With roughly 2.9 billion monthly active users, Facebook holds its place as the most-used online social network worldwide. As the social media space changes and short-form video content skyrockets, Facebook continues to evolve and stay ahead of the curve. What some people view as an outdated platform that you only use to connect with family and old friends, is still a host for fan engagement and connection.
The new changes to the platform include how you view your Feed, the prioritization of Reels, updated Facebook chat features, and many more. With that being said, let’s talk about how you can best use Facebook.
Quick Links:
➢ New Reels Features
➢ Following vs Favorites Feeds
➢ Fund For Metaverse Creators
➢ Facebook Live Audio Rooms
➢ Music Revenue Sharing
➢ New Facebook Group Features
New Reels Features
ADD YOURS STICKER
Like Instagram, Facebook users can now use the “Add Yours” sticker on stories and Reels. This sticker is the perfect way to encourage audiences to directly interact with an artist’s page and music.
Each time someone uses the sticker in a Reel the content collects on a dedicated page specifically for the prompt. This prompt page also credits the original creator at the top, tying everything back to them. Once responses populate, artists should use it as an opportunity to interact with their fans.
CROSS-POSTING REELS FROM INSTAGRAM TO FACEBOOK
The new functionality of cross-posting Instagram Reels to Facebook makes sharing your short-form content even easier. Before hitting the post on your Instagram Reel, toggle the switch that will allow you to “Share Your Reels to Facebook.” If you think that your content will always work on Facebook, you can choose to share your Reels automatically or turn it off for specific videos.
REELS SCHEDULING
Users can now build, schedule, and publish Facebook Reels and measure their results in Creator Studio. Scheduling your content allows artists to stay organized, save time, and start planning ahead to avoid the clutter of content to post around releases.
IMPROVED FACEBOOK REELS INSIGHTS
Facebook creators now have access to more comprehensive analytics. These new insights are available to view in Creator Studio and are designed to help spot trends in viewership, engagement, reach, and more.
Following vs Favorites Feeds
Following in the footsteps of their sister platform, Instagram, Meta has launched a similar viewing option for your Facebook feed. Under the “Feeds” tab, you can now view posts from your friends, groups, pages, and more in chronological order. Your Home tab will still feature personalized content that the discovery engine will recommend based on what it thinks you’ll care most about.
Fund For Metaverse Creators
This year Meta launched their Fund for Metaverse Creators — a new program to incentivize creators to utilize Meta’s metaverse platform, Horizon Worlds.
Some of the new monetization features include:
- Tools for creating and selling virtual effects (e.g. fashion accessories)
- A Horizon Worlds Creator Bonus that will allow creators to get paid out monthly for their progress toward specific goals (e.g. creating worlds that attract and retain large audiences)
Facebook Live Audio Rooms
This past year, Meta made multiple changes to their audio hub, including simplifying their Live Audio Room offering by folding it into the Facebook Live experience.
To create a live audio room:
- Tap
in the bottom right of Facebook and tap Groups. Then tap Your Groups and select your group. If you don’t see Groups, tap See More.
- Tap Rooms at the top of the group.
- Tap Create Room. If prompted, select Live Audio.
- Tap Name if you’d like to change the name from the default.
- Tap Date and Time if you’d like to schedule it for a later time. An event will be created for the future live audio room.
- Tap Invited Speakers and select people you’d like to invite to speak.
- Tap Create Live Audio Room.
- Tap Go Live when you’re ready. If you’re not an admin or moderator, you’ll have to wait for an admin to approve your room.
Music Revenue Sharing
Facebook’s Music Revenue Sharing allows creators to receive a portion of in-stream ad revenue from the videos they created that contain licensed music. This opens them up to a new stream of income for both creators and music rights holders. The best part is that now this feature is available to Facebook users worldwide.
The Facebook Group leg of the platform underwent a series of changes this year. These include the following:
COMMUNITY CHAT
Meta added a Community Chat feature to bridge the gap between Messenger and Facebook Groups, allowing people to connect when, where, and how they want. Users in Community Chats can chat using multiple formats — text, audio, and video.
FACEBOOK REELS IN GROUPS
Facebook Group Reels are engaging short-form videos, typically under 30 seconds, that content creators aka Facebook Group admins and group members can create. If you post a Reel in a private group, only those members can see and engage with the video. On the flip side, Reels shared in a public group are visible to anyone on or off Facebook. 3 Reasons Why You Should Start Creating Facebook Group Reels Today:
- Increases Group Reach and Discoverability
- Boosts Facebook Group Engagement
- Opportunity to Flex Your Creative Muscles
FACEBOOK EVENT SHARING
You can now share Facebook events to your Instagram Page. To utilize this new feature you can go to the Events page, click “Share” below the date and time of the event, then tap “Share to Story.” Your friends can then tap “interested” to say they may attend, and you’ll be able to see the responses.
EXPANDED GROUP PROFILES
Group Profiles will soon be expanding and adding even more information to the “About” sections, as well as a new “Open to Messaging” feature.
Group Administrators, in particular, will also will also be open to a new bundle of features including the following:
- Community Contributions
- Using a points system, administrators will be able to recognize the top contributors and monitor engagement. Members of the Group can gain points by “taking on an active position in the community with a set of obligations or for receiving replies and comments on posts.”
- Socializer
- This new role for members is intended to reward users that assist in welcoming new members into the Group and promote involvement in it.
- Admin Assist
- A set of guidelines must be provided by administrators for automated moderation. When these conditions are met, moderation happens automatically.
- The parameters determine how false information will be handled, such as whether it will be deleted automatically or transferred to pending review.
- Flagged by Facebook override
- Certain admins will be able to override the Flagged by Facebook status on postings thanks to this capability. This is only applicable to content that has been marked as harassment and bullying. Administrators will have the option to override flagged content and, after evaluation, post it to their Group.
With all of the new updates and developments to the platform, Facebook has reframed the user experience to keep up with its competitors and stay top of mind as a hub of information for fans’ favorite artists. Facebook is still a leader in the social media and entertainment spaces, and an essential tool that artists and creators can use to expand their reach and fanbase globally!
