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How to Automate Facebook Posts (and 3X your Likes)

Posted 02 November, 2023

Want to automate Facebook posts and save 6+ hours EVERY week?

This guide will show you how to automate your Facebook posting schedule.

AND how you can automate your Facebook content creation and curation.

I wrote this guide as a quick tutorial on how you can maximize engagement WHILE automating your posts.

(Ready to start automating your Facebook posts? Create a FREE Post Planner account.)

Feel free to skip to the section that you're most interested in:


Why NOT automating your Facebook posts is costing you $$$

The short answer?

It’s more efficient — which saves you time and money.

Let's face it: Marketing on Facebook can be HARD.

Most companies fail to gain healthy engagement, even though Facebook has the most users of any social media platform.

automate_facebook_post_2.2This is why it's CRUCIAL to have a content strategy.

Increasing engagement would be easy if you spent all of your time on Facebook.

But that's not realistic or practical!

By scheduling a content calendar, marketers can eliminate the day-to-day task of posting on Facebook and focus on more important things.

When you plan and automate your posts, you can better track and measure things like:

  • What time of the day is best to post?
  • What day of the week gets the most engagement?
  • Which type of content maximizes engagement?

Scheduling automatic Facebook posts will help fuel your reach and engagement efforts — while still giving you the biggest bang for your buck AND saving you hours of time.

Are there any risks?

Some marketers are hesitant to use 3rd-party posting apps because they think Facebook might filter out their content.

However, according to Facebook, posts created using 3rd-party apps (like Post Planner) are treated the same in the news feed as manual posts. ✔️

How to automate Facebook posts with Meta Business Suite

If you want to:

  • Create content schedules that are more than 90 days ahead
  • Recycle your best posts
  • Create and schedule your posts in bulk
  • Automate the process of finding GOOD content to post
  • Schedule the same posts for other social media (like Pinterest, TikTok, LinkedIn, etc.)
  • Access more advanced features

Then, you should skip to our Post Planner section.

However, if you're only trying to automate Facebook or Instagram posts, using Facebook's Meta Business Suite will do just fine.

Note: You can only schedule content 90 days ahead with Meta Business Suite.

Here's how to get started...

How to schedule posts with Meta Business Suite

1) Log in to Facebook

2) Click on the profile that you want to schedule posts for.

Select your profile

3) Then, on the left-hand toolbar, click Meta Business Suite.

Click Meta Business Suite

4) Click "Planner" on the left-hand toolbar.

Click Planner

5) Click "Create post," "Create story," or "Create reel."

Click create

6) Select the account you want to post to.

Choose your account

7) Add your media.

Add your media

8) Add your text.

Add your text

9) By "Scheduling options," turn on "Set date and time."

Set date and time

10) Select the date and time you want your post to be scheduled.

date day and time to schedule11) Click "schedule."

Hit schedule

12) Repeat until your entire content plan is scheduled to be automatically posted.


How to automate Facebook posts with Post Planner

If you're looking for more capabilities than Meta Business Suite, such as the abilities to:

  • Schedule (and reoptimize) posts for Facebook, Instagram, Twitter or X, Google Business, Pinterest, TikTok, and Linkedin.
  • Recycle your best posts automatically
  • Create and schedule your posts in bulk
  • Curate the best content in your industry to repost or recreate
  • Design eye-catching visual content
  • Access thousands of post ideas PROVEN to get engagement
  • Use AI to help write posts

Then, you need to sign up for a free Post Planner account ASAP!

That'll allow you to follow along with each of these automation features that'll save you HOURS every week.

Here's how to automate your Facebook posts in under 15 minutes:

Set up your posting plan

Your 1st step is to set up a Posting Plan.

Your Posting Plan tells Post Planner what days and times you want to post.

It also allows you to choose what types of content to allow in each posting slot.

You can also further customize your Posting Plan by creating "Buckets" of content. Buckets allow you to categorize your posts so you can make sure the right type of post is posted on the day you want.

(For example, you could create one Bucket for memes and another for educational posts. Then, you can set up your posting plan to post a specific type of content on your set recurring day and time. So, if you wish, you could schedule your meme posts for Fridays and your educational posts for Monday through Friday.)

Post Planner Content Plans

Click on “Posts” then “Posting Plan” to access your Posting Plan

Then, select the days, times, and content types you want to post.

As you add content, this schedule will automatically tell Post Planner where to organize your content.

Add content to your calendar

After selecting your posting times, you’re ready to fill your posting schedule with content.

Post Planner will automatically post any content you add to your schedule at the appropriate time — no action necessary!

To find content:

  1. Navigate to the “Content” tab on Post Planner.
  2. Search for a keyword that’s relevant to your niche.
  3. Click “Create post” on the content you want to add, then fill in the post details (captions, hashtags, etc.).

