- Get personal – Social media is one way that your fans can get to know you more than they could by just reading your blog posts. Share funny moments from the day or even something you are struggling with that they might be able to relate to (messy kitchen anyone?). I try to be more personal on my FB page than I am on my blog. I talk about what I”m doing during the day, and ask for people’s opinions etc. This gets more people talking, which gives you more visibility and it shows that you want to interact with your fans more than you want to just advertise your blog.
Link in Comments – You’ve probably noticed a lot of Facebook pages posting a status update and then saying *see link in comments* or something similar. We do this because of the way Facebook promotes pages. If you put a link in a status update, only a small fraction of your fans will see that update. Facebook does this so that people will fan pages will pay to promote their updates to more fans. Many of us have found that if we put the link in the comments instead of the status itself we get more than twice as many views. I’ve tried it myself and it has been a huge help for the visibility of my status and links.Update 11/16/13 – Due to changing FB algorithms “Link In Comments” is no longer the easiest way of doing things! Instead, when sharing the link in a status, merely click the ‘X’ that removes the thumbnail preview from the post, and share! For some reason, when done this way, FB promotes the status as much as a normal status without a link! Silly hoops to jump through, but it works! (thanks to the awesome commenter on this post that originally pointed this trick out to me!)- Images – Images are a big deal! Images are far more likely to be shared by your followers and fans. A shared images means more people seeing your content and hopefully clicking over to “like” your page. I try to share 1 image first thing in the morning, either a funny image or something inspirational, just to start the day off on a good note. Later in the afternoon I like to share an image from a recent post and include a link to the post in the image description. This is one way to sneak around the *link in comments* because Facebook still promotes images, even when they have a link in their description. This can be great, because as your image is shared, your link will be shared as well!
- Shout-out to other pages – If you find a post that you love on some one else’s blog share a link to it and say something like “Loved this post from @Beauty Through Imperfection today! All about How to Grow YOUR Facebook Page!!! Then share the post with your readers (with the link in the comment section of course!). After doing this you could go to the page you are advertising (from your page’s profile) and say something like “I loved this post today!!! sharing it with my followers!” This is a great way to “meet” other bloggers without “spamming them” (when people just drop by and say “hi please like my page”). Chances are they will drop by your page to say thanks, and oftentimes they start following you back and may even return the favor if they see something that really stands out to them.
- Link Ups – I participate in a couple link ups that include FB fan pages every week, but honestly this only gets be between 1 and 5 extra likes a week. Not huge but it’s still a bit more visibility. Dysfunction Junction hosts a huge Facebook Page Link Party every Tuesday and Crafty Spices hosts one on Saturdays
- Interact with other pages from your page – There is definitely a tasteful way to do this, it’s great to interact with people page to page BUT the more likes or comments a status gets from personal profiles (not other pages) the more facebook will promote it to that page’s fans. Because of this, it can be a huge help to pages that you want to support to comment/like using your personal page. Or you can do a bit of both! Sometimes I might “like” a post from my personal profile but then go comment on it from my page. This way, if I’m leaving meaningful or helpful comments from my page then fans of those pages (or the page’s owners) may come over and “like’ my page too!
- Post a lot, but not too much! – I try to share a minimum of 3 blog posts a day but usually no more than 3. I share at least 1 of mine and usually one from another blogger as well. I try to share 1 image, not associated with a certain post or link (as explained above) and 1 more “personal” post or question, asking for fan interaction and seeking their input! The question statuses are definitely one of my favorite things to do because I feel like I get to know my fans when we interact this way and they get to know me as well. It’s a win-win! ;) You don’t want to overwhelm your followers by posting too much all at one time, but keeping active multiple times throughout the day is a good way to interact with followers that may be checking FB at different times. Bonus tip: If you don’t want to be on facebook multiple times day, you could use a site such as hootsuite that allows you to schedule out posts in advance! I’ve never used the site myself, but I have many blogging-buddies that love it!
- Know the best time to post – For this, you just have to play around with posting times. I’ve found that first thing in the morning works best for images and noontime or evening is best for blogpost shares. I have a folder on my computer of images that I’m saving for future use, so I don’t have to spend 15 minutes searching for an inspirational image to share every morning. i just have to log in for a minute and upload it.
- Host a Giveaway – Giveaways are a great way to get people who are already reading your blog, to become fans on facebook AND to find new followers through shares on other social media sites. Oftentimes, giveaways provide a lot of new fans during the giveaway, but many of them leave when it ends! This can be frustrating, but I choose to view it as an opportunity: I have a few days to show these followers what my page is all about and hopefully they will like what they see and choose to stay, if not, that’s okay! I can’t hold it against them if they don’t enjoy my particular writing style or the topics I share about.
