This is how you break a Facebook Page 😲

...and how you can avoid that fate.  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌

​ Hey, Here's something that's going to annoy a few people: Anyone who says, "organic reach on Facebook is dead," doesn't know how organic reach works on Facebook. It's a myth, and a seductive one too because it neatly explains why a Page's performance may have tailed off. And it's perpetuated by those with something to sell to authors, even though they know better. I'm going to explain how organic reach really works – i.e. how it still works after Facebook made some modifications over the years, and why Facebook had to shake things up. And then we'll run through how to improve your organic reach on Facebook. That's what we're doing this week, busting myths and taking names, and bossing the algorithms too. We're going to bust several myths about Facebook, in fact, while showing you how to increase your own organic reach and how to avoid various algorithmic landmines that can tank your Facebook Page. And I'll do my very best not to suggest that people are perpetuating these myths because they want to sell you $1000 Facebook Ads courses. While the chefs are pulling that feast together, some quick housekeeping. AI and Authors I had a minor delivery wobble with last week's email – yeah, I know, hoisted by my own Picard. It only affected maybe 10-15% of my list but that's still a sizable amount of people so if you missed Ready for AI? It's here anyway... then click that link I wrote just there I guess. This one covers the good, the bad, and the litigious stuff around AI and authors right now, and how our world is going to change (whether we like it or not). And if you have the appetite for some serving suggestions, a good companion piece is from Victoria Strauss at Writer Beware, focusing more on the rights angle, all those lawsuits that these AI models have attracted, and the controversy around how Apple Books seemed to be training its AI on authors' and narrators' audiobooks without being very open about that – instead burying the terms in a strange part of the distro agreement and not flagging it to authors or narrators so they could give informed consent. The Writer Beware post was published just after I sent last week's email, but even if you read it already, I recommend returning to it as it has a rather significant update about how SAG-AFTRA took on Apple and Findaway… and won. I'll be returning to the AI topic soon, but unless another controversy erupts, I will be focusing more on the marketing side of things. That's all yer housekeeping this week, and we'll get stuck into Facebook again after a quick word from this month's sponsor. In partnership with Reedsy. Meet the editor, designer or marketer who can help bring your book to life ​ ​ Are you looking for the best publishing talent for your next book? Look no further than Reedsy! They are a creative hub for over 150,000 authors, providing access to handpicked professionals with experience working on bestselling books for top publishers. Get free quotes from vetted professionals who specialize in services such as design, editing, marketing, and translation. Every professional has an extensive profile detailing their past work and portfolio – so you know that you're only choosing the best! ​Get $25 off your first Reedsy hire​ ​ Organic Reach: the Basics I'm not going to pretend I know as much about Facebook's algorithms as I do about Amazon's but some obvious facts can be gleaned from well over a decade on the outside as an advertiser and a user. I used to work in this field and many former colleagues ended up at Facebook over the years, and they were patient enough to let me pester them. But, really, you don't need any insider or specialist knowledge here to grasp the basics. You can confirm most of what I'm saying here just by consulting the considerable resources that Facebook puts in the public domain – which no one really seems to care about (including Facebook). There are two key things you need to digest. The first and most fundamental is that Facebook needs to keep users on the platform – it can't monetize our eyeballs that well if we leave Facebook. Content which keeps people on Facebook will get more love from Facebook than content which leads people away from Facebook. This is why a picture or a GIF can get lots more views than something like a link to Amazon – Facebook simply pushes that kind of content harder; things like external links will have to swim against that tide. Of course, our overarching goal is to lead people away from Facebook, so we are at a bit of cross-purposes here – but that's something we can navigate in a reasonable manner once we are aware of this. (First obvious lesson: don't have all your Page posts sending people away from Facebook, especially leading up to something really important like a launch.) The second thing you need to internalize is that boring content causes people to go to another site/app, or do something else altogether. Facebook can't monetize your eyeballs if you are half-watching TV while swiping right on literally everything on Tinder. Facebook hates boring content. Facebook loves great content. But how does it decide what's great? There's no snooty reviewer sitting in the third row, with reading glasses perched on the end of his nose while he sighs all the way through the second act. Instead, Facebook measures how great a piece of content is in a more objective and machine-digestible way: primarily through visible metrics such as likes, comments, and shares. This is what we mean when we say a piece of content is engaging – people are liking it, commenting under it, or sharing it with their friends. You can make this as simple or as complex as you like, but in fundamental terms your organic reach will grow if you regularly post lots of things which people like, comment on, or share. But if you keep posting content which is not engaging, then your organic reach will shrink. This is how it works on Facebook – this is how things have worked on Facebook for quite some time BTW. Facebook might tweak the algos or change the way it measures engagement, but it's essentially showing users more of the content they like and less of the content they don't engage with and Facebook regularly tries new things to achieve that aim. It's not too