How to Add Followers on Facebook

Gaining more followers on Facebook comes down to two things: giving people a great reason to follow you and making it easy for them to find you. It's a combination of creating fantastic content and putting in the work to connect with the right audience. This guide breaks down the actionable strategies - from foundational profile tweaks to advanced growth tactics - that will help you build a real, engaged following.

First Things First: Enable the Follow Button

Before you do anything else, you need to make sure people can actually follow you. How this works depends on whether you're using a personal profile or a Facebook Page.

For Personal Profiles

By default, when someone wants to connect with your personal profile, they can only send a friend request. If you want to build a public following without adding everyone as a friend (great for creators, journalists, or public figures), you need to enable the "Follow" button. This lets anyone see your public posts in their News Feed.

Here's how to turn it on:

1. Go to your Facebook Settings & Privacy, then click Settings.
2. In the left-hand menu, find and click on Followers and Public Content.
3. Under the section "Who Can Follow Me," change the setting from Friends to Public.

That's it. A "Follow" button will now appear on your profile for anyone who isn't already your friend, allowing you to grow an audience beyond your personal network.

For Facebook Pages

If you're running a business, brand, or community, you should be using a Facebook Page, not a personal profile. Pages are designed for professional use and come with built-in tools like analytics, advertising, and more.

The good news? A "Follow" button is automatically enabled on all Facebook Pages. It appears alongside the "Like" button. When someone likes your Page, they automatically follow it. However, users can choose to follow a Page without liking it, which means they'll see your updates but won't be counted in your official "Like" count. For growth, focus on getting followers, as that's what gets your content into their feeds.

Set Up Your Page for Success: The Foundation

Your Facebook Page is your digital storefront. If it looks incomplete or unprofessional, potential followers will click away without a second thought. Before you invest time in growing your audience, make sure your foundation is rock solid.

1. High-Quality Profile and Cover Photos

Your profile picture is your icon across all of Facebook - it appears next to every post and comment you make. Make it clear and recognizable. For businesses, this is your logo. For personal brands, it's a high-quality headshot.

Your cover photo is the billboard at the top of your page. Use this valuable space to showcase your brand, announce a product, or convey your brand's personality. Make sure both images are sized correctly to avoid pixelation.

• Profile Picture Size: At least 170x170 pixels.
• Cover Photo Size: 851x315 pixels is ideal for desktops.

2. A Compelling and Complete "About" Section

The "About" section is where newcomers go to quickly understand who you are and what you do. Don't leave it blank. Clearly state what your Page is about, who it serves, and what kind of value followers can expect to receive. Sprinkle in relevant keywords to help people find you through Facebook search.

3. Pin a High-Value Post

Facebook allows you to "pin" one post to the top of your Page's feed. This is the first post anyone visiting your Page will see. Use it strategically!

• Introduce yourself with a welcome video or a post that tells your story.
• Highlight your best-performing content that clearly shows the value you offer.
• Promote a current offer, lead magnet, or event.

An optimized, welcoming Page turns curious visitors into followers because it instantly communicates what you're all about.

The Core of Growth: Consistently Create Follow-Worthy Content

You can't trick people into following you long-term. Sustainable growth comes from creating content that your target audience genuinely wants to see.

Understand Who You're Talking To

Before you post anything, ask yourself: "Who am I trying to reach?"

Are they small business owners looking for marketing tips? Parents searching for easy weeknight recipes? Fitness enthusiasts needing workout motivation? Knowing your audience's pain points, goals, and interests is the foundation of any successful content strategy. Once you know who they are, you can create content that speaks directly to them.

Establish Your Content Pillars

Don't just post randomly. Define 3-5 content pillars - or core themes - that your content will revolve around. This helps you stay consistent and signals to followers what to expect from your Page.

