Facebook is one of the largest and most popular social media platforms in the world, with over 2.8 billion monthly active users as of Q3 2021. With such a massive user base, many individuals and businesses look to grow their own Facebook follower count to expand their reach and increase engagement.
But how fast can you realistically expect your Facebook page’s follower count to grow? What is the average growth rate for Facebook followers? Let’s take a closer look.
Average organic Facebook follower growth rates
When looking at Facebook follower growth rates, it’s important to differentiate between paid growth (ads) and organic growth (without ads). Let’s start by examining some average organic growth rates for Facebook pages.
According to research by Buffer, the average organic follower growth rate for Facebook pages is 2.4% per week. This equates to about 125 new followers per week for an account with 5,000 followers initially.
Another study by Rival IQ analyzed organic Facebook follower growth rates across over 800,000 Facebook pages. They found the median weekly growth rate was 2.41%. However, growth rates varied widely based on page category and size.
| Page Category | Median Weekly Growth Rate |
|---|---|
| Musicians & Bands | 2.85% |
| Restaurants | 3.02% |
| E-Commerce | 2.15% |
As you can see, musicians and restaurants tend to see higher organic Facebook growth compared to e-commerce pages. Restaurant pages have the highest median weekly growth at over 3%.
Page size also impacts growth rates. According to Rival IQ, pages with under 1,000 followers had a median weekly growth of 5.71%. For pages with 10,000+ followers, median weekly growth dropped to 2.04%. So smaller pages tend to experience faster organic growth in percentage terms.
Factors impacting organic Facebook growth
There are several factors that influence the organic follower growth rate for a Facebook page, including:
- Post frequency – Pages that post more consistently tend to grow faster.
- Post quality – High-quality, relevant, and engaging content attracts more followers.
- Engagement rate – Pages with higher engagement rates tend to see better growth.
- Industry benchmarks – Growth rates vary across industries. Compare to competitors.
- Page age – Newer pages often experience faster initial growth.
Optimizing these factors, such as posting daily, responding to comments, and analyzing competitors, can help improve organic Facebook growth rates over time.
Paid advertising growth rates
In addition to organic growth, pages can also grow their follower count through paid Facebook advertising and promotions. But how fast can you grow your followers with ads?
Facebook advertising can produce follower growth rates of anywhere from 5-15% per week for the duration of an ad campaign. However, these growth rates are not sustainable long-term.
One study by SocialReport analyzed Facebook ad performance data and found an average weekly paid growth rate of 8.7% across nearly 7,000 ad campaigns. The table below shows the distribution of weekly paid growth rates:
| Weekly Paid Growth Rate | Percentage of Campaigns |
|---|---|
| 5-10% | 61.8% |
| 10-15% | 19.4% |
| 15-20% | 11.3% |
| 20%+ | 7.5% |
As you can see, most Facebook ad campaigns achieve between 5-10% weekly follower growth. But 1 in 5 campaigns manage 10-15% weekly growth. High-performing campaigns can sometimes even exceed 20% weekly growth.
Growth rates are heavily dependent on budget. Larger ad budgets allow you to reach a wider audience faster. Effective targeting and testing ad creative also improves results.
Maintaining Facebook follower growth
While paid Facebook ads can rapidly grow your follower count, maintaining that growth long-term is difficult. If the advertising budget is paused, growth will usually stall.
According to SocialReport’s benchmark data, Facebook pages see an average loss of 2-3% of their followers per month after ad campaigns end. This follower drop-off is due to factors like non-engaged followers unfollowing the page over time.
To combat this, setting realistic targets for organic growth and maintaining a consistent ad budget is recommended. Mixing paid ads with content that drives organic growth makes follower count growth more sustainable.
Setting achievable ongoing growth targets
Instead of one-time follower boosts, focus on gradual consistent follower growth week-to-week and month-to-month. Aim for growth targets in the 2-5% range based on your starting follower count and industry benchmarks.
For example, if your page has 10,000 followers currently, aim to add 200-500 new organic followers each week through engaging content and quality posts. This is a sustainable target aligned with average industry growth rates.
Use Facebook Insights to analyze your KPIs and follower growth over time. Identify growth rate trends and set targets to accelerate growth.
Investing in evergreen content
Create evergreen, “set it and forget it” content on your Facebook page that continues attracting new followers over time passively. This provides a steady baseline level of organic growth.
Types of evergreen Facebook content include:
- Detailed “how to” guides and tutorials
- List posts and curated roundups
- Rankings and comparative reviews
- Quizzes, polls, and other interactive posts
Analyze your historical top-performing content and produce more evergreen content in those categories. This builds up an asset bank of content that continually drives new followers organically to your page.
Running regular contests and promotions
Contests, giveaways, and promotions are a proven tactic to spark surges in Facebook follower growth. They incentivize new followers by offering prizes and free products.
Schedule out a content calendar with regular contest and promotions. Example ideas include:
- “Tag a Friend” contests
- User-generated content campaigns
- Photo contests
- Quiz competitions
- Free trial giveaways
Announce winners and showcase user submissions to further extend your reach. This pattern of recurring contests, promotions, and community engagement drives ongoing follower growth.
Conclusion
Organic Facebook follower growth rates typically average 2-3% per week, with pages under 1,000 followers growing the fastest. Paid Facebook ads can temporarily increase growth to 5-15% per week before follower counts stabilize.
Sustaining long-term growth requires mixing paid ads with organic growth strategies. Set realistic targets based on benchmarks. Produce evergreen content consistently. And run recurring contests and promotions to drive ongoing community growth.
Analyze your Facebook Insights data weekly and monthly. Experiment with different content formats and tactics. Optimization of both paid and organic growth factors will lead to sustainable follower growth over time.