and carousel posts on Instagram via Sprout.
• Boosting can be done from Compose window, Calendar, or Post Performance Report.

FAQs

Why don’t I see the option to boost my post in Sprout?

You may not have a valid ad account connected to Sprout, or the post type may not be eligible for boosting. Ensure only Facebook or Instagram is selected as profiles within the profile picker.

My ad was rejected, but the post was still published. What should I do?

Common causes include account permission issues, payment problems, or content rejections. Check Meta’s Ads Manager for specific error messages.
You can edit the original post to meet Meta's guidelines, then boost it again via the Post Performance Report.

Where are the paid metrics for my promoted post?

You can view paid data via your Facebook & Instagram Paid Performance report.
Check your ad account connection and allow time for data syncing. Metrics may take several hours to appear.

Why can't I find my boosted post in the Facebook Ads Manager?

Make sure you're viewing the correct ad account and allow a few minutes for sync. Also check if the post is part of a dark ad or an unpublished campaign.

What’s the difference between boosting on Facebook and Instagram in Sprout?

Both support similar post types, but features like carousel visibility, comment management, and post-publish boosting options may vary slightly by platform.

How do I connect my ad account to Sprout?

Navigate to the right menu > Connect a Profile > Select Facebook > Connect Ad Account and authorize access with your Meta Business credentials.

How do I check if the correct Ad Account is connected to Sprout?

Visit your Sprout Settings > Groups & Social Profiles. You can see a list of connected ad accounts and can adjust permissions there.

Will my post perform differently if boosted from Sprout vs. Facebook Ads Manager?

Boosting in Sprout uses the same Meta infrastructure, so performance is consistent. However, Ads Manager may offer more targeting options.

My colleague can see the Ad Account, but I can't. What should I do?

You may not have the necessary permissions in either Meta Business Manager or Sprout. Contact your admin for access.

I can’t find the correct Ad Account in Compose. Why?

You must have the appropriate permissions and be assigned to the profile in Sprout. Ensure the account is also properly linked in the Meta Business Suite.

I'm getting a "Permissions Error" when trying to boost. How do I fix this?

Ensure you're listed as an admin in both Sprout and Meta Business Manager, and that all required permissions are granted.

Can I edit the audience of a boosted post after it has been published?

If you need to edit audience targeting, cancel the existing promotion and re-boost the post with updated criteria.

My promoted link preview looks wrong. How can I fix it?

Edit the post's metadata before boosting or re-publish with updated preview information.

Can I boost a post from the Sprout mobile app?

Not currently. Boosting is available from the desktop platform only.

Can I A/B test different versions of a boosted post directly in Sprout?

Sprout does not support A/B testing natively. For advanced testing, use Meta Ads Manager.

I received a budget error when boosting, but my ad account has funds. What could be the problem?

You may have reached a spending limit, either at the ad account or campaign level. Check Meta Ads Manager settings and reset limits if needed.

Can I choose my Ad Placement (e.g., Feed only, no Stories) when boosting from Sprout?

Sprout uses default placement settings from Meta. For full control over placements, use Ads Manager directly.

Can I boost an already-published post? 

Yes, you can also boost an already-published post via the Calendar or Post Performance Report.

How do I check the status of my Ad within Meta’s Ads Manager?

Navigate to Meta Ads Manager > Select Campaigns within the left menu. Within the Delivery Column, you will find details on your ad promotion status.