- Enjoy it! – Building a page is a slow and tedious task. The best thing you can do is to start interacting with the fans that you have now, and enjoy getting to know them, with that more will come! People want to feel like they are a part of something, and they want to know that you care about them more than the number of fans on your page. Have fun sharing with your fans, and let your page become something more than just a sounding post for your blog posts.
Organic growth is the best, just growing one fan at a time. Those are the most meaningful people that are more than just “fans” or a number on the page.
You can start a blog here, really easily, if you haven’t started on already:
You can read our book about what we do to make our blogs successful:
If you are trying to grow your blog and feeling stuck, Becky and I offer blog coaching. We will go over your site and social media with you and show you where you are doing great and what you should focus on to grow. It’s one of our favorite ways to help bloggers!
- You can see our income reports here, to get a monthly breakdown of how we are making money each month.
Or you can see how we got our first million readers here:
If you are wanting to get serious about your blog this year and connect with other bloggers join our facebook group. You can ask questions, network and share your goals!
Christina @ Keeping Home says
I don’t have tips–I just need them! :-) Thank you for these. I have bookmarked them for future reference.
Sharon says
Wonderful, Wonderful tips! I continue to work on my page, and it continues to grow. All solid points to try.
Liz Clark says
I loved these tips! Especially the ones about liking in comments and using images. I have wondered how Facebook does all that and why my view numbers were so inconsistent. Thanks for also reminding me that I should pay attention to the time of day that I am posting. I have found that afternoons/evenings tend to work well because people are on lunch break or at home.
Aprille says
On #7 you don’t have to use hootsuite to schedule FB posts – you can do that right from Facebook by clicking on the little tiny clock below your post!
Paula says
Oh that’s right! I forgot! thanks Aprille! I will go back and edit that in ;)
Katie says
Ooooh – great tip! I did not know that! :)
Gabrielle says
Excellent! I’ve learned a lot by watching how other bloggers connect with their readers and I’ve seen real growth on my page as I’ve implemented your suggestions.
I’m with Aprille–I schedule posts through Facebook instead of hootsuite. Every evening, I try to take a few minutes to schedule one or two things to run at peak times during the day.
Rachel says
Great tips, thanks for sharing!
Janie says
Thank you so much, I’ve wondered for ages now why pages put ‘links in comment’! I shall try it and see what difference I see.
Janie x
Melissa says
I’m just starting to build a fan page separate from my personal facebook page. This was really helpful! How do you differentiate between the two?
Paula says
I’m not sure I understand your question Melissa… are you asking how it differs form your personal profile? or are you running two fan pages?
Melissa says
No, I’ve got my personal facebook page, and then a fan page associated with my blog. I’m trying to grow the blog facebook page. I know you’ve got both as well – I was just wondering how you decided what went where, because you’re pretty active on both. Right now, I don’t have anyone on my blog page that isn’t also on my personal page, if that makes sense, so it seems silly to duplicate on both.
Paula says
oh I see. Well, I don’t put anything on my page that I’m not comfortable with “the whole world” seeing. So I don’t use my kids’ real names on there etc. I put a lot fewer personal pictures on there etc. If I was on my personal profile I might say something like “off to the zoo” whereas on my page I want to make it more about the reader and so I would phrase it like “Happy Monday friends! we’re off to the zoo today, what are you up to on this crazy monday?”
It can feel awkward when you are mostly talking to friends/family on the page, but I would treat it as a “professional blogger” page already because that way when new likes come, they will see all the older posts and understand how you run your page.
Does that make sense? I duplicate some things on both my personal profile and my fanpage, but not everything. A lot of it is preference, what you are comfortable sharing, but the main thing is that your fanpage is more of a way to reach out to and interact with your fans, whereas your personal profile is all about YOU.
Sarah Schultz says
These are great. Often times no mentions how to organically build followers.
I have found that post on my fan page and liking and sharing with my personal page gets more interaction. It makes people see that it is worth sharing by seeing the thumbs up.
Sarah M Schultz
momstheword says
These are some great tips, Paula! I need to get a “system” for posting, lol! In the past I’ve pretty much only posted once a day and so this last week I’ve been trying to change it up a bit. I loved your suggestions!
I just discovered that little clock thing on fb so I tried scheduling my post at different times just to see. Once I got a really good response scheduling around 1 pm and then the other times I didn’t get many views at all. Oddly enough I seem to get the most views when I post after midnight.
