blogging essentials•Blogging Freebies•blogging tips
The #1 Reason Why You Can’t Grow Your Blog With Facebook
September 10, 2014Let me start this post off by saying I am no means the expert when it comes to all things blogging. Actually I don’t believe I have really dived into how to grow a blog type of post before because really don’t they all just say the same thing? Be consistent, engage your followers etc etc. I wanted to fill everyone in on my latest social experiment because as you all know how much I love researching everything beyond normal means.
So a little while back I made a Facebook page for Mark’s law practice. Whenever he would share the latest DUI checkpoint of the weekend or his biggest viral post was when the ban on texting came into effect in Florida (for some reason you can still talk on the phone but you can’t text….why can’t we ban both, the drivers are terrible enough????) but I digress…..Anyways so when he posted that it was September of 2013, (I also don’t know about big brother Facebook so I will just show you this).
Seems simple enough right? You share a post, people see it, like it, share it and then it goes viral.Then Facebook comes along and changes it’s algorithm which they claim is more beneficial to you because it helps filter the content from all your friends and just shows in your feed the people you engage with more frequently.That is not the case.
What it means is that organic posts or posts you don’t pay to promote will essentially get capped and will barely reach your audience. For example. One of my most popular posts is whenever I share anything Barre related because usually the Barre studios pick it up and it gets shared with their community and pre-algorithm it should then go “viral”. Once again wrong. Even though it get’s shared it was capped and only reached around 400 views even though 7 different studios shared it.
I have been getting frustrated by the lack of consistency with my posts and people reached. I post at the same time and get a large variety of people reached. So I kept on getting this little reminder from Facebook to “boost my post” and I wanted to see what would happen. If I “threw some money at the problem” where would this go.
Well wouldn’t you know. If you pay for your posts magically people are able to see them.
Now tell me how ridiculous that is? You’re telling me I won’t be able to reach my target audience…..the 500 people that have liked my page without me paying for it to happen? I was left with the worst taste in my mouth about Facebook and it’s complete Big Brother you only show me what you think I want to see in my feed and with that the majority will be from people that buy the ability to be there?
I naturally don’t like taking that and saying well that’s life and let’s move on. I began to study my posts to see why some reached more on some days versus other days. I was able to come up with these few hacks. Now naturally Facebook will probably change this but for now this seems to help.
#1 Add Your Own Picture.
Instead of just letting your picture embed upload a picture with each post. Usually the more visually appealing the better. That way when people see the picture and click on the link, that shows the algorithm this post is engaging and therefore allows it to show up in more feeds. People loved the Engagement pictures.
You know what people apparently don’t care about? Rompers…..
Or Circuit training workouts….
Encourage Your Friends & Followers to Comment
It seems when your friends comment more on your posts they seem to reach more people. When they reach more people then people “like” the post more and therefore it tends to spread out a little more.
See When Your Peeps Are Online
I use to upload my post first thing in the morning and realized it wasn’t jiving well with my followers.
I now usually wait until later on in the evening to post and that seems to help increase the reach views.
What It All Boils Down To…..
If you aren’t going to fork over the cash (like who would?) you are not going to be able to organically (aka not pay) reach all your followers without this “boosting” ability from Facebook. The days of viral posts with just good content and shares is long gone.
My blogging community challenge now to you is to start following each others pages and to comment more frequently and share amongst our own Blog’s FB pages. See if that helps with increasing your number and people reached. What it looks like are the biggest factors are actual post clicks, comments and likes. Let’s try it over the next few weeks and see if it makes a difference. If you have a Facebook page for your blog please feel free to leave the link to it in the comments (how to make a hyperlink).
Shameless plug and grand finale you can follow my Meet @ the Barre Facebook page here.
What are your thoughts on Facebook stifling your organic reach? Would you pay to boost a post? Did you know about this algorithm change? Can you honestly believe that by spending $20 I was able to reach over 4500 people? Make sure to follow everyones FB blog pages in the comments! xoxoxoxo
The older (and wiser) I get the more I get pissed off with Facebook and this big brother crap. I hate that Facebook and Google watch every move I make and compare notes, that bothers me. But yes as far as this is concerned you are obviously right, fb isn’t the way to grow your blog or following. That being said you have done a great job at doing these things so I say, keep up the good work! :)
Wow, you get WAY better numbers than I do! I have a little over 3,000 likes, and the average post gets a “reach” of maybe 20-30 people.
I deal with FB often at work and this cap on the reach has really started to drive me crazy! I currently don’t use FB for my blog but am debating it. Have you found FB to be a good source of traffic and promotion for your blog?
I have a Facebook page too and it gets barely any reach per post. I know if you ask questions and post more than just your post links you get more but who has the time for that on top of posts. My page is https://www.facebook.com/tillthensmileoften
I find that Facebook is the least helpful way to boost posts…but agree with all your methods to increase likes!! The more likes the more people reached!! I’m going to try some of your experiments out!! Also just curious for that one that you did pay for – how was the blog traffic that day?
