Facebook has become one of the most popular social media platforms, with over 2.8 billion monthly active users as of Q2 2022. With so many people using Facebook, it’s common for posts to get a lot of views from friends, family, and followers.
When you share a post on Facebook, you may be curious to know how many people have seen it. Facebook shows you the total number of views your posts receive over time. This can give you an idea of how much engagement and reach your posts are getting.
Here’s what you need to know about seeing views on Facebook posts and some tips for increasing views.
Where to Find Post Views on Facebook
Facebook shows you the number of views directly on your posts. When viewing one of your posts, look below the text or photo. There you’ll see icons indicating the number of reactions, comments, shares and views the post has received.
The views count indicates how many times your post has been seen in people’s News Feeds or when visiting your profile page. It includes views from all types of devices.
On Mobile
On the Facebook mobile app, tap on your post and the metrics will be below the content. The views count is shown alongside the number of reactions, comments and shares.
On Desktop
On the desktop version of Facebook, the views metric is shown below your posts when viewing your profile page or News Feed. You’ll see the total views on the right side of the screen alongside the other engagement counts.
Who Can See the Views Count on Your Post
The visibility of the post views count depends on the privacy settings for the specific post:
- Public – Anyone who can see your public post can see the view count.
- Friends – Only your Facebook friends will see the views metric.
- Specific friends – If you limit viewership to a subset of friends, only they will see the views.
- Only me – The views won’t be visible to anyone else if you make it a private post.
So in summary, the views count will be visible to whoever you’ve allowed to see that post based on its privacy settings.
When Post Views Show Up
Facebook doesn’t show you live views or a real-time count of how many people are looking at your post at any given moment. Rather, it displays a total view count that accumulates over time.
It can take some time for views to start showing up on your new posts for a few reasons:
- There’s always a delay before metrics like views start counting on new posts.
- Posts only count as a view when it appears on someone’s screen. If they scroll past it quickly it may not register.
- The views reflect when people actually see your post in their feed. Even if they don’t open or click on it, it counts as a view.
Don’t worry if you post something new and the views seem stuck at zero for a while. The count should begin increasing within a few hours as people start seeing your post. Continue checking back over the next day or two.
Why You May Not See Views on Some Posts
In some cases, the views count won’t show up on your Facebook posts:
- Live videos – Live broadcasts won’t show view counts.
- Posts from Pages you manage – Only your personal profile posts will show views.
- Paid promotions – If you boost a post as an ad, it won’t display views.
- Older posts – Posts more than 2 weeks old typically won’t show views.
So if one of your posts falls into those categories, that’s why you won’t see the views metric displayed.
How Views Are Counted by Facebook
Wondering how Facebook actually tallies up and calculates the views? Here are some key things to know:
- A view registers when a post appears on someone’s screen. They don’t have to click or interact with it.
- Views only count when someone actively scrolls to the post in their feed. If they scroll past quickly without it coming on their screen, it may not count.
- Anytime someone sees the post on mobile or desktop it can count as a view, whether on their timeline or in News Feed.
- Seeing the same post multiple times can result in multiple views by the same person.
- Video views only count after 3 seconds of playback, to exclude accidental clicks.
- Paid ads and promoted posts will show how many times the post was shown, not actual views.
In summary, the views metric gives you a general sense of how many times people have seen your post while scrolling Facebook. But there are some nuances to how views are determined.
Tips for Increasing Facebook Post Views
More views mean greater exposure and engagement for your posts. Here are some tips to get more eyes on your Facebook content:
Post at High-Traffic Times
Look at your Facebook Insights to see when your followers are most active on Facebook. Try posting during those peak hours, usually mid-morning to mid-afternoon and early evenings on weekdays.
Use Attention-Grabbing Visuals
Posts with images and videos tend to perform best. Use eye-catching graphics, interesting video clips, and relevant photos to get more people interested.