I would really love it if you’d link this up to my Monday linky party “Making Your Home Sing Monday.” It is live right now and I’d love to have you join us as I’m sure my readers would appreciate hearing your suggestions on how to grow their facebook pages!
momstheword says
So thrilled that you joined us! Also wanted you to know that the new Making Your Home Sing Monday linky party is live and ready for your posts!
Jen Stults says
Excellent tips, Paula -especially the one about putting the link in the comments. I was confused about this and noticed the other day that a few of my posts were only seen by 1 person!! So, now that makes more sense. I just started a fanpage, so this information will be really helpful to me.
Jen :
@Being Confident of This
Jaimie says
These are great tips! I need to start sharing more images.
I’ve found that the views per posts are a lot higher if I share my blog’s Facebook page posts on my personal page. I get a notification on my personal page when I post on my blog’s page (because I’ve “liked” the blog page myself), so I share Living in the Light’s status updates as me, so then more of my friends see the blog’s statuses/links (even if they don’t “like” the blog’s facebook page). I hope that makes sense, lol!
Katie says
All wonderful tips! Thanks so much!
Sabrina says
Loved these tips!! I’m coming over from Lamberts Lately! Thanks for sharing! :-)
Kim @ {enjoy the view} says
Just saw this on Fantastic Thursday – thanks so much for sharing! I’ve been trying to actively grow my blog for about 2 months now, so your advice is invaluable to me!
Emily says
Thank you for sharing this over at Creative it Thursday. I enjoyed reading it and will look forward to putting it into practice. I’d love for you to check out my blog!
Jenna says
Great tips! Thanks for sharing! Jenna @ Rain on a Tin Roof
Amy @ Wildflower Ramblings says
Thanks for some really great tips! Blessings, Amy
Carrie from Carrie This Home says
Great tips! I’m almost at 100 likes and I’m sure these tips will help push me over! I’m pinning this to my blog board right now! Stopping by from Inspire Me Please (My post is #8 Spend A Little & Invest In Yourself) Have a great weekend!
Tara from The Magnolia Barn says
Thank you so much for all the wonderful tips. I just set up a FB page a few months ago and I had no idea all the in/outs. This will be very helpful.
Lisa@ Cooking with Curls says
Awesome tips Paula! Did you know that facebook changed it’s system again? If you hover over the person/blog’s name, the “liked” button will appear. Hover over the “liked” button and it will bring up a box. Click on “settings” and you will see 3 options. Click on “All Updates” and you should start receiving more of the posts that you actually want to see. Spread the word to all of your followers so they can see your new posts as well! I just thought I would share that :) have a wonderful weekend, Lisa
Patrice says
Well done – I will have to save these to remind myself!
Mrs. Sarah Coller says
Thanks so much for the tips! I didn’t realize that about the “link in comments” on FB. Thanks so much for linking up to Make Bake Create. I’ve got a Homemaking Party going now, if you’d like to link up there as well. http://www.hopeineveryseason.com/2013/06/pretty-pinks-and-greens-for-homemaking.html
Blessings!
Sarah
Megin says
Great post! I think I might have stopped by from the Sits Girls yesterday… I’m visiting today at Sunday Scoop. I hope you get a chance to visit my blog, too. I’m co-hosting the DIY Showcase and would love for you to come by and link up! It’s open until next Saturday.
~ Megin of VMG206
Open Now! DIY Showcase ~ Come Link Up!
Laurie @ A Wiener Dog in the Kitchen says
Great Tips! Thank you!
Jann Olson says
Great tips! I really need to start a fb page fro my blog. Thanks for sharing with SYC.
hugs,
Jann
Michelle @ Life on the Horizon says
Definitely need to save this and refer to it often! Thanks for this.
~ Michelle
Samantha @ Five Heart Home says
These are fabulous tips! I have a new blog & FB page so I found this really helpful. I’m definitely going to pin it to my personal blogging board! Found you through Suburbs Mama link party…Thabks so much for the great info!
Danielle says
Hey, I just found this on Pinterest and this is REALLY well written with lots of good, useful info! I learned something new! Thanks!
Pinkoddy says
Thank you for these useful tips – I had never thought of commenting on pages from my page.
foody says
thanks for the tips, I’m just starting out w/ a FB page and could use the advice. Found you via Your Great Idea Saturday Link Party.
Brooke says
So many great tips for Facebook growth (which I’m in need of)! Thanks so much for sharing, Paula. I can’t wait to get going on some of your ideas. Have a wonderful weekend!
Mags says
Thank you for sharing your valuable knowledge. I’ve been wondering what I could do to get more “likes” now I know. Thanks again. Pinning.
