# Facebook Admits: Expect Organic Reach for Pages to Continue Declining



## Alan Petersen (May 20, 2011)

http://searchenginewatch.com/article/2317757/Facebook-Admits-Expect-Organic-Reach-for-Pages-to-Continue-Declining

Facebook is making harder to reach your audience if you don't pay.

Summer had an interesting post about how Facebook is doing just that to her very popular Facebook page:

http://www.kboards.com/index.php/topic,169458.0.html

We really need to focus in getting Facebook fans/followers/likes/audience from Facebook and onto our own mailing list.


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## Quiss (Aug 21, 2012)

I've seen that coming and never got much into putting a lot of effort into my author page. A lot of my "likes" are probably other authors, anyway.

What a nice system: You "like" a page, indicating that you are interested in their _stuff_. Because of that you see things they post without having to visit their page.

Now those pages have to pay for you to see their _stuff_. Meaning that they'll be more likely to post spam to make those ad dollars count. What a nice way for me to quickly "unlike" their page.

I noticed that the last thing I posted, a super-cool and entertaining video showing 'quantum levitation' was 'seen' by 21 people. What are the odds of any significant number seeing my next release announcement?

I no longer put my Facebook page in my back matter but send people directly to my web site and mail list signup.


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## 69959 (May 14, 2013)

It's going to get worse than it already has? 

I'm definitely going to focus my efforts elsewhere, most likely on my mailing list. I've already changed the Author's Note for the back of my novels to direct people to my mailing list. (I just need to update the files at Amazon, Kobo, etc.)

I'll probably still post on my FB author page, but I'm not putting much stock into it. Images usually barely get 100 views (out of over 3,000 fans), links rarely pass 60 views, and a status update with no links/images will get about 160 views. It doesn't matter how many likes/comments/shares there are.

Between their privacy issues and this, I've about had it with them. Their sponsored posts don't yield that great of results either. They gave me some free credits, and I was really glad that I didn't pay for it. For more on the latest privacy issues: http://dannybrown.me/2013/12/02/why-we-need-to-take-a-stand-for-our-privacy/


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## Alan Petersen (May 20, 2011)

Stacy Claflin said:


> It's going to get worse than it already has?
> 
> I'm definitely going to focus my efforts elsewhere, most likely on my mailing list. I've already changed the Author's Note for the back of my novels to direct people to my mailing list. (I just need to update the files at Amazon, Kobo, etc.)
> 
> ...


That's a good point (stop directing readers to your FB page from the front/back matter). I currently list my mailing list subscribe page, website URL, Twitter, and Facebook, but I think I'll get rid of the Facebook option. I'm not that active on Facebook anyway. Why work so hard to build an audience on Facebook that you won't be able to reach without paying Mr. Zuckerberg.

I would imagine now that Twitter is a public company that they'll start doing the same thing hide your tweets from your followers unless you pay.


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## Mark E. Cooper (May 29, 2011)

Quiss said:


> I've seen that coming and never got much into putting a lot of effort into my author page. A lot of my "likes" are probably other authors, anyway.
> 
> What a nice system: You "like" a page, indicating that you are interested in their _stuff_. Because of that you see things they post without having to visit their page.
> 
> ...


I am not surprised about this but I will keep all venues in my back pages just in case. Still, I can see Facebook dying in years ahead the way MySpace did. All things come to an end and all that I guess. Something else will spring up and the cycle will continue.

I think the self pub podcast guys have it on the money. The only remotely safe option for indie authors is owning your own platform. Your own email list, your own domain, your own blog hosted on your own website etc. Look at Amazon with all its changes. Look how devastating that adult filter is to incomes. Without a list to send your readers to a new place, how would any of us deal with that applied to our stuff?


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## SBJones (Jun 13, 2011)

How to win at Facebook:  

Build an app that is Farmville meets Candy Crush but it's all books.  When they win little prizes and post it to their wall, it's a link with either an amazon affiliate code to your book or a coupon discount smashwords book or something.

Build a back end signup page for people to submit their book and the game just updates automagically with new rewards.  Squirt out a few generic visa gift cards as well and let the masses promote your books.

Collect millions of signup emails.