Engage Your Audience
Ask questions, run polls and use prompts like “Comment below!” to spark discussion. Engaged audiences will keep coming back to view and interact more.
Follow Trending Topics and Hashtags
If there’s a big trending news story or viral hashtag, posting timely content allows you to ride that wave and reach more viewers.
Post to Groups
Engaged groups centered around certain interests or niches can help expand your reach. Just make sure your content is relevant to each group.
Run Ads
Consider putting some budget behind your best-performing organic posts to boost their reach with paid promotions.
Go Live
Facebook live videos can help expose your posts to new audiences. You can also share your broadcast to your profile afterwards.
Analyze Your Results
Check which post types, topics and times perform best for your audience. Then do more of what works to maximize your views.
Other Facebook Post Metrics to Track
In addition to views, pay attention to these other key Facebook post engagement metrics:
- Reactions – How many likes, loves, wows, etc. is the post getting?
- Comments – Are people commenting on the post and starting conversations?
- Shares – How often is the post being shared to followers’ own timelines?
- Reach – How many unique accounts had the post enter their screen?
- Engaged users – The number of unique people who interacted with the post.
Analyzing all these metrics together can give you a good sense of how well your posts are resonating and engaging your target audience.
Views on Facebook Videos
For video posts, you can also see more in-depth analytics on Facebook Watch.
When viewing a video you’ve shared, click on the View Insights button. This will show metrics like:
- Total minutes viewed
- Average watch time
- Total number of views
- 66% completion rate – the percentage of viewers who watched to the end
These metrics give you an idea of how captivating your video content is for viewers.
Other Ways to Check Facebook Video Views
You can also see views for your Facebook videos in these locations:
- Page Insights – If posting from a Facebook Page, check here for views.
- Creator Studio – Provides more analytics for video creators on desktop.
- Video Library – This stores all your past videos and related metrics.
Facebook Post Views vs Reach
On Facebook, reach and views refer to different metrics:
- Reach – The number of unique accounts that had your post enter their screen.
- Views – The number of times your post was seen. This includes multiple views by the same people.
So your reach counts each person once as they view a post for the first time. But views can continue accumulating if people see your post multiple times.
Typically, you’ll notice a higher views count compared to reach. If a post goes viral, the gap between reach and views can become even larger.
Why Measure Both Reach and Views?
Looking at both reach and views together gives you a better sense of how many people your posts are reaching and how often it’s being seen.
High reach suggests your posts are exposing more unique accounts to your content. High frequency of views shows your posts are engaging people enough to keep viewing them multiple times as they scroll through their feed.
Seeing Post Views for Facebook Pages
If you manage a Facebook Page, the process for checking post views is slightly different than on a personal profile.
To see page post metrics like views:
- Go to your Facebook Page
- Click “Insights” in the left menu
- Go to the Posts tab
- Click on a specific post
This will display in-depth analytics for that post, including views, reach, and engagement.
You can also view metrics for your Page’s posts in the Facebook Creator Studio on desktop.
One thing to note is that Facebook page views only update once per day, unlike personal profiles which update more frequently throughout the day.
Why Page Admins Should Track Views
For those managing Facebook Pages, keeping an eye on post views is key for:
- Monitoring overall audience engagement and reach.
- Determining best posting times based on when fans view content most.
- Identifying top-performing posts with the highest views.
- Informing your Facebook video strategy using video view metrics.
- Comparing views across different post formats like video vs. image.
Analyzing views over time can help optimize your Facebook content to maximize visibility and engagement.
Conclusion
Facebook post views indicate how many times your content is being seen in News Feeds and on your profile. Views accumulate based on how many individual users see your posts.
To increase views, post at high-traffic times, use engaging images/video, and analyze your metrics to fine-tune your strategy. Together with other metrics like reactions and shares, views help gauge your Facebook post performance.
Keep an eye on views to better understand your content reach and visibility on Facebook. With some experimentation and strategy, you can learn how to consistently create content that resonates with more of your target audience.