Louise x says
Great tips, I’ll definitely be trying out some of the things I don’t do at the moment :D
If you fancy a peek at my facebook page I’ll leave the link below.
Louise x
Confessions of a Secret Shopper’s Facebook Page
Krista @ joyfulhealthyeats says
Great post, I am definitely going to try some of these tips. Namely posting 3 times a day and putting the link in the comments. But say you are using a program that automatically shares your posts once is it published. How to you get the link to actually go into your post or do you have to manually go in there and do it?
Paula says
as far as I know you would have to come back and manually put it in the comment later. If you are able to schedule images, you could share links that way, since FB still promotes images, even when they have links in the status along with them. It’s just normal status updates that get virtually hidden, if/when they have a link.
Hope that helps! thanks for stopping by :)
Katherine says
Great tips here. I’m a social media manager and I just had to add this little tidbit that we use a lot, instead of adding a link in the comments: If you just remove the preview to the link you’re adding, Facebook still considers the post a Text based post and will be seen by the same amount of people. The problem I’ve had with link in comments is if people share the post, the link doesn’t get shared and it’s impossible for people to share the comment. Anyhoo, my 2 cents for whatever they’re worth. Thanks again!
Paula says
thanks for that tip! I didn’t know :)
Aprille says
I have found that to be true as well. I always put my link in the original text (not in the comments) and as long as I remove the preview I still get pretty good views on it!
Su@TheIntentionalHome says
What is the preview. . the little box with the blog post name and picture?? or the actual link http:// etc. etc. that you put in the text box? Thanks for helping.
Paula says
the little box with the post name and picture :)
OneMommy says
Some wonderful tips! I’ve been trying to put quite a few of them to use, and have definitely seen results!
Val @ Home Made Modern says
Thx Paula! There was a lot here that I didn’t know. Pinned it so I can refer back to it again. :)
Kimberlee says
Thanks for the tips – I try and post on there regularly but haven’t figured out how to keep up with that, pinterest, my blog and my etsy shop to be able to post 3 times per day. Hoping these tips can help me out.
Deon | ipinnedit.com says
Boy howdy, I am so happy to have come across this post! (I found it at one of the link up parties today.) Your suggestions sound really great, and I am excited to put them into action since my Facebook fan page has definitely hit a plateau. Sort of frustrating! Thanks so much for this information!
Stacy @Stacy Makes Cents says
Great tips! I schedule my Facebook posts for the day first thing in the morning…but I just use the Facebook scheduler. I use Hootsuite for Twitter. :-)
Visiting from Creating My Way to Success.
Kim says
Paula,
I always love coming to your site, but as a pretty new blogger, this was a huge help for me. Thank you so much for posting this information. I will be sharing this. Linking for Mama Moments. Kim
Sande Sivani says
Terrific tips for all Face Book users!! Saw your link on the Live! Pin It Monday Hop. Thanks so much for sharing.
Sande from My Personal Accent
Kim says
Ah! I was wondering why so many bloggers put the link in first comment…very useful info! Love the entire post! Thanks!
Raquel says
Great suggestions. I tend to be more active on Twitter, but trying to incorporate FB more often. New follower from the All My Bloggy Friends party.
Amy @ Ms. Toody Goo Shoes says
These are really helpful tips. Thanks so much for sharing. Found you on Time To Sparkle!
Ricki @ The Questionable Homesteader says
Thank you for this post! I’ve just started my FB page and have been trying to think of ways to encourage more people to follow. I participate in link parties regularly (not facebook dedicated ones though) and always share the link ups that I liked (if it’s pin worthy it’s facebook worthy) but I’ve not been following through on letting the blogger know that I’m sharing on FB.
Great tip! Thanks for sharing. I’ll be implementing some of these right away!
Paula says
awesome! I hope these tips help you :)
Jackie Karlic says
Hi! Hopping through Ginger Snap Crafts blog hop. Thanks for these awesome tips! I will definitely keep them in mind and try to follow the tips I have not been doing. Already a follower :)
Joy @ Caspara says
This is great information!!! I haven’t started a FB page yet because… well, I don’t know. I guess I’m afraid no one will follow. But this info is all so helpful, maybe I’ll be able to do it! :-)
Julie says
I am truly curious. Why do you want to get more people to “like” you? Do you get money if your posts are popular? I thought, and maybe incorrectly, that the point of FB and a blog was to journal your life and stay connected to your friends. Is there something I’m missing?
