Facebook limiting the visibility of old posts is an issue many users face. There are a few potential reasons Facebook may limit the reach of older content:
Why Does Facebook Limit Old Posts?
Here are some of the main reasons Facebook may limit the reach of old posts:
- Algorithm changes – As Facebook tweaks its News Feed algorithm, old posts can be impacted. Content that was engaging in the past may not align with current algorithm preferences.
- Post engagement – If a post did not receive many Likes, comments or shares when it was first posted, Facebook’s algorithm may limit its future reach.
- Page growth – If your Page has significantly grown its follower count since a post was shared, the post may not resonate with new followers who did not see it initially.
- Stale content – Facebook wants to show users the most timely and relevant content. Older posts may be deemed less interesting than new posts.
Essentially, Facebook wants to show users the content most likely to engage them. Unfortunately, this means old posts – even quality evergreen content – may reach a smaller portion of your audience.
How to Increase the Reach of Old Posts
While you can’t completely stop Facebook from limiting old posts, here are some tips to help extend their reach:
Repurpose and Reshare
One of the most effective ways to breathe new life into old content is to repurpose and reshare it. For example, you can:
- Turn old posts into new blog articles on your website.
- Rewrite posts and share on additional social media channels.
- Create newsletters, videos or visuals based on popular posts.
- Share old posts within new, relevant content.
Repurposing content in new ways can expose it to new audiences and signals to Facebook that it is still engaging.
Refresh Posts with New Media
Adding new visuals, videos or graphics to existing posts can make them feel fresh and timely. Try updating old posts by:
- Adding new photos or videos that enhance the content.
- Creating new graphic images to share alongside text posts.
- Including current stats, events or examples to connect content to today.
Facebook will see these posts as new and improved, likely increasing their reach.
Schedule Periodic Reshares
Consistently resurfacing evergreen content keeps it top of mind. Try scheduling periodic reshares of your best posts:
- Repost content monthly or quarterly to capture new audience members.
- Time reshares around annual events, awarenesses, or holidays tied to the content.
- Use social media scheduling tools to easily repeat posts.
Staying diligent about resurfacing posts helps game the algorithm in your favor.
Run Targeted Paid Ads
Consider running paid Facebook ads to share your best evergreen posts with new audiences. You can target specific demographics more likely to engage with the content.
While you can’t make Facebook share old posts organically with all of your followers again, paid ads guarantee they are seen by your desired audience.
Leverage Groups to Engage Fans
Facebook Groups centered around specific topics are a great place to resurface old content to engaged audiences eager to discuss those topics. Identify relevant Groups and share your evergreen posts there to generate new engagement and reach.
Analyze Post Performance
Use Facebook Insights to analyze your highest-performing posts. Identify common themes and topics that resonate most across both new and old content. Then ensure you keep creating posts aligned with those topics to feed the algorithm what it wants.
Smart Ways to Improve Old Post Reach
Here are some smart tactics to organically improve the reach of old posts:
- Pin top evergreen posts – Pinning posts to the top of your Page ensures new visitors always see your most important content.
- Get Backlinks – Getting reputable sites to link back to your evergreen content helps show Facebook it’s valuable.
- Refresh with comments – Reignite old posts by responding to new comments and mentioning trending hashtags.
- Ask for engagement – Directly asking followers to Like and share old posts can give them a renewed signal boost.
Why You Shouldn’t Repost Too Frequently
While resurfacing old content can be helpful, reposting too often can backfire and cause Facebook to show your posts to even fewer users. Avoid these downsides of oversharing old content:
- Appearing spammy to followers by sharing posts too frequently.
- Training the algorithm that your content doesn’t perform well long-term.
- Failing to post new, original content your audience wants.
- Coming across as lazy and relying on old content vs. creating fresh posts.
Aim to strike a balance between repurposing and posting new content to maximize reach.
Should You Delete or Hide Poorly Performing Posts?
If you have old posts that received extremely poor engagement, is it better to delete them or keep them hidden from view?
In most cases, you’re better off hiding old posts vs. deleting them. Some reasons to avoid deleting posts:
- You’ll lose any engagement (Likes, comments, shares) those posts had accumulated.
- Deleted posts won’t contribute to your Page’s overall content history and community.
- Any links/backlinks to that content will become broken.
- It can be time consuming to delete many posts individually.
Rather than deleting, you can hide poor performers from public view via these methods:
| Hiding Method | How To | Impact |
|---|---|---|
| Unpublishing Posts | Via editor, change post from Published to Unpublished | Post is no longer visible publicly but remains on your Page |
| Limiting Past Post Audience | Edit the post’s settings to limit who can see it | Post will only be visible to selected audience |
| Removing from Timeline | Delete post from Page’s Timeline but not Page history | Post is no longer on Timeline but still saved in history |
These options allow you to control old post visibility without permanently deleting content.
Should You Seek Audience Insights on Past Content?
Leveraging Facebook’s Audience Insights tool can provide valuable data to help guide your old post strategy. Analyzing audience response to your previous content can reveal:
- Your highest performing post types, topics and formats
- Days/times your audience is most active on Facebook
- Demographics that engage most with your content
- Interests and traits of your followers
These insights allow you to re-promote old posts in ways tailored for your target audience – when, where and how they prefer consuming content. Audience research helps increase relevance and engagement.
Top Tools to Repurpose Facebook Content
Repurposing and resharing your top Facebook posts requires time and planning. Make it more efficient with these helpful tools:
1. Buffer
Easily schedule re-shares of old posts on Facebook and other social platforms. Analyze performance to focus on what resonates.
2. Canva
Refresh old posts with new designs, graphics and visuals that capture attention.
3. Hootsuite
Manage and re-promote old social media content alongside new posts for consistent reach.
4. Recite
Turn existing content into new engaging video clips to promote on Facebook and YouTube.
5. SnapApp
Quickly repurpose content into interactive infographics, quizzes and calculators.
Content Creation Tips
While repurposing old content is key, creating compelling new posts ensures your Page doesn’t go stale. Use these tips:
- Analyze competitors for inspiration and optimization ideas.
- Experiment with new content formats – video, live, Stories, Reels.
- Monitor trending topics and real-time events to stay relevant.
- Craft shareable content – lists, memes, polls and challenges perform well.
- Respond to audience questions and feedback in posts & Reels.
Keep exploring what your audience craves and provide a mix of repurposed evergreens and new content tailored for them.
Conclusion
Facebook limiting organic reach of old posts poses a challenge for marketers wanting to resurrect quality evergreen content. While Facebook will likely continue tweaking its algorithm, savvy content recycling and promotion strategies can counteract these limits.
Focus on repurposing your top-performing content in new ways, keeping it fresh and relevant. Analyze audience insights to identify the types of posts they intrinsically engage with most over time. Maintain a promotion schedule that includes a healthy mix of refreshed evergreens and compelling new content.
With a strategic approach, you can maximize the lifespan of your best content. This saves you time while ensuring your Facebook followers enjoy both familiar and new posts tailored to their interests.