The Complete Guide to Maximising Your Content Reach On Facebook

Since the rise of TikTok, Twitch and IG Reels, it’s been easy to overlook about the importance of marketing on Facebook. That’s why the OG of social media has published a guide to growth through News-Feed Distribution, which is guaranteed to help increase that ever-important reach. Our Mighty Socialites have been digesting the latest publication from Mark Zuckerberg’s team of Facebookers and have split this down for you below. Enjoy!

Defining distribution

We hear this word come up a lot, so what does it mean? Put simply, distribution is the process in which Facebooks’ algorithm matches its users with content that they are likely to find amusing or enlightening and therefore more likely to engage with.

So, engagement should be the key focus of your posts and providing users with more content that they’ll click through, share, like or comment on will pay dividends to your results.

How does the algorithm work?

When deciding who sees what content, the News Feed algorithm is based on 4 key elements. These four steps are put into place for every piece of content, for each person, every time they open Facebook.

1 - What content has been posted? What posts are available from friends, other creators and pages that Facebook can show?

2 - Who might like this content? Facebook take into account a huge amount of data, such as who posted the content, when was it posted, what was the topic and past user behaviour, among others.

3 - How likely are people to engage with the post? Facebook aim to predict how likely a user is to engage with your post and find it influential.

4 - How interested will the audience be in this post? Which pieces of content should get priority, based on all of the data Facebook have gathered on the post?

Connected and Unconnected Distribution - What’s the difference?

It’s important to remember that there are two ways your content can be seen on Facebook; Connected Distribution and Unconnected Distribution.

Connected Distribution is your core audience on the platform meaning that your posts are seen by those who are in your immediate circle and follow you on Facebook.

Comparatively, Unconnected Distribution is when your posts are seen by those who don’t follow you, but may be interested in your content. Other users sharing and resharing your posts, or engaging with Facebooks’ recommended “Suggested for You” sections, will aid with promoting your content in this way.

Both of these types of engagement have existed on Facebook for years, but as Meta looks to increase the amount of AI-fueled content in consumers’ feeds, our Mighty Socialites believe it’s the latter that will gain a more detailed focus into the future. 

The importance of Unconnected Distribution

During a conference back in July, Facebook and Meta Founder, Mark Zuckerberg confirmed that “about 15% of the content in a person’s Facebook feed and a little more than that of their Instagram feed is recommended by our AI from people, groups, or accounts that you don’t follow. We expect these numbers to more than double by the end of next year.”

With ‘Unconnected Distribution’ poised to become a much more significant factor in defining your Facebook posts’ reach, brands and marketeers need to fully understand how the feed works in the broader process.

Just like TikTok, we predict that Facebook will aim to facilitate as much authentic content as it can. Optimising for engagement should remain a key consideration and posting things that generate more likes and shares will inevitably boost your reach.

Staying away from the trolls…

Maximising your Facebook reach, through either Connected or Unconnected Distribution, means only one thing… you need to get people talking! But this kind of emotional play is a double-edged sword and what can make one person laugh can infuriate another.

It’s a sad fact, but various studies have proven that anger is the emotion that is most prevalent across social media. Disappointingly, joy is shown to come in second, meaning that you should be mindful of this when providing an emotional kick that will encourage users to engage with your post. Marketers must remember that you can’t please all of the people, all of the time and consumers are able to react in whatever way they may choose!

In summary

Posts that are interesting, reflect human nature and spur on emotions and discussions are essentially what algorithms and successful campaigns are all about. Optimising content for Unconnected Distribution will inevitably supercharge your development on Facebook and match your content with those who will engage with it.