Facebook can be one of the biggest traffic drivers and revenue builders for our news sites — but only if we use it the right way. The goal isn’t just to drop links and hope for clicks. The goal is to grow audience, spark engagement, and ultimately monetize that audience.

This guide walks you through exactly how we want our editors posting, why we’re doing it this way, and how to avoid the mistakes that quietly kill reach.

Start Here: What Facebook LIKES

Before we talk about tactics, it helps to understand how Facebook thinks.

Facebook rewards posts that:

  • Keep people ON Facebook
  • Spark comments and conversation
  • Feel natural and social–it is social media!
  • Use strong, original visuals
  • Mix up content types
  • Get people reacting and sharing

When you post in a way that encourages interaction, Facebook shows your content to more people.

What Will KILL Your Engagement

Just as important: there are things that will choke your reach and there’s a lot.

  • Posting links directly in captions
  • Posting too many stories back-to-back in a short time
  • Treating Facebook like a dumping ground for headlines
  • Using the same caption style over and over
  • Ignoring comments
  • Posting cluttered, boring, or only using stock images
  • Only posting article links and nothing else
  • Being overly promotional or “salesy”
  • Posting content that isn’t original to your news site
  • Using only stock images that don’t feel local (they aren’t original)
  • Using the same link multiple times a day
  • Posting only link post and nothing else
  • Clickbait headlines like “You won’t believe what happened next”
  • Over promotional language like “Click now” or “Don’t miss this”
  • Robotic non-conversational tone
  • All caps or excessive emojis
  • Ignoring comments
  • Editing post multiple times after posting
  • Copyright issues with images or music
  • Using third-party tools that auto-post identical content

Posting in clusters is a reach killer

If you post five stories within ten minutes, Facebook sees that as spammy behavior and will limit distribution of ALL of them.

Instead:

  • Space posts out:
  • Mix up content
  • Give each post time to breathe
  • Interact between posts

Quality and pacing matter more than quantity, therefore, 6 quality posts will perform better than 10 unoriginal posts. You can schedule your post, so they are not back-to-back. A good rule of thumb is 90-120 minutes apart.

Don’t forget to schedule your evergreen content on the weekends. This keeps you consistent with Facebook.

The Core Posting Strategy: Image + Headline + Link in Comment

This is the foundation of our current Facebook approach. Many are still doing link in caption or link post. This strategy is proven to increase engagement and increase followers because Facebook pushes the content out to more users not following us.

Posting strategies are always adapting as Facebook changes it’s algorithms.

Every standard news post should follow this format:

1. Create a strong image with the headline ON the image

  • Big, clear text
  • Easy to read on a phone
  • Clean background
  • No clutter

Think of the image as a mini billboard for the story.

2. Write a catchy caption (with NO link)

  • 1–2 sentences summarizing the story
  • Friendly tone
  • Ask a question when appropriate

3. Immediately add the article link in the FIRST COMMENT

This is critical.

Post → then comment with:

Here are a few of our news sites that have tried this strategy so you can get a visual.

You are welcome to create your own image template, however, let me approve it. Let me know if you need a template created for you.

Why We Put the Link in the Comment

Facebook doesn’t like sending people off its platform. Posts with links in the caption or Link Post get LESS reach.

By keeping the caption link-free and adding the URL in the first comment, we:

  • Get more distribution
  • Reach more non-followers
  • Increase reactions and shares
  • Grow the page faster

You may see slightly fewer direct clicks at first — but you will get FAR more overall exposure, which is what builds long-term audience and revenue.

Mix It Up: Facebook Loves Variety

If every post looks the same, Facebook gets bored with you.

A healthy page includes a mix of:

  • Article posts
  • Photos
  • Polls and questions
  • Live updates
  • Reels
  • Community posts

The more variety you use, the more Facebook rewards your page.

Use Reels Regularly – Facebook LOVES Them

Right now, Reels get more organic reach than almost anything else.

Aim for:

  • 2–3 Reels per week minimum
  • Short clips (15–30 seconds)
  • Simple, local content

Reels don’t have to be fancy:

  • A quick video of a scene
  • Weather conditions
  • Event footage
  • Short on-camera updates
  • Traffic backups
  • Game highlights

Even simple, raw video often performs better than polished posts.