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## 69959 (May 14, 2013)

SBJones said:


> How to win at Facebook:
> 
> Build an app that is Farmville meets Candy Crush but it's all books. When they win little prizes and post it to their wall, it's a link with either an amazon affiliate code to your book or a coupon discount smashwords book or something.
> 
> ...


There's actually a website starting up that is like that. I can't think of what's it called, but it's still in beta and not open for the general public. It's supposed to be a place for authors and readers to connect through games and fun. Who knows, maybe that'll useful?

In the meantime, I'm going to put most of my effort into writing, building my list, updating my site, and keep re-reading the self publishing podcast book (Write Publish Repeat.)


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## dalya (Jul 26, 2011)

I've got no problem paying for a service, as long as I'm getting reasonable value.

I've put as much as $3k/month into Facebook in the past. Track your ROI and you'll be fine. If you have to pay $30 to send your new release announcement to all your followers, that's just part of the cost of your business.

I think Rafflecopter benefited the early adopters, and then torched the fields. If every author has 20k Likes, that means your readers have probably Liked 100 other authors to get into their raffles. It doesn't bode well for you reaching your readers.

Rafflecopter and the drive to have more Likes has also done incredible harm to the book blogging community. Seemingly overnight, book blogging went from being about posting reviews to being about offering swag. Now that every blog has 20k Likes but nobody's getting the posts, it will be the bloggers who provide real content (in the form of personal reviews and original content) who will reach their audience. I've had, no lie, actual conversations with book bloggers who've said they're too busy doing Facebook stuff to read many books. That's kind of a problem, but it won't be a big problem for the ones who forge on and actually contribute original content.

And that's what it's all about, isn't it? Whether you run a page or a blog or publish books, success is about creating original content and giving people value for their time, money, click.


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## Vaalingrade (Feb 19, 2013)

Surely making their crumby site worse will solve all their problems!

Going public helped them make good decisions!


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## Alan Petersen (May 20, 2011)

Dalya said:


> I've got no problem paying for a service, as long as I'm getting reasonable value.
> 
> I've put as much as $3k/month into Facebook in the past. Track your ROI and you'll be fine. If you have to pay $30 to send your new release announcement to all your followers, that's just part of the cost of your business.
> 
> ...


Which is why a lot of FB post are now basically ads since folks are trying to get their ROI. It is what it is. Things change and all that.


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## TexasGirl (Dec 21, 2011)

I've been lucky on one page and not on another for visibility.

My new adult book page gets about 800 people seeing each post out of 3000 fans. I think somewhere early on, I pleased the FB Gods and got marked as a page with good content.

My pen name page has about 500 likes, all of whom are new since I just started the page in early November, but only 6-10 people see each post. Seriously, six to ten of the five hundred. 

I've been trying to be more engaging on the pen name page but it's an uphill battle to get people to comment when no one is even seeing stuff.

I don't know what the answer its. I like doing emails, but they are not the same as the immediate chatty rapport you can establish on Facebook. Fans talking to each other as well as you is invaluable.


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## Jan Thompson (May 25, 2013)

Alan Petersen said:


> I would imagine now that Twitter is a public company that they'll start doing the same thing hide your tweets from your followers unless you pay.


That's bound to happen bc there are so many tweets per minute that I rarely see 99% of all the tweets from people I follow. They age very quickly.


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## Cheryl Douglas (Dec 7, 2011)

Beginning to wonder why I bother with FB when only a small percentage of the people who like my page even see my posts. I guess it's those few loyal readers who do see the posts that keep me coming back.


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## FictionalWriter (Aug 4, 2010)

Ugh. Just ugh. I know this, if you post anything like a link, hardly anyone sees it. Better to post just text and you'll have a better chance of 10-15% of your audience seeing it.


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## KOwrites (May 23, 2011)

Dalya said:


> I've got no problem paying for a service, as long as I'm getting reasonable value.
> 
> I've put as much as $3k/month into Facebook in the past. Track your ROI and you'll be fine. If you have to pay $30 to send your new release announcement to all your followers, that's just part of the cost of your business.
> 
> ...


+1

I agree with every point you've made here. FB ads can be considered the cost of doing business. I like be able to choose by demographic for ad placement/posting. I do watch it like a hawk.

