It is getting tougher by the day to show up on people’s Facebook news feed.

This means that fewer eyes are seeing all the great things happening at your school. NOOOOOOOO!

If you are confused by this idea – then I’m going to suggest you read this blog: Facebook Algorithm 101 for Schools: What is it and how does it work?

So with this reality, what can we do to increase our reach? How can we improve our algorithm ranking so that more people see the important things we share about our school?

I am an active podcast listener, and one of my favorite shows is Social Media Marketing with Michael Stelzner. I’ll turn it on in the car (the podcast app will play these shows for free), and learn all about social media. The content is geared toward businesses, but it can always be applied to schools, too.

I learn so much that I can apply to my school partners. And then, of course, my goal is to pass what I learn on to you.

In one episode with Dennis Vu, he was breaking down the algorithm calculation in terms that we can understand. For the full episode, you can listen here.

Here is the cliff notes version. To reach more people, you have to score more points. When it comes to the algorithm, it breaks down like this:

• 1 point – A like (or love or any reaction)
• 7 points – A comment
• 14 points – A share

So a share is 14 times more helpful than a like.

The more interaction on a post, the more people are going to see it. If post #1 has 100 likes, but zero comments or shares, their score would be:

• 1 point X 100 Likes = 100

Compare this to post #2 that received 50 likes, 5 comments, and 20 shares, their score would be:

• (1 point X 50 likes) + (7 points X 5 comments) + (14 points X 20 shares) = 350

OK – I know you don’t like doing math, but it’s easy to see, right? Post #2 is going to be seen by a lot more people because its total score is 350 versus the first post which scored only 100.

Even though the total number of interactions (100 likes) is more than the total number of interactions on post #2 (75 total of likes, comments and shares) – post #2 reached more people.
All interaction is not created equal!

So how can you use this to help your school’s Facebook page?

Let people know this scoring system! If your staff realizes that hitting the share button (which takes exactly the same amount of time as hitting the like button) will result in a better reach for your school, they’ll do it!

In the same way, you can share this knowledge with your PTO or PTA group, or other involved community members. They want to help the school – and interacting on social media is free and takes literally no time! They will be happy to help.

Last week, I took time to share a short Facebook Live post on this topic. Check it out here.

So what do you think? Will this be helpful for your school? If it is, make sure you sign up for our bi-weekly newsletter so you never miss another tip!