INTRODUCTION
Dark posting, also known as dark posts or unpublished posts, refers to a type of social media advertising where the content is not published on the advertiser’s main timeline or feed. Instead, these posts are targeted advertisements that are shown only to specific segments of users based on their demographics, interests, behavior, or other targeting criteria.
Dark posting offers several advantages, like the ability to A/B test different ad creatives, target specific audience segments more effectively, and maintain a cleaner public profile without cluttering it with promotional content. That said, you need to ensure that their dark posts comply with the social media platform’s advertising policies and guidelines.
TLDR SUMMARY
1. What is Dark Posting on Instagram, Facebook and TikTok?
2. Can You do Dark Posting on Other Social Media Platforms?
3. Step by Step: How to do Dark Posts in 2024
4. Conclusion: Ready For Your First Dark Post?
1. What is Dark Posting on Instagram, Facebook and TikTok?
Here’s how dark posting works on the major social media platforms:
Instagram: Dark posting on Instagram involves creating sponsored posts that appear as regular content in users’ feeds but are not published on the advertiser’s profile. These posts can target specific audiences using Instagram’s advertising tools, such as age, location, interests, and behavior.
Facebook: Similarly, on Facebook, dark posts are sponsored posts that don’t appear on the advertiser’s page but are targeted to specific audiences based on various criteria, such as demographics, interests, and behaviors. Advertisers can use Facebook Ads Manager to create and manage dark posts.
TikTok: Dark posting on TikTok involves creating and promoting videos as advertisements to specific target audiences. These videos don’t show up on the advertiser’s TikTok profile but can be promoted to users based on factors like age, location, interests, and device type.
2. Can You do Dark Posting on other Social Media Platforms?
Yes, dark posting or unpublished posts are not limited to just Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok. Many other social media platforms offer similar features for advertisers to create targeted ads that don’t appear on their public profiles or timelines. Some examples include:
X: X allows advertisers to create promoted “tweets” that are targeted to specific audiences based on factors like interests, demographics, and behaviors. These promoted “tweets” can appear in users’ timelines but won’t be visible on the advertiser’s profile.
LinkedIn: LinkedIn offers sponsored content options where advertisers can create targeted posts that appear in users’ feeds. These sponsored posts can be targeted based on job title, industry, company size, and other criteria but do not show up on the advertiser’s profile.
Pinterest: Pinterest allows advertisers to create promoted pins, which are pins that appear in users’ feeds and search results. These promoted pins can be targeted based on interests, demographics, keywords, and other factors but do not appear on the advertiser’s profile.
3. Step by Step: How to do Dark Posts in 2024
These steps will guide you through the process of creating dark posts on Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, X, LinkedIn and Pinterest. Remember to review and optimize your ads regularly to achieve the best results.
Dark Posting on Instagram
1. Access Facebook Ads Manager: Since Facebook owns Instagram, you’ll need to access Facebook’s Ads Manager to create Instagram ads.
2. Create Ad Campaign: In Facebook Ads Manager, click “Create” to start a new ad campaign.
3. Set Objective: Choose your advertising objective based on what you want to achieve with your Instagram ad (e.g., brand awareness, traffic, conversions).
4. Define Audience: Specify your target audience by selecting demographics, interests, behaviors, etc.
5. Create Ad Creative: Design your ad creative, including image or video, caption, call-to-action, etc.
6. Select Ad Placement: Choose “Manual Placement” and select Instagram as the platform where you want your ad to appear.
7. Publish as Dark Post: Complete the ad setup process and publish your ad. It will appear as a sponsored post on users’ Instagram feeds but won’t be visible on your Instagram profile.
Dark Posting on Facebook
1. Access Facebook Ads Manager: Go to Facebook Ads Manager at business.facebook.com.
2. Create Ad Campaign: Click “Create” to start a new ad campaign.
3. Choose Objective: Select the advertising objective that aligns with your goals (e.g., traffic, conversions, engagement).
4. Define Audience: Specify your target audience based on demographics, interests, behaviors, etc.
5. Design Ad Creative: Create your ad creative, including image or video, text, headline, etc.
6. Select Ad Placement: Choose “Manual Placement” and deselect the option to place the ad on your Facebook Page.
7. Publish as Dark Post: Complete the ad setup process and publish your ad. It will appear as a sponsored post in users’ Facebook feeds but won’t be visible on your Facebook Page.
Dark Posting on TikTok
1. Access TikTok Ads Manager: Go to ads.tiktok.com and sign in to your TikTok Ads Manager account.
2. Create Campaign: Click “Create” to start a new ad campaign.
3. Select Objective: Choose the advertising objective that matches your goals (e.g., app installs, website visits, video views).
4. Define Audience: Specify your target audience based on demographics, interests, behaviors, etc.
5. Design Ad Creative: Create your ad creative, which can be a video ad tailored for TikTok’s format.
6. Choose Ad Placement: Select where you want your ad to appear on TikTok.
7. Publish as Dark Post: Complete the ad setup process and publish your ad. It will be shown to users on TikTok but won’t be visible on your profile.
Dark Posting on X
1. Access X Ads: Go to ads.x.com and sign in to your X Ads account.
2. Create Campaign: Click “Create Campaign” to start a new ad campaign.
3. Choose Objective: Select the advertising objective that best fits your goals (e.g., awareness, engagement, website clicks, or conversions).
4. Define Audience: Specify your target audience based on demographics, interests, behaviors, etc.
5. Design Ad Creative: Create your ad creative, including text, image, or video.
6. Select Ad Placement: Choose where you want your ad to appear on X.
7. Publish as Dark Post: Complete the ad setup process and publish your ad. It will be shown to users on X but won’t be visible on your profile.
Dark Posting on LinkedIn
1. Access LinkedIn Campaign Manager: Go to linkedin.com/campaignmanager and sign in to your LinkedIn Campaign Manager account.
2. Create Campaign: Click “Create Campaign” to start a new ad campaign.
3. Choose Objective: Select the advertising objective that aligns with your goals (e.g., brand awareness, website visits, lead generation).
4. Define Audience: Specify your target audience based on demographics, job titles, industries, etc.
5. Design Ad Creative: Create your ad creative, including text, image, or video.
6. Select Ad Placement: Choose where you want your ad to appear on LinkedIn.
7. Publish as Dark Post: Complete the ad setup process and publish your ad. It will be shown to users on LinkedIn but won’t be visible on your profile.
Dark Posting on Pinterest
1. Access Pinterest Ads Manager: Go to ads.pinterest.com and sign in to your Pinterest Ads Manager account.
2. Create Campaign: Click “Create ad” to start a new ad campaign.
3. Choose Objective: Select the advertising objective that matches your goals (e.g., awareness, engagement, traffic).
4. Define Audience: Specify your target audience based on demographics, interests, keywords, etc.
5. Design Ad Creative: Create your ad creative, including image or video, text overlay, etc.
6. Select Ad Placement: Choose where you want your ad to appear on Pinterest.
7. Publish as Dark Pin: Complete the ad setup process and publish your ad. It will be shown to users on Pinterest but won’t be visible on your profile.
CONCLUSION
4. Ready For Your First Dark Post?
Dark posts are a great way to promote your brand without crowding your timeline or page with ads. You also won’t bother existing followers with ads that are meant for new, potential clients. In this guide, we’ve shown you a detailed guide for creating dark posts, which you can bookmark for later reference. We hope this helps you create your very first dark post on any of the social media platforms you would like to boost! If you have any questions about social media management services or social media advertising services, feel free to contact Estes Media anytime.
