TL;DR
- Instagram added an option for creators to boost live videos as ads directly from the livestream composer, Social Media Today reported on September 30, 2026.
- The feature joins Instagram's existing boost options for posts, Stories and Reels.
- Creators can boost before going live or schedule ahead; Instagram recommends scheduling at least 2 hours in advance to cut delivery delays.
- The boosted ad only runs while the creator is actively broadcasting, and it can show in Feed, Stories and Reels.
Instagram now lets creators boost a live video as a paid ad directly from the livestream composer, instead of only being able to boost the replay after the broadcast ends. Social Media Today reported the change on September 30, 2026, describing it as a new entry in Instagram's existing menu of boost options, which already covered regular feed posts, Stories and Reels.
What exactly changed
Before this update, a creator going live on Instagram had no in-app way to turn that broadcast into a paid ad while it was actually happening. Boosting was something applied to a post, a Story or a Reel after it existed as a finished piece of content sitting on the creator's profile. The new option sits inside the livestream composer itself, the same screen a creator uses to start a broadcast, write a title, and choose who can comment. From that screen, a creator can now also choose to boost the stream as an ad, extending paid reach to a format that, until this update, was organic-only.
The mechanism Social Media Today described is an extension of the boost button creators already use on posts, Stories and Reels, applied for the first time to a live broadcast rather than to a static piece of content.
How the livestream boost actually works
Boosting right before you go live
The first path is to boost a live video at the point of going live. A creator opens the livestream composer, sets up the broadcast as usual, and selects the boost option before starting the stream. Because the ad depends on an active broadcast, it only begins running once the stream is actually live, not the moment the boost is confirmed in the composer.
Scheduling a boost in advance
The second path is to schedule the boost ahead of a planned livestream rather than setting it up in the few minutes before broadcasting. Instagram recommends creators schedule the boost at least two hours before the stream starts. The stated reason is to reduce delivery delays: the ad system gets time to begin spending and finding an audience before the broadcast begins, instead of trying to ramp up delivery in the opening minutes of a live video that might only run for a short window.
That two-hour recommendation is the only specific timing guidance in Social Media Today's report. It does not specify a maximum scheduling window, a minimum livestream length for a boost to be worthwhile, or a recommended starting budget.
Why the placement inside the composer matters
Putting the boost option inside the same screen used to start the broadcast is a workflow change as much as an ad-product change. Previously, a creator deciding whether to promote a livestream had to wait until it existed as a saved video, then boost that recording after the live audience had already moved on. Folding the decision into the pre-broadcast setup means the choice to pay for extra reach has to be made before, not after, the event, which in turn is what makes the two-hour scheduling recommendation relevant: a creator planning a boosted livestream now has to think about ad delivery lead time as part of planning the broadcast itself, not as an afterthought once it is over.
Where the boosted livestream ad shows up
Once live, the boosted ad can appear in Feed, in Stories and in Reels, the same three surfaces Instagram already uses for its other boosted content. The report frames this as the live video gaining the same distribution reach as a boosted post, Story or Reel, for as long as the broadcast continues. Instagram ties the ad's active window directly to the broadcast itself: the ad only runs while the creator is actively broadcasting. Once the creator ends the stream, the paid placement tied to that specific boost ends with it, because there is no longer a live broadcast for the ad to attach to.
Instagram's boost options at a glance
The table below lines up what the report says about each boost format, limited strictly to the details given in that report.
| Boost format | Available before this update | Can be scheduled in advance | Ad runs only while actively broadcasting |
|---|---|---|---|
| Regular posts | Yes | Not specified in the report | Not applicable, since a post is not a live broadcast |
| Stories | Yes | Not specified in the report | Not applicable, since a Story is not a live broadcast |
| Reels | Yes | Not specified in the report | Not applicable, since a Reel is not a live broadcast |
| Live video | No, added as of the September 30, 2026 report | Yes, Instagram recommends at least 2 hours ahead | Yes |
What this means for Thai marketers running live sales
Social Media Today's report does not mention Thailand, live commerce or livestream selling at all. Everything in this section is Relevant Audience's own analysis of how the mechanism described above could interact with a format that is already large in the Thai market, not a claim made by the source.
Livestream selling on Facebook and Instagram, and increasingly on TikTok, is a mainstream retail channel in Thailand, used by everyone from independent fashion sellers to large retail brands running scheduled live-sale events. Up to now, a brand running an Instagram live sale could only build organic reach during the broadcast itself, or promote the replay afterward as a Reel or a post. A boost option that keeps running ads while the stream is actually live changes that calculation: in principle, a brand could pay to extend the live sale's reach into Feed, Stories and Reels for the duration of the event itself, while shoppers are watching and able to buy, instead of only after the moment has already passed. This is also the kind of format Relevant Audience's paid social team gets asked about when a client's live-sale events need a bigger push.
Before leaning on this for a live-sale event, a brand running live commerce in Thailand should check a few things inside its own account rather than assume the mechanics will behave the same way as a Reel boost. First, delivery timing: since Instagram recommends scheduling at least two hours ahead, a team planning a live sale needs to build that lead time into event planning, rather than treating the boost as something to switch on minutes before going live, the way many livestream sellers currently treat going live itself. Second, creative requirements: the report does not specify whether the boosted livestream ad needs its own caption, cover image or call-to-action separate from the stream itself, so this is worth testing directly in the ad account well before a high-stakes sale event, not during one. Third, budget pacing: because the ad is only active for as long as the broadcast runs, a short live sale gives the ad system a narrower window to spend a budget than a Reel or post boost that can keep running for days after it is set up.
None of this is a promise of results. It is a description of what the mechanism Instagram described makes possible, set against a livestream-selling format that is already common in Thailand's retail market.
What the source did not say
Social Media Today's report does not say when the feature finishes rolling out to all creators, whether it is available worldwide at launch, what it costs relative to boosting a Reel or a post, or whether results from a livestream boost differ from other boost formats. It does not mention Thailand, live commerce, or any specific brand or client, and none of those gaps are filled in above. Where the report is silent, this article says so rather than guessing.
FAQ
What did Instagram actually add on September 30, 2026?
Instagram added an option for creators to boost a live video as an ad directly from the livestream composer, according to Social Media Today's report that day. It joins Instagram's existing boost options for regular posts, Stories and Reels.
Can I schedule the livestream boost ahead of time, or only set it up right before going live?
Both options exist: a creator can boost a live video just before going live, or schedule the boost in advance. Instagram recommends at least two hours of lead time before the stream starts to reduce delivery delays.
Does the boosted ad keep running after I stop broadcasting?
No, based on the report, the boosted ad only runs while the creator is actively broadcasting. Ending the stream ends that specific ad's active window along with it.
Where does the boosted livestream ad appear to people who are not watching the live video?
The report states the ad can show in Feed, Stories and Reels, the same three surfaces Instagram already uses for its other boosted content formats.
Is this live in Thailand?
Not stated by the source. Social Media Today's report does not mention a country-by-country rollout or confirm availability in Thailand specifically, so this should be checked directly inside an Instagram account's boost options rather than assumed.
Brands that already run paid social around live-shopping moments, product drops or event broadcasts can get a structured read on where a feature like this fits into a wider paid social plan through Relevant Audience's social ads services. Brands selling through live-commerce events in particular may also want to look at how paid social lines up with ecommerce marketing support around the same sale windows.
