You’ve likely wondered if Facebook can be used to schedule posts in advance if you have ever struggled to publish regular content to your brand’s Page on Facebook. There is!
Scheduling Facebook posts makes managing your social media content calendar much easier. Scheduling posts will help you brand post consistently and keep up with posting schedules. This will allow you to avoid long gaps between posts and save time.
You can schedule posts to Facebook in two ways:
Natively. This uses Facebook’s built in posting scheduler. Hootsuite, a publishing tool, can be used to manage social media posts across multiple platforms. You can also use bulk scheduling and other advanced features.
Bonus: Get our customizable social media calendar template for free to plan and schedule your content ahead of time.
Why schedule Facebook posts?
Scheduling Facebook posts can be a great way to promote your business.
Post frequently to save timeConnect with more people and increase your social media engagement. See the whole picture of your strategy and keep all your social accounts brand
How to schedule Facebook posts using Facebook Business Suite
You need a Facebook page to schedule messages and posts on Facebook.
(Don’t have one?) In just a few easy steps, you can create a Facebook page for your business.
After your Page has been set up, you can follow this step-by–step guide to learn how schedule future posts.
Step 1: Start writing your post
To navigate to your business’s Facebook page, open Facebook and click Pages in the top-left corner of your dashboard.
Navigate to Business Suite from the menu.
Click Create Post now
Here are some ideas to help you create a Facebook post that is engaging.
Step 2: View the post
Check the Placements section to determine where your post should be published. It will allow you to publish the post to both your Page and to the associated Instagram account simultaneously.
You can preview the post on mobile and desktop as you write it. Make any necessary adjustments to improve the post if it looks out of place. This is the time to verify that link previews have been pulled correctly.
Step 3: Choose a date/time
Click on the arrow to the right of the Publish button to omit publishing your post immediately.
Next, select the date and time you wish to publish the post.
Click Save.
Step 4: Schedule your posting
Just click the blue Schedule Post button and you’re done! Your post has been added to the publishing queue. This means that your post is ready to go live at the time and day you choose.
How to modify Facebook posts that have been scheduled in Business Suite
You may need to delete, edit or reschedule Facebook posts from your queue. This is where you can locate the queue and make edits.
Navigate to Scheduled Posts within the Business Suite. You’ll find all your scheduled posts. Click on the three dots icon to see more details. There are several options available: Edit Post. Duplicate Post. Reschedule Post. Delete Post. Make your changes and then click Save. You can choose to publish or reschedule the post by clicking on the arrow beside the Save button.
It’s so easy!
Hootsuite: How to schedule Facebook posts
This is how you can schedule Facebook posts via the app, once your Facebook Page has been connected to your Hootsuite Account.
Step 1: Click on Create Post
Navigate to Content Creation Icon in the menu at the left of the dashboard. Then, click Post.
Step 2: Choose the Facebook Page that you wish to publish.
Look for the box to the right of the Facebook account.
Step 3: Create your blog
Add the text and edit your image. Finally, add a link.
Step 4: Set a publication date
To schedule for later, tap Schedule. This will open a calendar. Select the date and time that you wish to publish the post.
Hootsuite’s Facebook scheduling tool makes it easy for you to post at the right time to get high engagement.
The Best Time To Publish analyzes your past engagement data to recommend the best times to publish on all networks, not just Facebook.
(If you want to know more, see how the Best Time to Publish feature works on Hootsuite’s social channels.
Step 5: Click Schedule
Your post will now go live on Facebook at the time that you have chosen.
Hootsuite: How to schedule multiple Facebook posts simultaneously
Hootsuite’s bulk scheduling tool makes it easier to manage a busy posting schedule. You can schedule up to 350 posts at once with the tool.
Save your Facebook content in a CSV file to schedule multiple Facebook posts.
These details should be included for every post:
The date and hour (using 24-hours time) at which your post should be published.
You can’t add images, videos or emojis to bulk posts. However, you can add them to each scheduled post by editing it in Hootsuite.
Bulk Composer will ask you to review each post after you have uploaded your CSV file. After you have made any edits or uploaded additional media files to the Bulk Composer, click Schedule.
You can also edit individual posts in Hootsuite’s publisher (under the Planner and Content tab).