For example, a financial advisor's content pillars might be:

• Saving tips and strategies (Practical advice)
• Investing for beginners (Educational content)
• Market news breakdowns (Timely analysis)
• Client success stories (Social proof)

This structure prevents you from running out of ideas and builds a brand that people can rely on for specific types of information.

Embrace Video, Especially Facebook Reels

Video is no longer optional on Facebook, it's the main event. Facebook heavily promotes Reels to compete with TikTok, giving them massive organic reach compared to photo or link posts. This makes Reels one of the most powerful tools for getting your content in front of people who don't follow you yet.

Focus on creating short, engaging, and valuable vertical videos. They don't need to be Hollywood productions. Use your phone to share quick tips, behind-the-scenes looks, or entertaining clips related to your niche.

Share Different Kinds of Value

Every post should offer some form of value to your audience. People follow pages that make them feel something or solve a problem. Mix up your content to hit these marks:

• Educational: Teach them something they didn't know (how-to guides, tutorials, tips).
• Entertaining: Make them laugh or smile (memes, funny stories, lighthearted videos).
• Inspirational: Motivate them to take action (success stories, quotes, personal journeys).
• Community-Building: Ask questions, run polls, and start conversations that make people feel heard.

Proven Strategies for Finding New Followers

Once your content machine is running, it's time to be proactive about getting it in front of the right people.

1. Invite People to Follow Your Page

This is the lowest-hanging fruit. Start by inviting your existing friends and contacts to follow your Page. If you're just starting, this can give you an initial boost of followers and social proof.

Additionally, go through the people who have reacted to your posts. Facebook often gives you the option to directly invite them to follow your Page with a single click. These people have already shown interest in your content, making them highly likely to convert into followers.

2. Engage Authentically in Relevant Facebook Groups

Facebook Groups are communities of people gathered around a specific interest. Find groups where your ideal audience hangs out and become a valuable member. The key word is value.

• Don't spam your link. This will get you banned.
• Answer questions. Be helpful and share your expertise without expecting anything in return.
• Share relevant advice and insights. Participate in discussions genuinely.

When you consistently show up as a helpful expert, people will naturally become curious, click on your profile, and discover your Page. It's a slow burn, but it builds a quality audience.

3. Cross-Promote Your Page

Don't operate in a silo. Promote your Facebook Page on your other channels. Add a link to it in your:

• Email signature and newsletter
• Instagram bio
• LinkedIn profile
• X (formerly Twitter) profile
• YouTube video descriptions

Make it easy for people who already like you on other platforms to connect with you on Facebook.

4. Run a Strategic Contest or Giveaway

When done right, a giveaway can be a fantastic way to generate new followers and buzz. To make it effective, ensure the prize is highly relevant to your business and target audience. Giving away a generic prize like an Amazon gift card will attract freebie-seekers who will unfollow you as soon as the contest is over. Giving away one of your products, a free consultation, or a kit related to your niche will attract genuine fans.

5. Use Paid Advertising Strategically

For those with a budget, Facebook Ads are a powerful tool to accelerate follower growth. You can run page promotion campaigns specifically designed to get you more Page follows. The power of Facebook's targeting allows you to serve your ads directly to users based on their demographics, interests, and online behaviors. This helps you get your page in front of the exact audience you want to attract, speeding up the growth process significantly.

Final Thoughts

Growing your Facebook following is a marathon, not a sprint. It's built on a foundation of providing consistent value through great content, coupled with actively engaging with communities where your ideal audience spends their time. By optimizing your page, understanding your audience, and putting in the work, you'll attract followers who aren't just a number, but are a genuine, engaged community.

Consistency is often the biggest hurdle, and we know firsthand how challenging it can be to plan, create, and schedule content across multiple platforms without feeling overwhelmed. That's why we built Postbase. Our visual calendar makes it simple to plan your content weeks in advance, while our reliable scheduling - especially for video formats like Reels - ensures your posts go live exactly when you want them to. By managing everything in one place, you can focus more on creating great content and less on the logistics of posting it.