Engagement bait: the oldest trick in the book.
Intended to boost engagement and reach, provoking an audience to interact with your post takes advantage of the News Feed algorithm – and Facebook has put an end to it. Softly.
Your post won’t be deleted nor blocked; however, it will be pressed further down the News Feed, resulting in less eyes seeing your post. Though if you keep it up, you could run the risk of losing your business’s page.
So, what should you take care to avoid?
Tag baiting: Tag a friend you are doing long distance with!
Asking followers to tag people in the comments of your post is a no-no. Particularly for brands, it’s important to stay away from asking people to tag friends and family directly. Instead, we recommend evoking emotion and nostalgia that will encourage users to organically tag their friends and family where they see relevant.
Sure, you’ll need to tap into your audience’s interests more, but that will only help you out more in the long run.
Comment baiting: Comment 🙋🏼♀️ if you want a donut!
This is sneaky for two reasons: 1. You are essentially using donuts as bribery for engagement. 2. Everyone loves donuts.
Time to put this tactic to rest. If you are asking people to write specific phrases, emojis or words on your post in attempts to boost your News Feed positioning, we have two words for you: Stop. It.
What seems effective at the time is actually causing more damage to your brand than you know. Though don’t take it too far and remove all questions – Facebook truly does want for brands and their audience to engage and talk. Swap out your comment-bait for a thoughtful question instead!
React baiting: LOVE react this post if you want to find true love! SAD react if you want to be alone forever!
We truly do hope captions like this aren’t still happening, but you can never be too sure…
React baiting usually sits two to four options side by side and encourages a user to pick one – and show this through reacting accordingly. You probably see it so often; you don’t even realise anymore. Facebook has dubbed this as “spammy content” and will typically result in your post being demoted.
If you want to find true love, give We Date a try instead! 😉
Share baiting: Share this post with 3 friends to win a BMW!
Finally, telling users to share your post is also marked as prohibited by Facebook. Share baiting is generally used for competitions and often results in the entrant getting a higher chance of winning.
Instead of directly asking your audience to share your post, tap into your market and really get to know them. What content would they truly want to share with their followers – is it funny? Educational? Tugs at the heartstrings? Push for smarter content and expect better results.
Are you struggling to engage your audience through posts whilst avoiding these commonly used tactics? Get in touch to see how we can help build your social into something that truly connects.
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