Reports of the newsfeedocalypse have been greatly exaggerated.
Publishers have once again reacted with fear and panic to recent announcements about Facebook algorithm changes and an initiative dubbed Instant Articles, whereby content from premium publishers is embedded in the newsfeed itself. No more clickthroughs, huh?
But before we all proclaim that the end is nigh, let's remember a few important things about promoting content with Facebook.
Engagement Begets Engagement
No one knows how to read social signals better than Facebook. Their algorithm has undergone many iterations over the years, but the evolution is always aimed at maximizing exposure for posts that Facebook's machinery identifies as the most likely to drive user interaction. In this sense, it doesn't matter if you're my former college roommate or a soft drink - if you demonstrate to Zuck's bots that people click on your posts, then they'll want more people to see your posts moving forward.
So keep experimenting with your posts. Shake things up in terms of tone, link destinations, calls to action, timing, use of media attachments, organic targeting settings, the formats of the content experiences you're promoting and any other factors you can think of. If it isn't working, then you need to keep tweaking.
It's Just an Arms Race
Facebook's algo-adjustment fetish has many parallels with Google's Panda and Penguin updates in recent years. Whenever you have an audience acquisition channel that emerges as a mammoth performer, people are going to do their best to game the system. And whenever this digital marketing channel notices that the professional community is managing to exploit its weaknesses, well, there are going to be changes to how it works.
If you're a black hat SEO or a clickbait Facebook marketer, then you might find some hacks that allow you to enjoy successes in the short term, but this seemingly never-ending arms race is likely to legitimately strike fear into your heart. But if you're genuinely aiming to provide value to an audience that delights in what you do, then you have no reason to believe that your engagement will flatline any time soon.
You Don't Own Your Audience
For better or for worse, publishers and brands have become dependent on Facebook as a primary distribution channel. Many have warned us about the dangers of "digital sharecropping," but do we really have a choice? Traditional media had formidable barriers to entry, in that only a proper tycoon could afford to invest in printing presses and fleets of trucks.
Today everyone has the potential to become a new media superstar, but to succeed, we need to remember that the rules have changed from the audience's perspective too. People aren't loyal to specific publishers as gatekeepers of content quality anymore. In the mobile, social age, we depend on algorithms, trusted peers and the wisdom of the crowd to serve us content we like. And we want it to reach us where we spend our leisure time, rather than vice versa. The publishers that are crushing it today are those that embrace fragmented distribution, striving for shares over views. If you can publish content that your audience members want to share, then it won't hurt as much if your own shares are seen less.
We're All in It Together
As volatile as content promotion on Facebook may seem, let's remember that there never was and never will be a magic formula that some companies have access to and others don't. Everyone's in the same boat. If the newsfeed stops being able to find the proper balance of posts from friends and companies, then people will go elsewhere to find their content, and we'll all lose.
Yes, Facebook's algorithm and UX adjustments do make it harder for marketers to get their content in front of people. And yes, Facebook does profit when companies buy their way into our newsfeeds. But without a user experience that's actually enjoyable, Facebook would never have become tops for content discovery. Maintaining the quality of the newsfeed is Facebook's primary goal, even if that means it's harder for honest marketers to get there. By making sure that the content we publish provides a genuinely engaging and therefore share-worthy experience, we'll be able to thrive no matter how social media evolves.