The bloggers point is also worth noting. Thanks, Dalya/Mimi KO


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## Terrence OBrien (Oct 21, 2010)

A company is going to charge me for distributing my ads? Don't they know who I am? 

Next thing you know, Amazon will be charging me an annual fee to have my stuff on KDP. (Fee waved for Select.)

Aint  this a great country?


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## BillSmithBooksDotCom (Nov 4, 2012)

Facebook blocking content people are actually interested in so they can charge you and clog your feed with useless advertising? 

I'm shocked...SHOCKED, I say. 

Owning your own platform is great...the problem is getting people to it.

I think there is definitely room for communities where writers and readers can get together...kind of like Kboards, Goodreads, Reddit, etc.


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## Lisa Scott (Apr 4, 2011)

Putting in a link definitely limits exposure. I just released a new Flirts volume and shared the news on FB. I have 614 followers. The one with the link to amazon got 99 views.  A similar post about the new release without a link got 251.  I should make a post telling people to sign up for my newsletter so they don't miss release announcements. But if I put a link to it, no one will see it!


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## Gennita Low (Dec 13, 2012)

Lisa Scott said:


> Putting in a link definitely limits exposure. I just released a new Flirts volume and shared the news on FB. I have 614 followers. The one with the link to amazon got 99 views. A similar post about the new release without a link got 251. I should make a post telling people to sign up for my newsletter so they don't miss release announcements. But if I put a link to it, no one will see it!


Put the link in the comment section. Tell your readers the link is in the first comment.


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## Pnjw (Apr 24, 2011)

I have both a page and a personal profile on FB. I make the personal profile public. Without fail, when I post to the personal page more people comment. I post to both places and pay to advertise on my page, but I'm certain the profile page reaches a lot more people. And they can mark me to get notifications. Which a lot of readers are learning to do. Facebook is still useful, but I do always push to get them to sign up for my mailing list. That's what I'm really after.


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## Zoe York (May 12, 2013)

Deanna, this might be what pushes me to encourage people to follow my profile as well. 

Mimi's totally right: original content is always what wins. Need to focus on that, and not worry too much about this.


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## dalya (Jul 26, 2011)

Lisa Scott said:


> Putting in a link definitely limits exposure. I just released a new Flirts volume and shared the news on FB. I have 614 followers. The one with the link to amazon got 99 views. A similar post about the new release without a link got 251. I should make a post telling people to sign up for my newsletter so they don't miss release announcements. But if I put a link to it, no one will see it!


Lisa - just keep posting it! Also, I put my mailing list signup in the bottom line of my Tuesday Teasers that go on Facebook.

I've had people ask me if there's a mailing list they can sign up for. This is despite it being fairly clearly marked everywhere, LOL. I know it seems repetitive, but if you're not up in their face constantly, it's okay to repeat yourself a bit!


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## Lisa Grace (Jul 3, 2011)

Which is why I posted my DON'T advertise with FB msg. They are so 2010.


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## Zelah Meyer (Jun 15, 2011)

I only put my website in the back of my books.  You don't know how long it will take for someone to get around to reading your book, especially with a print copy.  I can control whether my webiste is still active in five or ten years from now.  I can't control whether a social network site is.


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## scottmarlowe (Apr 22, 2010)

I've had similar results with FB. My new release announcement was seen by practically no one. I don't have that many likes, but it doesn't sound like that makes much of a difference anyway.

I used to have my web site, mailing list, and social platform links at the back of my book. I consolidated that down to just my web site and mailing list b/c I think it was simply too much. Readers are smart enough to go to a web site where all the other links are if they want to, say, follow me on twitter. Plus I want to keep the focus on my mailing list, so removing the fluff I think helped that.


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## portlandrocks (Jul 18, 2013)

Mimi (was Dalya) said:


> I've put as much as $3k/month into Facebook in the past. Track your ROI and you'll be fine. If you have to pay $30 to send your new release announcement to all your followers, that's just part of the cost of your business.


^^^This + using FB to build a list.


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## W.W. (Jun 27, 2011)

Would using a "personal" page for your author persona (with friending and subscribing/ following instead of liking) be a good solution to the problem, at least as long as readers are still on FB in large numbers?


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