Yesterday, Facebook announced how they REALLY feel about posts that specifically ask for engagement (likes, comments, and shares). They’re coining this tactic “engagement bait” and if you’re an avid Facebook user, you’ve seen this all over your news feed.

Examples of engagement bait:

• Like this if you’re a brunette!
• Comment below to vote on your favorite piece of artwork!
• Share this post if you can’t wait for Christmas!

Facebook employees (and users like you and me) often see this as inauthentic and spammy. Now, I never thought this was a bad thing to do every once in a while if you’re truly looking for your audience’s opinion on something. However, most accounts that use engagement bait are completely overdoing it and just asking for attention. If you’ve been relying engagement bait as a social media strategy, now would be a good time to change that. 🙂

Facebook has total control over what we see in our news feed, and the algorithm they have designed typically shows you the most engaging posts at the top – or the posts that Facebook thinks you’re most likely to engage with based on your prior habits.

In their statement, they mentioned posts that ask for help – such as circulating a message about a missing child, raising money for a charitable cause, or asking for tips on a specific topic, will NOT be affected by this update.

I’m happy with Facebook’s decision to demote posts that use engagement bait. Their goal in doing so is to make Facebook a more authentic place again. Facebook is by far the most widely used social media network, meaning they have to fight every day to control spam, fake accounts, bulk messaging, malicious links, click bait, and more. A little more “keepin’ it real” wouldn’t hurt the social media world.

All in all, just remember what will truly help your page grow is time, consistency, and authenticity. Do you want to TRULY make an impact on your page, or do you just want big numbers? If you really desire to make an impact in your business, know what it means to CONNECT with your audience. Be charitable, helpful, enthusiastic, and genuine. But don’t just do it for likes, comments, and shares. People (and big-time social media networks) will see right through that. 🙂