Since the first announcement in April 2014 that Facebook will now bury posts by pages that explicitly ASK you to like, share or comment, we have all had to take a step back and consider our strategies moving forward. A summary of Facebook’s April update, in the words of Facebook:
“Like-baiting” is when a post explicitly asks News Feed readers to like, comment or share the post in order to get additional distribution beyond what the post would normally receive. …The improvement we are making today better detects these stories and helps ensure that they are not shown more prominently in News Feed than more relevant stories from friends and other Pages. This update will not impact Pages that are genuinely trying to encourage discussion among their fans, and focuses initially on Pages that frequently post explicitly asking for Likes, Comments and Shares.
Now with the late August announcement that “Click Baiting” would also be punished, many people are seriously considering the wording they use moving forward.
While Facebook’s new rules are making strides toward cleaning up News Feed SPAM and lackluster content, it could also affect those of us who are maintaining an honest Facebook page. Now Facebook Page admins everywhere have been trying to think of creative ways to keep our legit content from being penalized.
Well I’m here today to present you with a little cheat sheet guide to “asking without asking.” Of course which phrases you use will depend on the nature of your content, but here are some great alternative ways of getting the same result and slipping under Facebook’s new, discriminating radar.
Alternative Ways To Ask For…
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LIKES Who’s with me? / Who agrees? / Anyone else? Who’s ready? Who’s excited? Can you relate? All in favor? Thumbs up if… By a show of thumbs, how many of you… Show some love. Show your support.
COMMENTS
Tell us… How do you feel about this? What are your thoughts? Voice your opinion on… Agree or disagree? Do you think…? Wish us/them luck. Congratulate them… We want to hear from you! Have an idea? Let’s hear it. Express your thoughts below. How many of our fans… Post here…
SHARES
Spread the word. Tell a friend. Tell your friends. Don’t keep this to yourself. Tell the world. |
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Encouraging Facebook Engagement Moving Forward
Can you never ask for likes again? No, I wouldn’t go so far as to say that. I think Facebook looks at the frequency with which you ask for a like, share, or comment vs. the regular engagement of your other posts. The principle of “everything in moderation” applies in the realm of Facebook, too! However, if you’re looking to play it ultra safe, using alternative ways to encourage and ask for engagement is the way to go, and this list is aimed to help you get there.
Did you find this useful? Feel free to bookmark or post to your timeline for reference later!
Looking for other ways to encourage organic engagement from your fans (without asking)? Check out these tips for creating ultra-sharable Facebook content!
Need help growing your business’ Facebook page engagement? Schedule a consultation with our social media specialists today!
