How do I send a Facebook message to multiple recipients?

Sending a message to multiple people at once on Facebook can be a great way to efficiently coordinate plans or share information with a group. While Facebook doesn’t have a built-in “group message” feature like some other platforms, there are a couple easy ways to simulate it.

Using Facebook Messenger to message multiple recipients

The easiest way to message multiple Facebook friends at once is to use Facebook Messenger. Messenger allows you to select multiple recipients when starting a new message thread. Here’s how to do it:

1. Open the Messenger app on your mobile device or access Messenger through Facebook on a computer.
2. Start a new message thread by tapping the pencil icon (on mobile) or the “New Message” button (on desktop).
3. In the “To” field, search for and select each friend you want to include in the message thread. On mobile, their names will populate above the message field as you select them. On desktop, they’ll be added to the “To” field.
4. Type your message and hit send!

All the selected recipients will receive the message in a group thread that they can all reply to. It’s an easy way to loop in multiple people at once.

Using Facebook groups to message members

If you want to routinely message a certain set of people on Facebook, you can add them to a Facebook group and message the entire group at once.

To do this:

1. Go to Facebook Groups and create a new private group. Give it a name and add the people you want to message as members.
2. Once the group is created, go to it and select “Write Post” at the top.
3. Write a post just like you would on your main Facebook feed. All group members will receive a notification about your post.
4. People can reply right in the group, turning it into a message thread.

The advantage of using a private group is that you don’t have to manually select everyone each time you message. Just post in the group and it goes out to the entire group automatically.

Tagging friends in a post

If you want to get the attention of specific friends for a one-off message, you can tag them in a post on your Facebook feed. When you tag someone, they get a notification that they were mentioned. Here’s how it works:

1. Create a new post on your Facebook feed as you normally would.
2. Type @ and start typing the name of someone you want to tag. A drop-down will appear showing matching names.
3. Select the right person from the drop-down. Their name will now appear highlighted in the post.
4. Repeat for anyone else you want to tag.
5. Post your message as usual. All tagged people will get notified.

The message will be public since it’s on your main feed. But it allows you to easily notify multiple people at once by tagging them.

Using Facebook’s “Message Tags” feature

Facebook also has a feature called Message Tags that lets you tag friends in an individual Facebook message. When you tag them, they’ll get a special notification that you mentioned them in a private message.

To use Message Tags:

1. Start a 1-on-1 message thread with any friend.
2. Type @ and select a friend’s name from the drop-down that appears.
3. The friend’s name will become highlighted. Repeat for other friends you want to tag.
4. Send the message as normal. Tagged friends will see a notification they were mentioned in a private message.

Message Tags are useful when you want to discretely mention friends in a private chat. Just keep in mind that only the original recipient can see the message – the tagged people just get notified.

Using 3rd party Facebook apps and tools

There are also some third party apps and tools that can help facilitate messaging multiple people on Facebook at once:

• Social Bee: Browser extension for Chrome and Firefox that lets you select multiple recipients.
• Chatstem: Lets you create shareable message templates that friends can opt into.
• Social Judo: Browser extension that adds group messaging capabilities.
• SocialMsg: Website and extension for broadcasting messages to friends.

The advantage of these tools is that they can streamline the process of selecting recipients. The downside is that your friends will need to install the same tools to chat back easily.

Sending messages from a Facebook Page

If you manage a Facebook Page, you can also send messages to people who like or follow your Page:

1. Go to your Facebook Page and click “Messages” on the left sidebar.
2. At the top, click the box that says “Message Followers.”
3. Choose which followers you want to message. You can segment by location, gender, interests, etc.
4. Type your message and hit send.

This can be useful for messaging followers en masse with updates or promotions. Just be careful not to overuse this feature or you could annoy followers.

Things to keep in mind

When messaging multiple people on Facebook, keep a few best practices in mind:

• Be relevant – only message people who will truly care about your content.
• Add context – explain clearly why you are contacting multiple people.
• Avoid spamming – don’t message the same people constantly.
• Segment your lists – tailor messages to different friend groups when appropriate.
• Give the option to unsubscribe or mute the conversation.
• Follow Facebook’s terms of service.

Conclusion

Messaging multiple friends on Facebook may take a few more clicks than a group text, but with creative use of features like Messenger, Groups, and Tags, you can easily loop in different social circles at once. Just be sure to do so judiciously and appropriately.