What Is “Engagement Bait” And How To Avoid It On Facebook
Facebook recently rolled out new News Feed changes which have big implications for brands. Driven by numerous consumer complaints, Facebook will now demote companies that use “engagement bait” to get clicks, likes, and comments in order to attain a greater reach on the social networking site.
Using a new machine learning model, Facebook will implement stricter demotions for companies that use engagement bait tactics, which currently run rampant on the site. All of these efforts have the goal to reduce spammy and misleading posts and to promote more meaningful engagements and content.
Lucky for brands, Facebook gave examples of five types of engagement bait to avoid on Facebook, so for companies that want to continue having a high presence on the site, here is what to avoid.
Vote Baiting
Vote baiting is pretty common for some retailers who ask their customers to vote on a new style or favorite color for a product. Companies ask users to vote in the comments, which then gives the post a broader reach on Facebook. Instead of this engagement bait tactic, brands can simply use Facebook polls to get real user feedback.
React Baiting
React baiting is asking for likes, comments, or shares in reaction to a photo or statement. These posts tend to be more obviously spammy, and Facebook is weeding them out. Facebook’s goal is to get companies to simply share better content, so brands should do just that. Instead of asking users to like or comment on an image, post an image that is like- or comment-worthy. This may mean posting less, but quality will be rewarded over quantity.
Share Baiting
Brands often use share baiting to run promotions. They offer a freebie or giveaway for sharing a particular post. And once they got a lot of shares, the old Facebook algorithm would reward the post with a larger reach. Those days are ending, so brands that want to run a contest should closely follow Facebook guidelines. According to the site’s official guidelines:
Promotions may be administered on Pages or within apps on Facebook. Personal Timelines and friend connections must not be used to administer promotions (ex: “share on your Timeline to enter” or “share on your friend’s Timeline to get additional entries,” and “tag your friends in this post to enter” are not permitted).
Instead, to collect entries, ask participants to post to your business page or send your page a message.
Tag Baiting
Tag baiting is asking users to tag a friend in the comments in reaction to a post. “Tag someone that needs this product” or “tag someone that does this in the morning” are common posts you’ve probably already seen in your feed.
Staying with the theme of posting better content, brands should stay away from asking users to tag friends and encourage them using other tactics such as emotion or nostalgia. Ideally, companies post a picture that reminds a user of a friend or family member, and they tag them on their own, without the spammy messaging encouraging them to do so.
Comment Baiting
Comment baiting is asking users to “comment with specific answers (words, numbers, phrases, or emojis).” This is very different from starting a real, engaging discussion. Comment baiting is pure spam, and most marketers should be able to tell the difference. Facebook still wants and encourages brands to talk with customers, so posts that ask thoughtful questions without telling users what to comment will not incur a demotion.
Facebook’s goal in this mission is to “reduce the spread of content that is spammy, sensational, or misleading in order to promote more meaningful and authentic conversations on Facebook.” Brands that want to continue to have a large reach on Facebook should seek to post content their customer enjoys without asking for likes, comments, and shares because useful, engaging content will get that on its own.
Here is another post you might find interesting: 9 Emotional Hooks That Will Make Your Content 10x Better
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Billie Scott’s Internet Marketing Blog
Billie Scott 's Internet Marketing Blog 