How to Create Questions to Join a Facebook Group

Crafting the right membership questions for your Facebook Group is one of the most powerful - and overlooked - levers you have for building a thriving community. It’s not just about keeping people out, it’s about letting the right people in and setting the stage for a healthy, engaged, and spam-free environment from the very beginning. This guide will walk you through why these questions are so important, exactly what to ask, and how to use them to grow a better group.

Why Your Facebook Group Membership Questions Matter So Much

Think of your group’s questions as the friendly bouncer at the front door of an exclusive club. Their job isn’t to be intimidating but to protect the vibe inside. Getting your questions right allows you to filter out bad actors, understand your members on a deeper level, and make your job as an admin much easier.

Filter Out Spammers and Bots

The number one reason to use membership questions is to create a barrier that bots and low-effort spammers can’t be bothered to cross. An account with a generic name, no profile picture, and no friends list that submits blank answers to your questions is a massive red flag. A simple, open-ended question that requires a genuine sentence or two is often enough to stop automated accounts in their tracks. This single step will drastically reduce the amount of spam you have to delete later on.

Set Clear Expectations From Day One

Your group rules are the foundation of your community’s culture, but only if people actually read them. By asking a direct question like, "Have you read the group rules and do you agree to abide by them?" you are obtaining an explicit commitment from every new member before they can post. This isn't just a formality. When a member breaks a rule later, you can refer back to the fact that they personally agreed to the rules at the door. It gives you clear authority to moderate effectively and fairly.

Understand Your Audience Better

Your membership questions are a free goldmine of market research. The answers you receive are direct lines into the minds of your target audience. You can find out what their biggest pain points are, what they’re trying to achieve, what they want to learn, and where they are in their personal or professional journey. This information is invaluable for creating content, developing products, or simply steering conversations within the group to be as helpful as possible. To truly understand your audience, consistent feedback is key.

Prime Members for Engagement

The process of joining shouldn’t feel passive. When a potential member thoughtfully answers your questions, they are already becoming invested in the community. This small initial investment makes them more likely to participate thoughtfully once they are approved, rather than just lurking silently.

The Three Types of Questions Every Facebook Group Should Ask

Facebook gives you up to three questions to ask potential members. You should use all three. To get the most mileage out of them, structure your questions around this proven framework: one for rules, one for vetting, and one for research. This combination gives you everything you need to screen members and learn from them effectively.

1. The Rule-Agreement Question

• Purpose: To get explicit confirmation that a new member understands and agrees to the standards of your community.
• Best Format: Checkboxes or multiple choice with a single "Yes, I agree" option.
• How to Phrase It: Keep it direct and simple. Avoid vagueness.

Good Example: "This is a respectful, no-promo community. Have you read all the group rules and do you agree to follow them to remain a member?"

Adding a little context about your group’s core value (e.g., "spam-free," "supportive-only") reinforces the most important rule right away.

2. The Vetting &, Filtering Question

This is your primary filter for identifying genuine members who align with your group’s purpose. An open-ended question is best here because it forces a thought-out response. You can spot the difference between someone who truly cares about the topic and someone just clicking "Join" on every group they see.

• Purpose: To understand why someone wants to join and check that their intentions match the group’s mission.
• Best Format: Written answer (paragraph).
• How to Phrase It: Ask a question that gauges their interest level and background on the topic.

Good Examples:

• For a business coaching group: "What are you hoping to learn in this group to help grow your business?"
• For a local hiking group: "What is your favorite local trail, and why are you interested in joining our hiking community?"
• For a sourdough baking group: "What is your experience level with sourdough, and what’s the biggest challenge you're facing with your baking right now?"

Answers like "to learn more" or "to make friends" are low-effort red flags. Look for people who give specific, relevant answers that show they’ve read the group description.

3. The Market Research &, Prequalification Question

Now that you’ve confirmed they’ll follow the rules and are a good fit, your third question is your opportunity to learn something specific that will help you serve your members better. This is also where you can (ethically) add a means for lead generation, like inviting them to your email list.

• Purpose: To segment your audience, discover their pain points, or offer them more value outside the group.
• Best Format: Written answer or multiple choice.
• How to Phrase It: Ask something that will give you actionable data.

Good Examples:

• Pain Point Discovery: "What is the single biggest thing you are struggling with right now regarding [your group's topic]?"
• Audience Segmentation: "Which of the following best describes you? (a) Just starting out, (b) A few years of experience, (c) Seasoned professional."
• Ethical Lead Generation: "We send out a weekly tips newsletter straight from the community. If you'd like to receive it, please leave your email address below. (Optional)"

Important note on emails: Always make this optional and be transparent. Never require an email address to join, and do not automatically add people to your list without their explicit consent.

How to Set Up Your Membership Questions: A Step-by-Step Guide

Ready to put your questions into action? Here’s a quick walkthrough of where to find the settings in your Facebook Group.

Step 1: Navigate to Your Group Settings

From your group’s main page, look at the left-hand menu under Admin Tools (or similar depending on your layout) and click on Membership Questions.

Step 2: Click "Add Question"

You’ll see a simple interface that allows you to start creating your questions. If you have old questions, you can edit or delete them from here as well.

Step 3: Choose Your Question Format

For each question, Facebook will prompt you to choose a format. As discussed above, your options are:

• Checkboxes: Perfect for the rule acknowledgment question.
• Multiple Choice: Great for segmenting your audience easily.
• Written Answer: Essential for your open-ended vetting question.

Select the format that best fits the purpose of each of your three strategic questions.

Step 4: Write Your Questions and Save

Type out each question clearly and concisely. You only get three, so make them count. Once you’re done, hit "Save." Your new questions will now appear to anyone who requests to join your group going forward.

Real-World Examples of Great Facebook Group Questions

To really bring this home, let’s look at how these question types work together for a few different kinds of community.

Example for a Freelance Copywriters Group:

1. (Rule Question / Checkbox) Our rules are simple: no spam, be supportive, and offer value before you ask for it. Have you read all the rules and do you agree to follow them?
2. (Vetting Question / Written Answer) Why do you want to join our freelance community? Tell us a bit about your copywriting experience.
3. (Market Research / Written Answer) What's your #1 challenge as a freelance copywriter right now? (e.g., finding clients, pricing, imposter syndrome).

Example for a Dog Training Support Group:

1. (Rule Question / Checkbox) This is a judgment-free zone. All training advice must be positive and force-free. Do you agree to respect our community guidelines?
2. (Vetting Question / Written Answer) Please tell us the name, age, and breed of your dog(s)! This helps us get to know you.
3. (Lead Gen Question / Written Answer) We offer a free five-day puppy training email course. If you want it, just leave your email address below. (This is completely optional!).

Final Thoughts

Setting up membership questions is more than a simple admin task - it's the first and most critical move you can make in crafting a vibrant, high-quality community. By implementing a strategic set of rules, vetting, and research questions, you transform your group's entrance from a wide-open door into a welcoming and intentional front porch.

Building an engaged community is the hard part, and as we built Postbase, we wanted to make managing the social media content for that community as simple as possible. After all the work of building a great group, your content strategy should be just as strong. Seeing our entire content plan on a visual calendar helps us stay consistent with the valuable content our communities expect, while the unified inbox for comments and DMs ensures we never miss a chance to connect with our members.