Facebook is one of the most popular social media platforms, with over 2.9 billion monthly active users as of the second quarter of 2022. On Facebook, users can connect with friends, family, colleagues, and more by sending friend requests. Once a friend request is accepted, the two users are “friends” on Facebook and can see each other’s posts, photos, and more based on privacy settings.
In addition to friends, Facebook also has the concept of “followers.” Users can follow Pages, public figures, artists, businesses, brands, organizations, and more without needing to send a friend request. Followers can see public posts from the accounts they follow in their News Feed.
What’s the difference between friends and followers on Facebook?
The main difference between friends and followers on Facebook is:
- Friends – Reciprocal, two-way connection between users who have both accepted each other’s friend requests. Both users can see limited profile information about each other and interact through posts, messages, reactions, etc.
- Followers – One-way connection where one user follows another public account without needing to be accepted as a friend. The follower can see the public posts of the account they follow but has limited profile access and interactions.
In summary, friends on Facebook establish a mutual, two-way connection to share and interact. Followers subscribe to the public updates of accounts without necessarily having a personal relationship.
Can friends also be followers?
Yes, it is possible for two users to be both friends and for one to also follow the other on Facebook. Here are some examples of how this can happen:
- Celebrity and fan – If a celebrity accepts a friend request from a fan, they become Facebook friends. But the fan can also follow the celebrity’s public Page to receive updates in their News Feed.
- Acquaintances – Two people who know each other in real life but may not be close friends can become Facebook friends. One may also follow the other to see additional public posts.
- One-way friends – If User A sends User B a friend request, but User B does not reciprocate, they are still considered Facebook friends. In this case, User B could also follow User A to see more posts.
The main takeaway is that friend connections are separate from following on Facebook. So even if two users are already friends, one can still follow the other to receive updates from associated public accounts on Pages, groups, events and more.
How many friends follow you on Facebook?
The number of friends that also follow a user on Facebook can vary significantly depending on factors like:
- Total number of friends – Users with more friends naturally have a bigger pool that could potentially follow them.
- Public figure status – Celebrities, influencers, and public figures tend to have a higher percentage of friends that also follow their public account or Page.
- Activity level – Users who post and interact more frequently tend to attract more followers from their friend list.
- Quality of content – Friends are more inclined to follow users who post content they find interesting, useful and engaging.
While Facebook does not provide statistics on connections, there are some techniques users can try to estimate what percentage of their friends also follow them:
- Compare friend count to Page follower count.
- Notice follower increases after posting that only friends would see.
- Ask friends if they also follow your Page or account.
- Use third-party Facebook analytics tools.
For an average Facebook user who is not a public figure, anywhere from 10-30% of their friend list following them would be common. This percentage is likely much higher for celebrities, brands and other public entities.
Should you follow all your Facebook friends back?
There are pros and cons to following back everyone who follows you on Facebook:
Pros:
- Increases likelihood they will see your posts and stories.
- Can strengthen mutual friend connections.
- Grows your own follower count.
Cons:
- Following low-value accounts can clutter News Feed.
- Harder to manage notifications from hundreds/thousands of follows.
- Some friends may not expect or want a follow back.
Given these considerations, here are some best practices on reciprocating follows from friends:
- Follow close friends and family who actively engage with your content.
- Be selective about which acquaintances you follow back.
- Focus on accounts that align to your interests and add value.
- Periodically review follows and unfollow inactive accounts.
Rather than a blanket follow-back policy, evaluate each connection on its merit. Quality over quantity is better when curating an optimal list of follows on Facebook.
How to see which Facebook friends follow you
Unfortunately Facebook does not have a built-in feature to see which of your friends also follow you. However, there are some third-party tools and tactics users can leverage to identify mutual friends who follow their Facebook account:
- Social Rank – Social media analytics platform that shows friend followers for Facebook Pages.
- Facebook Follower Check – Browser extension that reveals friend followers.
- Download follower list – Manually scan CSV of followers to identify mutual friends.
- Keep track of new followers – Notice when friends recently liked or commented on public posts.
While a bit manual, these solutions can help determine connections from friend list who are also following your Facebook account. This can be useful for cleaning up follows or identifying friends to engage.
Should businesses follow customers on Facebook?
For businesses managing Facebook Pages, there are strategic pros and cons to following customers:
Potential pros:
- Increase visibility of Page posts in follower News Feeds.
- Foster closer customer relationships through personal follow.
- Gain insights into customer interests and feedback by viewing their activity.
Potential cons:
- Following hundreds or thousands of customers is difficult to manage.
- Customers may find a follow from a business too intrusive.
- Business would need to keep following list relevant over time.
Given these factors, here are some best practices for businesses:
- Focus on following loyal customers who actively engage with the brand.
- Be selective instead of automatically following all customers.
- Use a social media management platform to organize follows.
- Periodically review follows and unfollow inactive accounts.
Rather than indiscriminately following every customer, brands should be strategic with follows to maximize value for both the business and customer.
Conclusion
On Facebook, it is common for some friends to also follow each other’s public accounts, Pages and profiles. While friends and followers have distinct meanings, the connections are not mutually exclusive. Facebook does not provide tools to see friend followers, but third-party solutions exist to help identify these relationships.
When managing reciprocal follows with friends or customers, it is best to be selective based on value rather than follow back blindly. Focus on high-quality connections that engage with your content and align to your interests. This helps optimize your News Feed and interactions on Facebook.