Add content to your calendar post planner

To view your entire posting schedule at a glance, go to “Calendar."

The calendar view shows the time, day, and type of content for each scheduled post in the month.

Just click on the Calendar tab to pull up the planned content to see exactly what's going to be posted.

PostPlanner Content Calendar at a glance fr

Repeat these steps until your posting calendar is full!

The content will automatically post on time, so you don’t have to worry about consistency.

Create unique visual content

Visual content is hugely beneficial for your content strategy.

  • It’s more interesting than text.
  • It adds variety to your feed.
  • It catches the viewer’s eye and draws them in.

Post Planner makes it easy to create custom visual content for your Facebook plan without hiring a professional graphic designer.

Just click on the "Content" tab and "Studio."

Then, use Post Planner’s tools to create visually appealing content for your posts.

4-May-11-2023-07-34-24-3777-PM

When you’re done creating your visual content, save it to your library for future use or add it to the composer to be optimized for Facebook and added to your Posting Plan.

 

 

How to schedule Facebook posts in bulk

Tired of creating and scheduling each individual Facebook post?

Post Planner's bulk create and schedule features are what you need!

There are 2 types of posts you can schedule in bulk with Post Planner:

  1. New content
  2. Curated content

Let's start by showing you how to schedule new posts:

1) Click on "Create Post" (make sure your Facebook account is selected.)

1 bulk post create2) Click where it says "single post." Then select "multiple posts."

2 bulk post create

3) You have 3 options to upload your posts in bulk:

  • Upload images - for when you're trying to schedule posts with images.
  • RSS feed URL - for when you're trying to schedule a bunch of articles.
  • Upload spreadsheet - for if you want to upload a bunch of posts from a spreadsheet.

3 bulk post create4) Customize each post and determine the order you want them to be posted in your queue.

4 bulk post create5) Optional: Select the Bucket you want your posts to be categorized by.

5 bulk post create6) Add your posts to your queue or save them to your Bucket.

6 bulk post create

But what if you want to combine Post Planner's powerful content curation features with bulk scheduling?

Here's how you can post a BUNCH of content that's proven to engage your audience at scale :

1) Go to the "Content" tab.

2) Use these filters to search for different types of content:

  • Curate from social media - Find the top-performing content across social media.
  • Find images, vids, and gifs - Search through a vast library of free visual content.
  • Curate from blogs - Upload posts from your favorite blogs to share.

1 bulk post curate3) Add the content you want to post. And keep adding content until you're done!

3 bulk post curate4) Click "Create [#] posts" when you're done selecting your content.

4 bulk post curate5) Customize your posts with captions, order them, and add them to your queue or Bucket!

5 bulk post curate

 

 

How to schedule recurring Facebook posts

Make sure you’re recycling content that performs well on Facebook.

Post Planner helps you identify great posts that knock it out of the park.

When you do, recycle those posts for future use.

It’s like getting 2 posts for the price of 1!

When creating a post, click the recycle icon, then choose how often you want the post to cycle back through your plan.

6-May-11-2023-07-36-15-4471-PM

Post Planner will do the heavy lifting and make sure it gets posted when you want.

You can also view how past posts performed in "History" (in the Posts tab). Then, filter through your content to find posts you want to recycle.

recycle history posts

As a side note, you don’t want to recycle a post too frequently.

For example:

Posting the same post 7 times in a week is OBNOXIOUS.

But posting the same great content 2-3 times a year is SMART.

Bonus: How to schedule posts in Facebook Groups

Note: You have to be an admin to schedule posts to your Facebook Group.

1) Go to your Group and click on "Group settings."

Go to Group Settings

2) Scroll down to where it says "Apps" under "Manage advanced settings." Click on the pencil.

Edit facebook group apps

3) Click "Add apps."

Click add apps

4) Search "Post Planner." Then click on the Post Planner app.

Search Post Planner then click on the app5) Add Post Planner.

Add Post Planner to the apps6) Go back to the Post Planner app. Go to "Settings" > "Social Networks." Then click "Refresh" next to your Facebook account.

Add your facebook group to post planner

Now, you can schedule Facebook posts using Post Planner. Just select your Facebook Group as the account you want to post to. 😀

 

When you should NOT use Facebook automation

Although it’s extremely efficient, here are a FEW scenarios when you shouldn’t use automation on Facebook.

  • Friending or following pages or people
  • Commenting on posts using 3rd-party apps
  • 3rd-party Facebook messenger bots (that do outreach)

When people interact with your brand, they DON’T want to deal with a robot.

They want to see the human side of your brand.

Don't squander the opportunity to interact with your community and potential customers by automating your conversations.

How to create a Facebook post automation strategy

All of these tools are useless if you don't have a strategy BEFORE automating.

