Facebook groups are a great way to connect with people who share similar interests or belong to the same community. As a group admin, you likely want to grow your group by inviting new members. But sending individual invites can be time-consuming, especially if you’re looking to add a lot of people at once. Fortunately, Facebook provides a few different options for mass inviting people to join your group.
In this article, we’ll walk through the various ways you can send mass invites on Facebook:
- Inviting friends
- Inviting people who like your Facebook page
- Importing contacts
- Sharing a join link
We’ll also provide tips for customizing your invite message and targeting the right people to invite. Follow along to learn how to quickly and easily grow your Facebook group membership.
Inviting Friends
The simplest way to mass invite people to your Facebook group is by selecting friends from your Friends list:
- Go to your group’s page and click “Members” in the left sidebar
- Click “Invite Members” at the top
- Select “Invite Friends”
- Check the boxes next to all the friends you want to invite or click “Select All”
- Click “Send Invites”
This will send an invite to the group along with a short default message. You can select up to 100 friends at once this way.
Pros
- Quick and easy invite process
- No need to gather contact info
- Can re-send invites if people don’t respond the first time
Cons
- Limited to friends only
- Can only select up to 100 friends at once
Inviting friends is ideal if you want to quickly invite a portion of your friends list without having to collect contact info. However, if you want to invite more than 100 people, you’ll need to use another method.
Inviting People Who Like Your Page
If you have a Facebook page for your business, brand, or organization, you can easily invite people who already like your Page to join your group. Here’s how:
- Go to your Facebook Page and click “More” in the top right
- Select “Invite People to Like Page”
- Click “Choose from People You Know” and select fans/people to invite
- Check “Also invite to Facebook Group” and select your group
- Click “Send Invitation”
This will send an invite to like your Page and join your group. You can customize the message too.
Pros
- Targets engaged followers who likely want to join
- Lets you customize invite message
- Easy way to promote new group to existing audience
Cons
- Need an existing Facebook Page with fans/followers
- Still limited on number you can invite at once
Leveraging your Facebook Page likes is a great way to jumpstart your group. But it only reaches people already connected to your brand in some way.
Importing Contacts
For larger scale group invites, you can import contacts directly into Facebook and invite them. Here’s how to import and invite contacts:
- Click “Contacts” in the left sidebar of Facebook
- Click “Manage Contacts” then “Import Contacts”
- Select a .csv file with contact names/emails to upload
- Once uploaded, select all contacts and click “Invite to Facebook”
- Check “Also invite to Group” and select your group
- Click “Send Invitation”
You can import up to 5000 contacts at once this way. This method is ideal if you have an existing email list or contact database you want to reach out to.
Pros
- Allows you to mass invite up to 5000 people
- Reaches people outside your Friends list
- Lets you customize invite message
Cons
- Need to have a .csv file of contacts already
- Contacts may disregard invite from someone unfamiliar
Importing contacts scales your reach beyond friends and fans. But some people may be less likely to accept an invite from someone they don’t know.
Sharing a Join Link
Facebook also generates a shareable link you can send to anyone to have them join your group. Here’s how to find it:
- Go to your group and click “Members” in the left sidebar
- Click “Invite People” at the top
- Click “Share Link” and copy the link
You can then share this link via email, social media, websites, messaging platforms, and more. When people click it, they’ll be prompted to join your group (if they’re logged into Facebook already).
Pros
- Shareable anywhere online or offline
- Reaches people outside Facebook network
- No limit on number of people invited
Cons
- Harder to track who is joining
- People may not join from unknown sender link
The shareable link casts the widest net and has no limits. But some people may be wary to click on mystery links and you have less control over targeting.
Customizing Your Invite Message
When inviting people to your Facebook group, take advantage of the ability to customize your invite message. Here are some tips:
- Introduce yourself or your organization/brand
- Explain the purpose of the group
- Highlight key topics, events, offers to expect
- Use an enthusiastic, warm tone
- Mention any friends you have in common
- Include emojis, images, or other media
Customizing your message makes it more genuine and appealing. It also lets you explain why people should care about and join your group.
Here’s an example message:
Hi [name]! It’s [your name] from [company/org]. I’m inviting you to join our new Facebook group for [industry] professionals to network, discuss trends, and share job openings. With over [number] members so far, it’s a great community for advice and growth. Look forward to seeing you in the group!
Take the time to create relevant, engaging invite messages. It can significantly boost acceptance rates.
Targeting the Right People
Not everyone you invite will be interested in your Facebook group. That’s why it helps to be selective and strategic with who you reach out to. Here are some ways to target your invites:
- Look for relevant Facebook groups and invite engaged members from those communities
- Visit competitors’ or similar brands’ Pages and invite their followers
- Invite friends/connections who are interested in or mention topics related to your group
- Use Facebook ads to target users with relevant demographics and interests
- Partner with complementary brands/orgs to cross-promote invites
- Offer incentives for current members to refer friends to the group
Taking the time to be selective with who you invite will likely lead to higher acceptance rates and more active group members. Avoid spamming everyone you can. Focus on quality over quantity.
Things to Avoid
When mass inviting people to your Facebook group, there are a few things you’ll want to avoid:
- Inviting thousands of people at once (risks Facebook disabling your account)
- Spamming people who have no relevance to the group
- Using impersonal, generic invite messages
- Repeatedly re-inviting people who have declined
- Inviting people against their will or without consent
Take it slowly, Target intentionally, Customize your outreach, And respect people’s preferences. This will keep your group growing smoothly.
Automation Tools
Manually selecting and inviting people to your Facebook group can be time-consuming. That’s where automation tools come in handy. Options like:
- Facebook Invitation Manager
- Social Inviter
- Famup
- Woobox
- Heepsy
These tools help you:
- Import contacts
- Customize and send invites en masse
- Track opens and acceptances
- Automate follow-up invites
- Invite people listed in Facebook Groups/Pages
Just be sure not to overdo it. Start slow, monitor results, then scale up invites gradually as needed.
Conclusion
Growing a vibrant Facebook group requires inviting engaged members. While sending individual invites is always an option, leveraging mass invitation strategies enables you to reach more people faster.
Here are some key tips covered in this guide:
- Invite existing friends in batches up to the 100 limit
- Use your Facebook Page to invite current fans/followers
- Import larger contact lists up to 5000 people
- Generate a shareable link to give unlimited reach
- Customize your message and highlight member benefits
- Target invites using demographics, interests, and relevance
- Consider automation tools to ease the process
Focus on quality over quantity, take it slowly, and monitor feedback. With some time and effort, you can build a thriving group that provides value for many members to come.