dissimilar to Jeff Bezos and his grand vision of a personalized store for every customer. Facebook needs to constantly refine how it prioritizes the content it shows you because, well, you've got too much junk in your trunk. The Too Many Friends Problem People like to assume that Facebook simply throttled the organic reach of Pages to sell more ads – and if you're imagining Zuck with a Darth Vader helmet force-choking someone right now… you're not alone. And that's not the real story. There's an element of that, when viewed from a certain angle – Facebook is a business and it primarily makes its money from selling ads, so it does need to keep space in the feed for those ads. But it also needs to find a balance, because if it's all-ads-all-the-time, people will get bored or frustrated and they will leave Facebook and their eyeballs can't be monetized anymore. So, Facebook strives to find the right mix of organic posts and ads in your feed that keeps the lights on at Menlo Park but which also keeps you interested. According to industry estimates, the percentage of ads in our Feeds in 2015 was around 5%. Eight years later, it's ballparked at closer to 20%. Which means it's true that Facebook has reduced the amount of space in users' feeds for organic posts to make way for more ads. But even if that percentage was still 5%, people would be making the same complaints, because something else is going on here, something much more important. The bigger problem restricting the organic reach of your Page is one of simple logistics. The average user on Facebook in 2023 has many more friends than they did several years ago, and has liked a lot more Pages too, and joined a bunch more Groups. All those friends and Pages and Group are all posting stuff, meaning the sheer amount of content competing for that limited space in a user's Feed has grown considerably. There's too much junk in your trunk, in other words, and Facebook needs some way of thinning the field – choosing which Page posts and which friend updates to show you. Guess how it decides? That's right: engagement. Ranking Signals Change How Facebook determines which posts to put in your Feed has changed a lot since 2009, when it just took all your friends' updates and basically ranked them in your feed based on which had the most Likes. Over the last 5 years especially, Facebook has made several changes to downrank certain types of content, and to measure more accurately which pieces of content you are genuinely engaging with. Today, in very simple terms, when determining what to put in your feed, and what to leave out, Facebook looks at: The source. Who posted this content? Was it a person or business whose content you usually engage with? The format. Do you engage with video more than pictures? Or do you gobble down GIFs like an insatiable memehunter? The engagement. Is this post getting a lot of likes, shares, and comments, especially from the friends you engage with most? There's more to it , but those are the primary forces in determining what you see in your Feed as a Facebook user, out of the huge number of things which could potentially appear there. Okay, that's what's going on with Facebook users. Let's jump to the other side of the fence and put on our authorial berets. What This Means For Authors Facebook will not show all your content to everyone who follows your Page – it simply can't fit every single update from every single Page and friend into a user's Feed. There isn't enough room. It prioritizes, based on engagement – based on the previous level of engagement between each individual user and your Page, and the current engagement on the piece of content in question, whether you have posted a text update, a picture, a video, or whatever. If you post engaging content to your Page, then Facebook will show your content to more and more of readers who follow you. And you can reach a significant portion of that audience if you have a consistent record of posting engaging content. The flipside should be obvious. If you regularly post content which people don't engage with – if it's crickets in the comment section, if it only attracts a paltry Like or two, and/or if no one hits that Share button – then Facebook won't show it to so many of your followers, and that number can just drop and drop and drop if you keep posting content which your followers don't engage with. It's an unpleasant feedback loop which can affect many authors who didn't do anything particularly wrong. Maybe they grew their Page too quickly and aggressively – too many competitions that required a follow as an entry, or too much advertising to blow up the Page, perhaps. Like with a mailing list, leaning on strategies like that can attract followers who aren't a good fit for you, who don't really read in your genre or enjoy the kind of books you write. Another way that authors can fall into this trap is by posting content which is very engaging, but far away from the topic of their books. Everyone loves a good meme and the world needs more pictures of puppies – not less – but it's important to think about whether the content you regularly post is for a general audience or a niche one. We sell niche products. We should be trying to attract a niche audience – readers in our sub-genre. You don't want everyone to follow your Page, so try to lean more towards content which isn't for everyone – but appeals specifically to readers of the types of books your write. That goes for fiction and non-fiction, literary or commercial work, steamy or educational (or steamy and educational, I guess). Post the kind of content that reader-you would enjoy and avoid the cheap high of generalist content. I'm not saying that you should never post a meme or a puppy, but just remember who your Ideal Reader is, and try to have a heavy mix of niche stuff in the content you post. Or if it is more generalist content, then try to reframe it in a niche way. We'll return to this topic again, with more hands-on tips for improving organic reach, but these are the fundamentals for growing a Page and keeping your followers engaged too. This is how organic reach works on Facebook – and don't let anyone tell you that it is dead. Dave P.S. Feed scrolling music this week is Bill Withers and Use Me. Broomfield Business Park, Malahide, Co. Dublin K36 AT04 ​Unsubscribe | Update your profile​