Here are some tips to get started:

Define your goals

Before you start automating Facebook posts, you need to clearly define goals so you can measure success and improve your marketing efforts.

A few of your goals could be:

No matter what your marketing goals are, it's essential to define them so you can track your progress.

Also, your goals should dictate the mix of content you add to your Facebook automation tool.

Choose a content scheduling tool

A content scheduling tool is an ESSENTIAL piece of the puzzle to automate Facebook posts.

Before you start creating and scheduling out content, you should find a tool that's easy to use AND aligns with your goals.

Bottom line, here are a few qualities to look for when choosing a content scheduling tool

  • How easy is it to use?
  • How far can you schedule in advance?
  • Can you post at specific dates and times?
  • How is your content stored?
  • Can your team collaborate on content?
  • Can you use the SAME tool to automate posts for other social platforms?

Don't know where to start? Try Post Planner for FREE!

Create a content calendar for your posts



Facebook shows pages you enjoy the most on your newsfeed.

BUT no one wants their feeds flooded — by even their favorite page in the world.

So, when looking to automate your Facebook posts, think of a posting frequency that maximizes engagement potential while STILL minimizing "annoyance."

Social media experts recommend you post on Facebook at least 3 times a week and up to once a day.

According to Hubspot's benchmark data, pages experienced a 50% drop in engagement per post if they post more than once per day.

automate facebook post 1.3

 

But one of the best ways to tailor your approach is by analyzing your Facebook Audience Insights to see the days and times your fans are MOST active. Then, you can choose a posting time and frequency that fits your specific audience.

Create and adopt engaging content

Creating content is the most important piece.

So decide which types of posts you want to create.

What's hot & trending? How can you tailor your content to that fad?

Look at competitors and think:

What is working for them?

What's not working for them?

How can you improve on their work?

An easy way to create engaging content is by recreating successful content that competitors put out and putting your own spin on it (emphasis on “putting your own spin on it”).

Keep content fresh

Don't post the same type of content every time.

Keep it fresh.

Mix in photos, videos, blogs, etc.

Diversify your content as much as possible initially.

Then, refine your strategy once you see what works and what doesn’t.

Maybe you find that you get much more engagement when posting videos compared to other posts.

You should tailor your content to capitalize on these insights.

Evaluate, refine & repeat

Once you have automated your Facebook posts, it's important to track progress and improve efforts.

Just because you automated your Facebook posts doesn't mean your engagement will skyrocket.

Moving the needle takes time.

And odds are, you aren't going to hit the jackpot right away.

Instead, you’ll need to evaluate and refine your strategy to achieve your goals.

Also, don't forget to engage with your audience in your comment section, as it'll invite more discussions.

Remember: Facebook rewards engagement.

So, the more you have, the higher the likelihood that Facebook will recommend your content to more people.

Frequently asked questions about Facebook post automation

Is it possible to automate Facebook?

It's possible to automate many aspects of Facebook. But it's important to remember that just because something can be automated, doesn't mean it should. 

It's best to enhance what you're already doing with automation, like posting content — instead of using automation to spam users.

What is Facebook post automation?

Facebook post automation is the process of scheduling content in advance using a social media scheduling tool.

This is much more EFFICIENT than publishing posts the same day they’re created.

With scheduling tools (like Post Planner), new posts can be added and scheduled into your content calendar.

Is there an app to schedule Facebook posts?

Yes, you can use Facebook's Meta Business Suite to schedule posts. However, its features are limited compared to other tools.

We recommend using a social media scheduling tool like Post Planner if you're looking for more advanced features.

 

 

 

 

 

How to find a Post Planner right for you

Post Planner makes scheduling Facebook content easy because of its easy-to-use automation scheduling tool and vast content library of multimedia.

Sure, there are a ton of other apps out there to help with automation…

But you'll need to do some research to see what works best for your needs.

Consider these questions before investing in ANY social media scheduling tool:

  • Can I connect all of my pages & groups to the app?
  • How many posts per day can I make with the app?
  • Does the app allow me to choose the exact posting times, or do I have no control?
  • Can I set up a queue schedule that decides exactly which times of the day the app will post different post types (photos, links, or text updates)?
  • Does the app allow me to post evergreen content? (i.e., can I schedule a blog post once & then have it repost again & again throughout the month/year?)
  • Will the app supply me with 1000s of Facebook post ideas to help me figure out what to post?
  • Does the app help me find high-quality content from around the web & then schedule it to my pages?
  • Can I organize my own streams of content into folders to access at any time?
  • Does the app allow me to target different demographics & timezones easily?
  • Does the price fit my budget?
  • Can you cancel at ANY time?

 

Ready to start automating your Facebook posts?

Try Post Planner today by creating a FREE account!

Schedule better content.
Reach more people.
Get more followers.

Start Free Trial