Getting your Facebook posts seen by your audience can be challenging. With over 2 billion monthly active users, there is a lot of content competing for attention. The good news is there are steps you can take to increase the reach and engagement of your Facebook posts. Here are some quick tips:
- Post consistently. Don’t just post once in a while. Develop a regular posting schedule to keep your content in front of your audience.
- Post at optimal times. Pay attention to when your followers are most active on Facebook and aim to post during those high-traffic periods.
- Use relevant hashtags. Include hashtags related to your post topic so it’s more easily discovered.
- Ask questions. Pose questions in your posts to encourage comments and shares.
- Use visuals. Posts with images and video tend to perform better than text-only posts.
- Interact with your audience. Reply to comments, like follower posts, and share user-generated content.
But there are also some key factors about how Facebook’s algorithm works that impact the reach of your posts. Let’s take a deeper look at some of these.
How the Facebook Algorithm Works
The Facebook algorithm controls what content is shown in users’ News Feeds. Its main goals are:
- Show users content that is most relevant to them.
- Keep users engaged on Facebook as long as possible.
So posts that generate a lot of interaction in the form of comments, shares and likes tend to be favored by the algorithm and shown to more people. On the other hand, posts that get very little engagement can be less likely to appear in your audience’s feeds.
Here are some key algorithm factors that can impact your Facebook post reach:
Friends vs. Pages
Posts from friends usually get preference in the News Feed over posts from pages someone follows. So even if your audience likes your Page, your posts may not show up as often as content shared by their friends.
Engagement
The more engagement a post gets, the more it signals to the algorithm that it’s quality content people want to see. So likes, comments, shares and clicks on your posts can all help boost their reach.
Video
Video content tends to be very engaging on Facebook. So posting native videos can help your content get viewed more often than links or images.
Live Video
Facebook really wants to push live video. So broadcasting live is another great way to get your content in front of lots of people.
Post Timing
As mentioned earlier, when you post matters. According to Sprout Social, the best times to post on Facebook are:
- Wednesdays at 11 AM, 1 PM and 3 PM
- Thursdays and Fridays at 1 PM and 3 PM
This is when your audience is most actively checking Facebook.
Negative Comments
Lots of negative comments on your posts can actually signal to the algorithm that your content is poor quality, thus reducing reach. Try to minimize bad comments.
How to Check Your Facebook Post Reach
Wondering how many people your Facebook posts are actually reaching? There are a couple of ways to check this.
Facebook Insights
Insights provides data on your Page’s performance. To access it:
- Go to your Page
- Click “Insights” in the left menu
- Select “Posts” in the tabs at the top
This shows metrics like reach, engagement and clicks for each of your posts.
Post Reach Column
You can also add a Post Reach column when looking at your Posts feed:
- Go to your Page
- Click “Posts” in the left menu
- Click the 3 dots next to “Posts”
- Select “Edit Columns”
- Add the Post Reach column
This shows the reach directly in your main Posts table.
Tips to Increase Your Post Reach
Here are some additional tips to improve Facebook post reach:
Optimize for Sharing
Encourage shares by posting content tailored to your audience and posing questions to spark discussion.
Refine Targeting
Make sure you target your posts to your ideal audience demographic to maximize relevance.
Boost Important Posts
Use Facebook’s advertising tools to promote key posts and expand their reach.
Invite Engagement
Ask questions, run polls and encourage your audience to like, comment and share your posts.
Analyze Performance
Use Insights to see what post types, topics and times perform best. Then do more of that!
Improve Quality
Higher quality content generally equals better engagement and reach. Polish your posts.
Post More Video
Video is hugely popular on Facebook. Share more animated videos, live streams, etc.
Leverage Hashtags
Use relevant hashtags so your content is easily discovered by people outside your current audience.
Conclusion
Getting your Facebook posts seen takes both understanding how the platform’s algorithm works and finding creative ways to boost engagement. Focus on posting high-quality content optimized for your audience at peak times. Analyze your performance data frequently and keep experimenting with new tactics. With some time and effort, you can increase the reach of your Facebook content and connect with more of your target audience.