Facebook is not at all friendly to me and my blog page! I at one point tried to do a pay to promote thing from the suggestion of two of my friends and mine got rejected for being “too wordy”. Excuse me for having a long blog name!! I’ll try some of your suggestions out and see what happens but right now I don’t have a lot of faith in FB! LOL!
<3, Pamela
sequinsandseabreezes.blogspot.com
Well this is just terrible! I don’t have a fb page for my blog yet but this almost just makes me put that on the back burner even more!
http://www.madeintheshadeblog.com
My facebook page has brought me pretty much nothing lol. I’ve found that pinterest works the best for me. Oh and I would never pay to promote on FB. XO
I have experienced this with my company’s page. Haven’t focused much on my blog’s FB page but it completely makes sense across the board. So crazy how they have taken control like this.
Hmmm, thanks for the info! I get lazy about posting to my FB page because I feel like no one is seeing it. I need to try your tricks.
i hate facebook but i have to say, it does increase exposure to some degree. while paying to extend it further sucks; you’re at least getting eyes on your content which is an important thing not to overlook.
i don’t promote my blog on any social media site because i’m afraid that people will want to talk to me about it LOL
I don’t even have a blog page for this reason! Although I will say that post that you paid for? It is STILL on my newsfeed, whereas sometimes I don’t even see your posts. So yeah FB is really screwing bloggers!
when i read your blog post title asking this very question, in my head i answered “because fb sucks” :) but also all of your other reasons above. naturally :) xo
cheshirekatblog.com
Wow, this is pretty surprising. I’m not shocked, but still. Thank YOU for doing this experiment and spreading the word – I know we already like one another’s pages on Facebook and hope to continue to share content back and forth! :)
I barely see a return on my facebook posts. I actually paid to “boost” my numbers once. It was ridiculous! I’d never do it again. I get most of my traffic from interacting on other platforms like Pinterest, Twitter and Instagram these days.
i notice a big difference when i post after dinner time on facebook. most people are on then!
Interesting post. I would rather just use Facebook for personal use and not for my blog. But that’s just me. I do like your page too by the way! I also hope that you are having a great day so far!! :-)
Spot on. I have been to several blog conferences now in the last year, and everyone hates Facebook “reach”…it changes all the time. The other day I had 19 likes on an update I posted…do you know how many actually saw it? 99! 99 and I have 630ish likes…does that make ANY sense?
Very enlightening post. I only use facebook for personal use and to be honest, barely even use it. I don’t have a facebook for my blog because well I just don’t think at this time it’s right for me. I am just not a fan of facebook.
i’m not on facebook but this is an excellent article that you wrote. i can’t believe your experiment!! good luck, i hope that this helps other bloggers out!!
Thanks for the info! I was tempted to pay for a boost just the other day but didn’t want them to have my payment info on file. Now I’m glad I didn’t. I’ll take the minimal traffic I get from it for $0!! My Little HEA Facebook Page
I have a Facebook page and it done nada for my blog. I get more from Twitter & Pinterest. I’m even considering deleting my Facebook page so it’s one less thing to try and keep track of.
Facebook has seriously become a nightmare since their IPO. I’ve been a follower of yours for months now; I’ve never once seen one of your posts in my feed. I have 230 followers, but I bet only 20-50 (maybe that’s optimistic) have ever seen my posts. Yet somehow, it’s still on my top 3 of referring websites. Go figure! And sometimes my posts reach 1800 and sometimes 170. So. Frustrating.
I kinda miss the days back in 2004-06 when you had to have a college email address to belong and you simply posted where the next party was at and put of pics of the last party, amiritetho?!
These are some serious great tips, thank you! Most of the time I’m still getting more engagement from my personal Facebook but I always feel like people probably get sick of my posts. I’d like to have my blog page work better. I’m going to try these tips for my Facebook page
GREAT info Amanda, thank you. Facebook kind of drives me nuts, I’m not a fan lately at all. Your tips are helpful though, I know when people like or comment it helps to spread the word, so that’s a good one!
ugh yeah im not a huge fan at all of brand facebook pages — i still have one but it’s not something i spend a lot of time on! xo jillian – cornflake dreams
Ugh I hate FB!! Funny I have noticed you have done some sponsored posts the last few days and it has definitely been showing up on my news feed more! Funny how that happens huh?! I have been debating in paying for a post but loving your tips! Did you think the sponsored post was worth it?
<3 Shannon
Upbeatsoles.blogspot.com
Facebook’s whole “boosting” policy absolutely kills me! I’m the social media coordinator for a volunteer organization and nearly all of the posts we pay to “boost” are eventually declined because they contain too many words aka our logo. Honestly, if it wasn’t required to use Facebook for this organization I probably wouldn’t have re-activated my personal account!
