Earlier this year, we put together a piece about the “
paid organification” of Facebook and how users can pay-to-play for optimal visibility. LLsocial reported that over the past week many admins have discovered a loss of reach from organic page posts in a widespread fashion.
Reports varied from a decrease of 5%-40% organic reach to a September report showing overall viral reach losses of 14%. One theory from Geoffrey Colon was that Facebook is trying to display 80% of organic content in the News Feed and with the other 20% consisting of sponsored items. The fact of the matter is that the reach of many pages has decreased over the past few weeks.
In order to explain this, ‘we reached out and received the following statement from a Facebook Spokesperson:
We’re continuing to optimize News feed to show the posts that people are most likely to engage with, ensuring they see the most interesting stories. This aligns with our vision that all content should be as engaging as the posts you see from friends and family.
The continued optimization towards engagement falls in line with recent fake Like purges which were also aimed towards promoting quality and eliminating spam. The push towards limited page posts is likely a welcomed change for the average Facebook user who will theoretically encounter less spam and more relevant, targeted messaging from brands. While the changes are beneficial for Facebook and its users, many brands who’ve invested significant resources and budget to grow pages likely aren’t as impressed.
So how can you combat the continued optimization of page posts? As we’ve continually reported — the number one way to boost your reach is with engagement. Of course having relevant content and a targeted fanbase are the two best ways to help to bolster visibility naturally. In the official help section, Facebook states:
Organic promotion refers to the news feed stories automatically generated from the actions taken by people on your Facebook Page or Page posts. For example, when someone likes something you post to your Page, their friends may see a story about in their news feeds. You can increase the distribution of these stories with Facebook Ads.
One thing’s for certain, the move towards paying for reach has arrived. While admins can focus on posting quality material, and growing an engaged fanbase the reach simply can’t be guaranteed without payment.
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