Use the Traffic objective with the conversion location Instagram profile. The only performance goal is “Maximise number of Instagram profile visits”, and ads run on Instagram placements only12. Meta optimises for visits, not follows, and Ads Manager doesn’t report follows, so track followers gained yourself and work out your cost per follower.
Set up an Instagram follower campaign
| Setting | Choose |
|---|---|
| Objective | Traffic |
| Conversion location | Instagram profile |
| Performance goal | Maximise number of Instagram profile visits |
| Bid strategy | Highest volume |
| Placements | Instagram: Feed, Stories, Reels, Explore and search |
| Button | Visit Instagram profile (no website link) |
Get your profile ready first
The ad brings people to your profile; the profile decides whether they follow. Before you spend:
- A bio that says exactly what people get by following (“Daily tips for first-home buyers on the Gold Coast”).
- A profile photo that reads at a tiny size.
- At least 9 strong posts, with your best 3 pinned.
- A clear reason to stay: a series, a regular drop, useful how-tos.
What to put in the ads
- Your best organic Reels: they’ve already proven people watch them. Using an existing post keeps its likes and comments.
- Say what following gets them, in the first 2 seconds and in the caption.
- Vertical video, captions on: most people watch without sound.
Work out your cost per follower
Ads Manager shows cost per profile visit, not follows2. Note your follower count before the campaign, then each week divide spend by followers gained.
| Example week | |
|---|---|
| Spend | $140 |
| Profile visits | 1,900 |
| Followers gained | 380 |
| Cost per follower | $0.37 |
Facebook Page likes
For Facebook, choose the Engagement objective with the conversion location Facebook Page and the performance goal “Maximise number of Page likes”1. Target only the places you serve: cheap likes from far away are worth nothing to a local business.
Are followers worth paying for?
Only if you turn them into customers. Followers are a warm audience: retarget people who engaged with your Instagram account in the last 90 days with a Sales or Leads campaign. If you mostly want sales or enquiries, run those campaigns directly: Meta delivers what you optimise for.
An Engagement campaign optimising for ThruPlay views builds an audience of people who watched your videos. Retarget the ones who watched 50% or more1.
Questions
Can I run ads that optimise for Instagram follows?
Not directly. The Instagram profile conversion location optimises for profile visits, and follows happen on the profile2.
Do boosted posts get followers?
They can bring some, but a boost optimises for engagement with the post. If followers are the goal, the Instagram profile visits setup sends people where the follow button is.
How much do Instagram followers cost with ads?
It varies widely by niche, content and country. Track your own cost per follower each week with the method above, and judge ads on that, not on profile visits alone.
See what your own ads are worth
Tony checks every live ad each morning and tells you which to turn off, which to scale and why, using your numbers. The first audit is free and takes four minutes.
Sources. Dollar figures from studies are shown in your currency, converted at Reserve Bank of Australia rates for 9 October 2026 and rounded; each source has the original. Example amounts are the same number in your currency.
- Meta Business Help Centre, “Performance goals available by ad objective and conversion location”. www.facebook.com/business/help/416997652473726
- Jon Loomer, “Instagram profile visits ads”, updated March 2025: Traffic objective, Instagram profile conversion location, optimised for profile visits only. www.jonloomer.com/?p=40722