If your band has a Facebook Page, you need to read this…

Facebook strikes again.

Your Facebook posts are now getting way, way less reach than usual.

And guess what?

They want you to pay money to get your reach back.

Pretty crappy if you ask me.

So what can you do about this as the admin of your page?

Here’s why paying Facebook sucks…

Ok, you shouldn’t mind it too much if you’re trying to sell something because hopefully you’ll be making that money back and more.

But what about when you’re just posting an update, a video, or a hilarious photo of your bassist picking his nose?

Your fans like you so they can see your stuff, whether it’s free content or something they have to pay for.

And I’m pretty sure you don’t get money from the money tree, so it doesn’t make financial sense to pay to promote content that isn’t going to turn you some kind of profit.

Which means fans aren’t going to see your content OR they are only going to see stuff you’re trying to sell.

That’s bad news…

…and your Facebook fans don’t even know this…

…because when they like your page they don’t understand how it works. The majority don’t, anyway.

They like your page to see your tour dates, funny photos, or new music, but they don’t realize that Facebook wants you to pay for them to see it.

You need to let them know

Don’t go whining on your page about how Facebook is so lame and blah, blah, blah.

Just let them know how it’s going down, and then invite them to: a.) join you on some other social network or b.) sign up for your mailing list. (Learn how to do fun emailing stuff right here.)

Otherwise your fans may only see sales pitches and no cool content. And that is annoying after a while, trust me.

So, Facebook has lowered the reach for fan pages and expects us to pay for it.

What can we do about that?

Well, let’s talk to our fans.

Say something along the lines of:

Hey guys,

According to an AdAge article, Facebook stated, “We expect organic distribution of an individual page’s posts to gradually decline over time…” On top of that, a spokesperson from Facebook said, “the best way to get your stuff seen if you’re a business is to pay for it.”

So, now it’s harder for us to be seen in the news feed. That means you may miss out on a ton of our newer stuff because it’s really hard for us to pay every time we update our status.

If you love us and want to make sure you don’t miss out on anything we’ve got coming, please sign up for our email list. It only takes a few seconds.

[Link to optin page]

Why should you start an email list?

Because Facebook is like your teenage sister. You literally never know how nice or crazy she’ll be tomorrow.

Facebook could destroy your following any day, so you need to be in control of your following. And you’ll always be in control of your email network.

I recommend using MailChimp. It’s super easy to learn, plus it’s pretty cheap. Check it out and set it up before letting your Facebook fans know the deal.

I’d definitely pay to promote the post that you use to lead them to your new list. It’ll be worth it.

What do you think this means for the future of Facebook?

Let me know what you think by leaving a comment below.

And of course, be sure to share this with your band mates OR just share this article on your page to help create awareness about the decrease in reach. There’s share buttons everywhere.

YES!!!