Paula says
Hi Julie! FB and Blogging can certainly be used for staying connected with friends, but there are many other ways it can be useful as well. Having a facebook page is separate from your facebook profile, so for me, I do blogging things on my facebook page, and that where I get to know my blog readers. My facebook profile, is where I share and interact with my real-life friends.
It’s also how I’m able to interact with my blog followers in a bit more personal manner than I would be able to through blog comments.
There are many ways to FB and to blog, many people use their blog as an online journal, and that’s great! Mine is a bit different than that though. Blogging and social media is a huge way to build a writing “platform” as a writer or author, and so increasing ‘likes’ is one way of doing that. I’m an aspiring author, so I’m building my blog and sharing my writing this way, as I work towards that goal. Having a facebook page is a great way to have your blog be more visible to people who may not be your personal or ‘real life’ friends.
I hope that answered your question <3
Julie says
Thanks for your reply. Now I get it. :)
Sande Sivani says
The gang at My Personal Accent, think your post about Growing Your Facebook Page is fantastic and we would like to invite you to party with us at starting at 5:00 Thursday nights at our new Blog Strut Peacock Style Link Party to share your creative ideas. Come on over!! http://wp.me/p2Vf55-XA
Soufiane says
Yes, the interaction tip works.. I hate when some fb pages admins just post about their site updates or offers, when you ask your fans for example how their day was, or what are they planning for the weekend! they feel they are responding to a friend of theirs, and future update will be more interesting..Thank you!
C. Lee Reed says
Would you mind explaining #2? I only see the comment link section after I’ve posted something. I don’t see a place to put my link in the comments section when first creating it. Did I misunderstand?
Paula says
I just post my status and then immediately comment on it with link. :)
Megin says
Great list of tips, Paula. I loved this! I’m Featuring YOU on VMG206 ~ Brag About It Tuesday’s Linky Party from last week! We go live Monday at Midnight. So please stop by and grab a Feature Button and Link Up something new.
I have also pinned your project to VMG206’s Brag About It Features Pinterest Board. I can’t wait to see what you’ve been working on this week!
~ Megin of VMG206
Sinea Pies says
What a helpful post! Thank you so much for sharing it on my Wonderful Wednesday Blog Hop. In fact, it is FEATURED on this week’s hop. Everyone needs to read it. Putting links in comments is new to me but I like the results you got. I am going to give it a try.
Blessings!
Sinea Ducks ‘n a Row
Dannielle says
Thanks Paula, I found this to be extremely helpful. Found you at Brag About it!!
Mary says
Great info, thanks so very much!
Rochelle says
Love this! I have been struggling with my FB page for some time and just have put it on the back burner. Thank you so much for these simple things for me to do.
Brooke says
Thanks so much, as always, for the great blogging tips. I’ve been in need of some Facebook tips, and these are perfect! Thanks again, and enjoy your day!
Michelle says
EXCELLENT! I’m going to put these tips to work immediately. I’d be honored if you would share this at a blog hop I’m co-hosting this month, My Favorite Posts Show off Weekend Party. Thanks for sharing!
Michelle @ On A Wing And A Prayer
Gretchen@BoxyColonial says
A ha! I’d always wondered why people put links in the comments…now I know–thanks :)
Lisa @ Happy Girl Thrift says
These are great tips! Thanks for putting it together!
Nikki says
These are really good tips – some of which I’ve not seen anywhere else on the net. Because I have a background in social media management for small businesses, I follow a lot of blogs that share the same rehashed information about branding online and what not.
But your article is obviously the personal experience of someone who’s building their FB page the “white hat” way. I would’ve never thought something as simple as linking in the comments could increase post views and click-throughs possible. I’m definitely trying that out first thing tomorrow. :)
Thanks for sharing! [Found this through Pinterest]
Esther Paul says
Thank you for this wonderful information.
I do a lot of things in my FB page but I never interact much apart from putting in the right information. This is really handy I will give it a try for sure :)
Thank you
Lp Johnson says
Wonderful Advice!
Claudia says
Thank you for a very helpful blogpost. I just had to start from scratch because changing the name of my previous page was not possible. It really is tedious and facebook does not play fairly if you ask me. Of course they want to make money but the new algorithm really is not so kind to us
music videos 2012 new songs says
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Emma says
I came across your blog post via Pinterest as I’m looking for tips on handling Facebook because from a personal point of view, I don’t actually like Facebook but feel I need to be on it for my blog. I used to be an online marketing and social media manager and was a whizz at Facebook a few years ago but things have changed a lot since then!
I have a page for my blog “Emma in Bromley”
Angeline says
Great tips! Thanks for sharing!
Sarah M Tseng says
Great tips!