Here are a few examples of what some of our new sites are doing.

Here is a step-by-step guide from Chris Smith on posting a news video like the one you saw from Christian County Now: https://onlinenews.sagacom.com/news/279972-guide-how-to-post-new-videos-for-news/

Breaking News: Post FAST and Own the Conversation

For breaking stories, speed matters more than perfection. The first organization to post on social media will own the conversation.

The best workflow for breaking news:

  1. Create an image with a quick headline. Make sure BREAKING is clearly visible.
  2. Post it immediately with a short caption
  3. Add a comment that says:

“Developing story – link coming shortly”

  1. Finish the article
  2. Come back and drop the link in that same comment thread

Being FIRST on social lets us own the conversation. If we wait until the article is perfect, someone else will already have the audience.

Come Back and Update Your Posts

Facebook loves active, living posts.

When a story changes:

  • Add a NEW comment with updates
  • Tell readers the article has been updated
  • Answer questions in the thread

This keeps the post relevant and circulating longer.

Other Must-Have Post Types for Every News Page

Not every Facebook post should be an article link. If you have one, add it but below are some ideas on mime type post you add to your pages.

Some of the most valuable posts we can make have no link at all — and that’s exactly why Facebook loves them.

These post types build engagement, teach Facebook that your page is interactive, and create loyal followers who will later click your stories.

Weather Posts

  • Forecast graphics
  • Radar screenshots
  • Quick updates during storms
  • “Here’s what to expect today” posts

Weather content is GOLD on Facebook. A quick post with a graphic builds engagement and promotes shares. For example: I think mother nature is confused, today it’s 70 degrees and this time last week it was 17 degrees.

Traffic and Road Updates

  • Accidents
  • Delays
  • Construction
  • School closings

These posts drive comments and shares like crazy. Don’t use these to replace traffic and accident articles on the news site because they drive traffic on our news sites. However, when traffic happens, letting people know quickly is critical. You can always come back and add the article in the comments.

Community Conversation Posts

  • “What are you seeing out there?”
  • “How are the roads near you?”
  • Event photos
  • Local pride content
  • Send use your weather pictures

These types of posts teach Facebook that your page is truly local and interactive.

How Often Should You Post?

There’s no magic number, but here are good guidelines:

  • 3 – 6 posts per day (spaced out)
  • Don’t stack posts on top of each other
  • Include at least one non-link post daily
  • Add Reels multiple times per week
  • If you are posting a press release don’t make it a priority unless your customized it. Facebook does not prioritize unique content.

Remember: pacing matters as much as volume.

Growing Followers on Purpose

Engagement leads to followers — but you can also actively grow the page.

Easy daily habits:

  • Invite people who react to posts to follow the page–you can do this inside Meta Business Suite
  • Reply to comments
  • Ask questions
  • Pin high-performing posts
  • Cross-promote big stories on our radio stations socials

Use our built-in advantage

Someone in your building has admin access with our radio stations.

That means we can:

  • Ask on-air talent to share big stories
  • Cross-post between station and news pages
  • Invite station followers to like the news page

Work together — it makes a huge difference.

Someone with admin access on both pages can invite people to connect. See the image below on where to find this feature.

Why All of This Matters for Monetization

Bigger, more engaged Facebook audiences directly lead to:

  • More website traffic
  • More ad impressions
  • Better performance for sponsored articles
  • Stronger results for advertisers
  • More revenue opportunities

Social media is not just a promotion tool — it is part of our business model.

Final Reminder: Be Social

At the end of the day, Facebook is SOCIAL media.

Talk to people.

  • Reply to comments
  • Thank readers for tips
  • Ask follow-up questions
  • Be human

Pages that interact grow.
Pages that just dump links fade away.

Daily Editor Checklist

Before you log off:

  • Did I avoid links in captions?
  • Did I put links in first comments?
  • Did I space out my posts?
  • Did I reply to commenters?
  • Did I mix in at least one non-article post?
  • Did I invite new engagers to follow?

If yes — you’re doing Facebook the right way.

Use this guide as your roadmap, and you’ll see stronger reach, faster growth, and better monetization across every one of our news pages.