How to Write the Perfect Facebook Post

Posted by Katy Ryan Schamberger on August 13, 2012 · 22 Comments

Writing the perfect Facebook post is important for any Facebook page admin, regardless of your industry, business or brand. After all, Facebook posts are not only a crucial part of a Facebook page—they’re what a page’s fans (and their friends) see in the News Feed, and are the key to enticing (and maintaining) engagement.

When it comes to writing the perfect Facebook post, it can seem like part skill, part rocket science and part random luck. Ever tried a post or photo that’s purely experimental and had engagement shoot through the roof? We certainly have (psst—people love cats. Period. End of story.)

If you manage a Facebook page (or several), experimentation is fun—but you need a more consistent content strategy. The perfect Facebook post includes a number of elements, including:

A call to action that points to another Facebook element, a website or a blog.
Targeting to a specific country, language or other parameters
An image
Mobile-friendly language and visuals (photos or video)

If you need a cheat sheet, Salesforce’s Jennifer Burnham created an explanatory infographic that details the above tips (and more).

The key to a successful Facebook presence doesn’t stop once you’ve hit “Post.” Keep an eye on Facebook insights to see what percentage of your page’s audience sees the post, as well as the number of comments, likes and shares it generates. That way, when you find a format or information that particularly resonates with your fans, you can be sure to periodically implement similar updates as part of your Facebook content strategy.

One other tip? You may want to try using a Facebook calendar spreadsheet to track your content on a monthly basis. If your page is retail-based, this can be especially helpful as you plan content around sales, promotions and new products. Plus, you can make quick notes in regard to audience response to various posts so that you know what works (and what doesn’t) for your page.

What sort of content or post format works best for your Facebook page? Have you had any surprises in terms of a post or photo that unexpectedly drove a high amount of traffic?

Image by Marcin Wichary via Creative Commons

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Filed under Content Marketing, Content Strategy, Featured Articles, Social Media Marketing, Social Media Tips and Training, Tactics and Tips · Tagged with elements of the perfect facebook post, facebook content, facebook content strategy, facebook marketing tips, social media marketing tips, writing the perfect facebook post

http://www.facebook.com/jasonpelham Jason Pelham

Great cheat sheet Katy! I noticed a tremendous increase in engagement the moment I stopped using the Facebook share button and actually starting uploading a photo and then including a link to my website in the post copy. Also, love the suggestion of asking a question in the comments as well.

Thanks!
http://www.v3im.com/ Katy Ryan Schamberger

Glad you liked it, Jason! And that’s great to know re: your own experience. Sharing content is a great way to build a connection with other pages, but you’re absolutely right – photos make a huge difference, and links are always helpful, too. Thanks for stopping by!
http://ariherzog.com/ Ari Herzog

The same is true of profile posts, not only page posts. Pictures sell. They speak 1,000 words. It’s funny how many of my friends don’t use them.
http://www.v3im.com/ Katy Ryan Schamberger

Great point, Ari! And I agree – I’d much rather see a photo than a block of text. It’s why I’m beginning to spend as much time on Instagram as I am on Facebook – I love scrolling through the feed to see what sort of images people are capturing.
Sarah Whitelock

Great post – and I agree about the photos. Trouble is when I try to load a photo I just get the ‘loading’ bars and it never happens. Is it Facebook or is it me? Help!
http://www.v3im.com/ Katy Ryan Schamberger

I think we should just go ahead and blame Facebook – it’s more fun that way In all seriousness, though, feel free to send me an email at katy[at]v3im[dot]com – I’d be happy to try and help.
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DebbyBruck

People appreciate when you SHARE their work, ideas, and content.
Shelly Kramer

But of course ))
Bonnie Banters

Really good info: especially re viewers on mobile devices. Yes, I have been surprised by the response to some posts!
http://www.v3im.com/ Katy Ryan Schamberger

Thanks very much, Bonnie – glad you found it useful. And we’ve been surprised on many occasions, too – it’s amazing what resonates with people and what doesn’t!
http://www.v3im.com/ Katy Ryan Schamberger

Great point, Debby. Facebook (as with any social network) is certainly a two-way street!
http://twitter.com/TheChiefAlien HowieG

I have seen a few of these type posts recently. And instead of being a dissenter because in reality Brand pages are a mega failure in the big picture with usually around 0.01% to 0.05% participation as a percent of fans who will respond to the average post. I think two things have to be highlighted to put this in a better light.

First is no matter what you do most fans will not see your post. Nothing you can do about that. I estimate you are lucky if 5% do. Also most of us never react to most posts we see. I might see 25 posts from friends and brands out of about 550 a day or more in my feed. Of those I might react to 5 of them.

So the message needs to be how to maximize the chances of reaction and the perspective that even with such little participation, the participation will still give you valuable insights for your business. And the more participation you can get the more solid those insights will be.

The only point I have an issue with in the Infographic is the mobile number. It should say ‘Of the 1-5% of your fans that see your post, 70% will see it on mobile’.
Bob

The creator of the graphic lost all credibility with me in the very top section. The URL should never appear in the text. The URL should be inserted into the box long enough for a link to generate below the text box, and then the URL should be replaced with copy. Pasting an actual URL into your status is so 2010.
http://womeninbusinessradio.com Michele Price

You can do both – great habit is to Like, quick comment, share then create your own post with image. Once you do it multiple times you get faster at it, like anything you do consistently
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BroVic

Don’t URL’s automatically generate text box links?
BroVic

I buy the point about cross-checking “insights” to know what resonates the most with your audience. I think focusing on content that people value most is paramount, so that even if it doesn’t appear on their Newsfeed, they will actively seek it out.
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