A dark post is a targeted ad that doesn't appear on the advertiser's timeline, page, or stories but instead in the feed of the audience that has been targeted. A boosted post appears on a page’s timeline, and can have money applied to it in order to boost it to a specific audience.

In a recent test comparing the differences between dark ads and boosted posts, Wavo discovered that dark ads generated three times as many views and were likely to be viewed for longer whilst boosted posts generated significantly more engagement per dollar.

This indicates that dark ads increase views, whereas boosted posts are best for growing a fanbase.