A featured post on Facebook is a post that has been promoted or boosted to get more reach and engagement. When a post is marked as featured, it will be displayed more prominently in the News Feeds of people who like your Facebook Page.
How does a featured post work?
When you create a featured post on Facebook, you are paying Facebook to increase the reach and visibility of that specific post. This means that post will be shown higher up in the News Feed when people visit Facebook. It also means that post has a higher chance of being seen by more of your Page’s followers.
You can choose any post on your Page to be a featured post – it can be a status update, photo, video etc. Once you select ‘Boost Post’ from the options under your post, you can then choose how long you want it to be featured for (up to 7 days) and set a budget.
Facebook will use that budget to push the post out to more people who like your Page and their friends. The more budget you allocate to the boosted post, the more reach it will potentially receive.
Why create a featured post?
There are a few key reasons you may want to create a featured post on Facebook:
- To increase engagement – Featuring a post means more people will see it, react, comment and share it.
- To reach more of your audience – You can reach both your existing audience and new audiences with a featured post.
- To promote content – Highlight your best and most useful content by featuring those posts.
- To drive traffic – Featured posts stand out, so can help drive more clicks through to your website or blog.
- To boost awareness – Creating buzz and awareness around campaigns, launches or events.
- To advertise – Run ads linking to your website, products or services.
In short, featured posts allow you to amplify your reach and engagement on Facebook when it really matters. You can use them strategically as part of campaigns or to consistently promote your best content.
How to create a featured post
Creating a featured post on Facebook is easy. Just follow these steps:
- Go to your Facebook Page and select a post you want to feature.
- Click on ‘Boost Post’ from the options below the post.
- Set your budget and duration.
- Select your target audience location, age range and interests.
- Add a call-to-action button (optional).
- Review and submit your order.
Once boosted, your post will display a ‘Sponsored’ tag to show it’s now an ad. You’ll be able to see analytics on your reach and engagement too.
Facebook featured post best practices
To maximize results from your Facebook featured posts, keep these tips in mind:
- Choose engaging content – Visual and video content tends to perform best.
- Write catchy copy – Captions should draw readers in and inspire action.
- Use relevant hashtags – This helps the right people find your post.
- Target your audience – Get your post in front of people who will care most.
- Monitor performance – Check your insights and tweak targeting if needed.
- Feature consistently – Don’t just boost one-off posts, make it part of your strategy.
- Highlight calls-to-action – Use buttons to drive clicks to your site or purchases.
- Re-share evergreen content – Refresh old posts by featuring them again.
- Test different budgets – Start small and increase budget for top performers.
Facebook featured post vs regular post
What’s the difference between a normal post and a featured post? Here’s a quick comparison:
| Regular Facebook Post | Facebook Featured Post |
|---|---|
| Reach is determined by Facebook algorithm based on engagement, page following etc. | Paid reach you determine based on budget and audience targeting |
| Appears in followers’ News Feeds organically | Served to audience as an ad higher in News Feed |
| Free to publish | Requires an ad budget |
| Lower visibility in crowded News Feeds | Higher visibility over regular Page content |
| No sponsored tag | Marked as ‘Sponsored’ |
While organic posting is essential, featured posts give you the ability to boost visibility and engagement when it matters most.
Tips for choosing content to feature
Not all Facebook posts are worthy of being featured. To choose the right content, aim to boost:
- Popular content – Refresh evergreen posts that performed well originally.
- Special announcements – Big news like new products, deals or events.
- Valuable resources – Links, downloads, guides and videos.
- Lead magnets – Freebies, samples or trials in exchange for email sign-ups.
- Sales promotions – Coupons, special offers and contests.
- Industry or trending topics – Timely content based on news or events.
- Holidays and events – Content tied to seasonal campaigns.
Keep these categories in mind when reviewing your Facebook posts to identify the most strategic content to feature.
Setting a budget for Facebook featured posts
One of the key factors in determining the reach of your featured posts is the budget you allocate. Facebook ad pricing is based on an auction system, where advertisers bid against each other for ad placement.
Here are some tips for setting budgets:
- Test small budgets first, e.g. $10 per day
- Monitor cost per result metrics, like link clicks
- Increase budgets gradually for posts with good performance
- Set larger budgets for your most important posts
- Set limits to avoid overspending
- Schedule posts and budgets in advance
- Use Lifetime or Daily budget options
- Target more specific (pricier) audiences for higher quality reach
Your ideal budget will depend on your goals, audience size and industry. Analyze the results you get at different budgets to find the right balance.
Measuring Facebook featured post performance
One of the benefits of creating featured posts is the ability to track performance and analytics. Make use of Facebook’s reporting tools to identify your best performing featured content. Metrics to monitor include:
- Reach – Total number who saw your post
- Engagement rate – Likes, comments, shares divided by reach
- Link clicks – Clicks on any links you included
- Landing page views – Visits to site after clicking your post
- Conversions – Desired actions from clicks (sign-ups, purchases etc)
- Impressions – Times your post entered a person’s screen
- Relevance score – How well content resonated with target audience
Check these metrics regularly to see which posts resonate best with your audience. You can then refine your targeting and content strategy accordingly.
Conclusion
Facebook featured posts give you a powerful way to boost your reach, engagement and results with your most important updates. By paying to promote your best content, you can make sure your posts stand out in crowded News Feeds and are seen by more of your target audience.
With the right budget, targeting, creative, and analytics you can generate great returns from your Facebook featured post investment. Just remember to keep testing and optimizing to get the best results.