The “everyone” feature on Facebook Groups allows group admins and moderators to send notifications to all members of a group at once. This can be useful for making important announcements or sharing information that all group members need to see.
How does the everyone feature work?
When group admins or moderators use the everyone feature, it sends a notification to all current members of the group. The notification shows up in members’ notifications feeds and highlights that it was sent to “everyone.”
Members can click on the notification to view the full announcement post or attached media. The announcement post will also be pinned to the top of the group’s feed for 24 hours so that new members see it right away.
Some key things to know about the everyone feature:
- Only group admins and moderators can send notifications to everyone. General group members cannot use this feature.
- Notifications are sent to all current group members, but not to members who may join in the future.
- Members can mute the group if they do not wish to receive everyone notifications.
- The everyone feature can only be used to share text posts, links, images, videos, and files. Events or fundraisers cannot be broadcasted.
When would you use the everyone feature?
Here are some common uses cases for sending an announcement to everyone in a Facebook Group:
- Sharing urgent or time-sensitive information like event updates or changes to group policies
- Reminding members of important dates and deadlines coming up
- Welcoming new members to the group by introducing yourself, sharing the group’s purpose and rules, etc.
- Notifying members of new features, updates, or changes to the group
- Broadcasting emergencies or critical news related to the group’s topic or region
- Promoting special events like contests, ask me anything (AMA) discussions with special guests, etc.
Group admins should use discretion when posting to everyone and avoid overusing the feature. But it can be a useful way to get members’ attention for noteworthy topics.
How members interact with everyone notifications
When members of a group receive an everyone notification, they have a few options:
- View the full post – Members can click on the notification or view the post at the top of their group feed to read the full announcement. They can react and comment on it like a regular post.
- Mark it as read – Notifications can be marked as read to clear them if members don’t need to view the full post right away.
- Turn off notifications – Members can mute the group temporarily or leave the group to avoid receiving future announcements sent to everyone.
To maximize reach, it’s a good idea for admins to keep their everyone announcements concise, relevant, and infrequent. This makes it more likely members will view and engage with them.
Limitations of the everyone feature
While the everyone notification is useful, there are a few limitations to be aware of:
- Notifications only reach current group members – anyone who joins after the announcement will not see it.
- There’s no way to target specific subsets of members.
- Notifications can only be sent to groups you manage – not personal profiles or pages.
- If members have muted the group, they won’t see notifications.
- There’s no way to see who has viewed or engaged with the post.
- Notifications only appear for 24 hours before becoming a regular post.
Because of these limitations, the everyone post should not be relied on as the sole way of communicating important information. Supplementary methods like posting in the group normally, sending individual messages, and using email or other channels can help ensure all members are notified.
Best practices for using the everyone feature
Here are some best practices for group admins and moderators when using the everyone notification feature:
- Keep announcements relevant – only notify members when it’s something important.
- Keep it short and scannable – write an overview with a link to more details if needed.
- Post at optimal times when many members are active.
- Use it sparingly – no more than 1-2 times per month.
- Avoid overpromoting events or announcements.
- Let members comment and ask questions just like a regular post.
- Follow up with individual messages if needed to members who don’t engage.
- Test the feature first and look at engagement before blasting everyone.
Following these tips will help ensure your announcements are well received instead of annoying members with unnecessary notifications.
How to send an announcement to everyone
If you are a group admin or moderator, here are simple steps to send an announcement to everyone:
- Access the group where you want to make the announcement
- Click the “Write Post” button at the top to create a new post
- Draft your update, question, or announcement as usual
- Below your text, click the option “Send to Everyone”
- Confirm by clicking “Send to Everyone” in the pop-up
- Your post will now blast out to all current group members
The notification will appear highlighted in members’ feeds indicating it was sent to everyone. You can also pin it to the top of your group’s page so anyone who joins will see it right away.
Conclusion
The everyone notification feature allows group admins to easily broadcast announcements and important updates to their entire group membership. When used appropriately and sparingly, it can be a powerful way to engage members and disseminate need-to-know information.
Care should be taken not to overuse the feature or else members may ignore the notifications. Combining everyone posts with other outreach methods helps improve the chances that members see and respond to critical group updates and news.