Find out more about Hootsuite’s bulk scheduling tool:
How to schedule Facebook posts automatically in Hootsuite
Hootsuite’s AutoSchedule tool will help you avoid missing out on important social media events. This tool will schedule your posts automatically for publication at the optimal times to increase engagement.
Bonus: Get our customizable social media calendar template for free to plan and schedule your content ahead of time.
Get the template now!
Here’s how you can use the auto-scheduling function:
Step 1: Write your post
Step 2: Click Schedule for Later. This will open the scheduling calendar. Instead of selecting the date when you want your post to go live manually, click AutoSchedule.
Step 3: Turn on the AutoSchedule toggle
Then, click Done. You have enabled AutoSchedule!
How to view and modify scheduled Facebook posts in Hootsuite
Step 1: Navigate To the Publisher
Navigate to the Publisher section on your dashboard. (Use the calendar icon in left-hand menu).
Step 2: Click on the Content or Planner tab
Both tabs will take to you to your scheduled posts.
The Planner shows you a calendar view for your posts.
The Content view shows you a list with all scheduled posts. Both views can be used to edit and reschedule posts. You can choose which view you prefer.
Step 3: Click the post that you wish to edit
This is how it looks in the Content tab.
Step 4: Modify your post
You can edit or delete your post by clicking the link at the bottom of each post.
Click Edit to open your post and make changes. You can edit the content or reschedule the post.
You can delete the post from your content list by clicking on the Delete button.
Hootsuite vs. Facebook Business Suite
Hootsuite can be used to automatically schedule content for Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn and YouTube. It is easy to use and has many collaboration tools for teams. Hootsuite can be used for social media analytics and social listening. It also allows you to answer all your comments and DMs in one place.
Here’s how Hootsuite compares with Facebook Business Suite.
Hootsuite’s Facebook Scheduler has a Best Time To Publish feature. This allows you to make personalized recommendations based on past performance. It suggests times that are most relevant to your goals, such as increasing brand awareness, driving engagement or increasing sales. This will ensure your posts have the highest visibility and performance.
Hootsuite allows you to bulk-schedule up 350 posts at once. This could be a time-saver!
5 tips for scheduling Facebook posts
These best practices will apply to all Facebook schedulers, including Hootsuite.
1. Stay true to your brand
There is no pressure to publish posts immediately when scheduling posts. Make sure you take time to create relevant content that will appeal to your audience.
You can schedule posts to help you remember your brand guidelines when creating content for weeks or months. Your campaigns on Pages and social networks should be aligned with your brand values and those of your audience.
2. Choose the publication date and time carefully
Posting to your audience when they aren’t online is a bad idea. Hootsuite’s Facebook Scheduler includes a Best Time To Publish feature. This will allow you to schedule Facebook posts for days or times that your audience is online.
Your Facebook updates will be seen by more people, which means you have more chances to drive traffic, generate engagement and potentially gain new followers.
3. When to pause Facebook posts
Remember to include posts that you have already scheduled. Consider how current events and crises might affect the meaning and tone for posts that you have already written. They may be irrelevant or insensitive in ways that you couldn’t have anticipated.
To keep track of the latest posts, check your scheduled posts regularly. This will allow you to pause and delete posts scheduled before they are published. It also helps avoid potential backlash.
4. You can’t plan everything
You have to blog about some things in real time. Some posts are not possible to schedule. These are the types of posts that Facebook allows you to schedule on Facebook:
Facebook eventsFacebook check-insPhoto albums
5. Analyze and track engagement
It is not possible to create a good posting schedule based only on intuition. Monitoring your performance with a social media analytics tool will help you determine what works best for your audience.
Historical data can show you which posts are performing well and where you need to make improvements.
Hootsuite allows you to plan all your social media posts and engage with your followers. You can also track your success by using Hootsuite. Register today.
Get Started
class=”icon” src=”https://blog.hootsuite.com/wp-content/plugins/hs-content-upgrades//images/guide-icon.svg”>
Hootsuite makes it easy to manage your Facebook page and other social media accounts. Schedule, engage, analyze, perform.
It’s free to try. How to schedule a post on Facebook: An easy guide.