I hate FB, I really only use it minimally for personal use. I wish I had your motivation to delve into this stuff to really grow my blog and understand how all of this stuff works. But alas, I am lazy lol.
So I’m going to slightly disagree. I use facebook for companies and bloggers and you can organically (without paying) reach a wider audience. It does have to do with comments and likes but also how much interaction your page gets overall. Facebook changes up it’s algorithm- more recently to stray away from click- bait pages (ie “click here to find out…”) and you do have to realie that if you have so many followers not everyone can see everything you post about.
I try to always like and comment other blogs on FB to boost them and hope they’ll do the same for me!
I am pretty active on my blog FB page so I think that helps.
I have to admit, I don’t follow any blogs on FB and I don’t have a page for mine. I don’t enjoy FB enough to want to, truthfully. I am hardly ever one there and don’t like all the filters and all the ads.
Ugh Facebook – I have no words.
I don’t follow any of the blogs on FB – and I don’t have one for mine either – and now from reading this I probably won’t. Seems like the only way to use it to GROW your blog is to give them your $$$$$ – not cool FB not cool.
Facebook is so dang frustrating!!! I follow other blogs through my LLV facebook page and just post about my new posts but that’s about all. I kind of gave up on facebook!
Ugh I hate this “new” FB! I don’t have a page for my blog at this time, but we have one for our business and we were paying for FB ads (about $30 a month). We recently stopped the ads because we aren’t doing as much with the business and our exposure TANKED. Which I expected but it still made me mad!
I’ll always like a FB page if I actually like the person behind it, but it’s good to know how FB really operates (not surprising!). And I already follow you (obvi) hah but love the “shameless” plug anyways ;)
This drives me crazy. Some people in my office have become transfixed on the numbers and refuse to believe that you either get what you get for free, or you pay for the boosting. I also think it’s ridiculous how much the paid ad space/boosting has changed since I last heavily used it in mid 2012 at an internship. No thanks Facebook, I’ll pass on paying you. But what a great idea Amanda- supporting fellow bloggers on Facebook. You go girl!
Great research. I haven’t really seen any growth from my Facebook page. I always post my stuff to FB first thing in the morning and I’ve been thinking about changing that.
~Ashley @ A Cute Angle
acutelifestyle.blogspot.com
B and I have noticed this too and it makes us so angry! It just makes no sense that it does’t automatically show up for people who like our page – honestly what’s even the point of liking a page!? Love all of the investigation you did and some of the hacks – we’ll definitely be incorporating! I tend to only upload a photo when I dont’ like the thumbnail that’s defaulting in my link (another peeve of mine – you can’t select the post thumbnail when you post from your phone!). Thanks for sharing! xoxo
I don’t even have a Facebook page except my personal one… and I usually don’t friend people on there, either (I think I only have 3 blog friends on there) because I don’t want creeps to find me. I know it’s stupid but it’s your last name on there! lol
Ha I was wondering why your posts were coming up later in the evening when I know you post the blog early.
I also hate how facebook doesn’t show all your friends updates…wtf. Its crap, if I follow you I want to see your updates!!!
Heyyy smart girl! This is awesome and I would have never known this (not techy) but I need to try your tricks!
I dont know if Ill get one for the blog but Im considering it! This post was great and well thought out. Thanks chick!
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Like M said, this has been totally frustrating for us too! I usually post on Facebook in the morning when my posts go live, so I’ll definitely be trying out some evening posts.
And of course, we’re always happy to jump in on a shameless plug, haha:
The Sequin Notebook – Facebook
P.S. Sorry for the multiple comment FAILS! Clearly I need some coffee this morning!
Love this post so much!! I have always wondered what the “boost post” does. Damn Facebook!
I was so hesitant about making a Facebook for my blog and I did it and everything you said makes exact sense!
Five One & Fabulous Facebook Page
I have always wondered if the “boost post” thing worked. Ugh Facebook is so evil, yet I continue to use it!
This is such a great post! Never realized how difficult it is to grow your blog on Facebook organically. Ugh!
xo Jen
Skirt The Rules
I have basically given up on my blog Facebook page. When I started it, no one likes it or really interacted with it so I didn’t want to waste any more efforts on it. That is ridiculous that you have to pay to be seen. It makes me sick!!
I didn’t even try my blog on facebook…I feel like kind of an old lady when it comes to FB because it all seems like too much to me. The worst is Yelp- Harrison is a realtor and and they discard 1/3 of his reviews because Yelp said “they have to be made up to have all the 5-stars, but if you want to pay us to advertise we can work something out.” Liiiike really????
My FB page is there because I feel like I need it and because a few non-blogger readers find my posts via their newsfeed. But since they changed the algorithm, it’s been pointless. Many, many bloggers are angry with FB for doing this, and who knows what they have planned in the future?
That said, I think these are great tips for anyone who is looking to grow their FB page.