Facebook scheduling - does this affect post reach?

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Hi Warriors!

I've noticed that when I schedule Facebook posts (directly via a Facebook page, not through Hootsuite), there appears to be less reach than the posts that I upload immediately, even with the same (if not more) likes and engagement. Does anyone know if Facebook has a preference for scheduled/non-scheduled posts or is this just a coincidence?

I know that there is sooo much content on Facebook so you're never going to catch everyone, but any basic tips to follow would be great?
#social media #affect #facebook #post #reach #scheduling
  • If you do get good results when you do it directly without any scheduling, then follow it that way. but to me, i just feel that it is just a coincidence. but note that it can depend on the location. like if you are promoting a location like USA, you need to know their time frame so that you don't post it in the night-time when they are fast asleep because people are usually active on social networks during the day than in the night, so upload your posts during the daytime of any location you are targeting in Facebook ads. Whichever method is working for you, just use it.
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  • Facebook doesn't really have a preference. It's your audience. You have to figure out what the best time to reach you audience in order to get the reach and engagement you want.

    The best way to figure out is to do some testing. Try posting different times a day and check your insights.
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  • Thanks guys for your feedback.
    It's good to know that Facebook hasn't initiated anything specific, there'd be nothing worse than having to go back to manual posting!!
  • No, Facebook algorithm doesn´t discriminate between schedules posts and "normal" posts.
    As others has said above, if you´re getting less reach from schedules posts, it probably has something to do with the time schedule you´re using to post, you should do a small research to find out when is best to post your content, Facebook insights have some useful data you can use to that.
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    • Thanks David,
      I'm spending lots of time with Facebook insights at the moment and find it really, well (for want of a better word), insightful!
      I'm currently in the middle of some good old-fashioned A/B testing which will hopefully provide some solid results.

      Thanks again
  • Facebook does not have any preference between scheduled and non-scheduled posts.
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    • I am happy to hear that this isn't true but my post reach does seem to have decreased, even though posts are appearing at the same time. I will continue testing and hope to find some continuity.
      Thanks for your response!
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  • Have you changed the style of posts or are you scheduling the same sort of content? Usually, I mix it up and create a variety of posts including all style including video, funny engagement posts, key message etc so that it's not always the same 'type' of content. If you get a few months of analytical data it is super interesting to get an idea of the time of day that your followers are most active. For one client it is 11pm while another is 6am, it is so variable. I use Report Garden and it provides some really interesting comparisons month on month.
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    • Thanks for the tip, I will have a look at Report Garden.

      The 'theme' of my content hasn't changed too much from what has worked in the past. I mix things up, keep it interesting and informative with a splash of humour thrown in too. I am starting to wonder if perhaps there's just more content being released at similar times. It wouldn't be an unreasonable concept if my competitors are looking at the same analysis.
  • That's interesting, because I notice the reverse to be true for some of my own posts.

    I also try posting at the same times for the sake of a clear comparison and my scheduled posts tend to behave slightly better than the direct ones.
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    • You're right, that is interesting - the complete opposite! It's looking like a lot of it is just down to luck of the draw!
  • As far as I know as long as you schedule directly on Facebook it won't affect your reach. If you schedule through a third party it will affect your reach.

    That could change tomorrow...lol...They are always changing the algorithm and other features.
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    • That's the problem isn't it, once you've got it sorted they go and move the goalposts!

      For a number of my bigger clients, I still use Hootsuite as they are settled into their strategy and it's all rolling along nicely (although good to have confirmation that using third parties does affect the reach, thanks!). It's the smaller clients I'm really focussed on who are still building up their audience so it's these initial stages where it's vital to get it right. Continuing on with testing at the moment to see what we come up with.

      Thanks for your response
  • Using third-party services. Using scheduling services such as Hootsuite, Viral Heat, or Sprout Social to schedule your Facebook posts will gain you only one thing: an even lower reach. That's because Facebook recognizes, and penalizes these third-party apps, giving them less credibility than posts made directly on Facebook. This is true for businesses that push their Twitter feed through Facebook as well.Note: Historically, Facebook has denied this correlation, however studies on Facebook reach as well as analyzing our own data has suggested there is a direct relationship between Facebook reach and use of third-party services.
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    • Wow is this true?
      I always suspected this to be the case but had never had it confirmed. I know that there's a correlation between the quality of your content and the reach, and a third party app isn't really going to make the difference between a post going viral or not if it hits the right spot, but I always had my suspicions that some posts just weren't getting out there!

      Thanks for the confirmation!
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  • I have also noticed this in some of my scheduled posts, but I agree that is just a coincidence.

    The key is to post high quality content, remember that FB algorithm determines the ammount of reach a post will have using the engagement it had, so the likes, shares and comments your post gets on its first minutes will determine how succesful it will be.

    If you are having troubles with the reach of your scheduled posts, it might have something to do with the time you are using for scheduling your posts.
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    Facebook scheduling - does this affect post reach?

    Hi Warriors! I've noticed that when I schedule Facebook posts (directly via a Facebook page, not through Hootsuite), there appears to be less reach than the posts that I upload immediately, even with the same (if not more) likes and engagement. Does anyone know if Facebook has a preference for scheduled/non-scheduled posts or is this just a coincidence?