Instagram creators can now turn an active livestream into an ad and pay to put it in front of people beyond their existing followers. The live video itself becomes the ad creative and can appear in Feed, Stories and Reels while the broadcast is running.
Promoting an upcoming Live was already possible through Meta’s advertising tools. What changes here is the workflow: creators can set up the paid promotion from Instagram’s Live composer instead of building a separate campaign in Ads Manager.
The ad only runs while the creator is live
Creators can choose their own target audience or use Instagram’s suggested audience, then set the timing for the promotion. Instagram recommends scheduling the boost at least two hours before the broadcast to reduce ad-delivery delays. The promotion starts around the live session and stops when the livestream ends, so the paid reach is designed to bring viewers into an event that is happening in real time rather than promote a replay afterwards.
Live reach can now be bought at the point of broadcast
That gives creators a paid distribution option for moments where timing matters, such as interviews, launches, Q&As, collaborations or live-shopping sessions. A creator no longer has to rely only on follower notifications or organic discovery to bring people into the room while the event is still happening.
For brands working with creators, the feature also makes it easier to put media spend directly behind a creator-led Live without preparing separate ad creative. The cost still depends on the audience, budget and duration selected in Instagram’s ad setup; Instagram has not announced a separate fee for boosting a Live.
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Paid reach does not guarantee a live audience
Boosting changes distribution, not the quality or outcome of the broadcast. A promoted Live can reach more people, but Instagram does not promise attendance, engagement or sales. Because the ad stops with the stream, creators and brands have a narrow window to turn paid impressions into viewers, comments, enquiries or purchases.
