How to Do Polls on Facebook

A Facebook poll is one of the simplest and most effective ways to stop the scroll and get your audience talking. This guide breaks down exactly how to create polls in every corner of Facebook - from your page feed to your private groups - and shares practical tips for turning them into a powerful engagement tool for your brand.

Why Use Facebook Polls?

Before getting into the step-by-step, let's talk about why polls are worth your time. They aren’t just a simple feature, they're a direct line to your audience’s thoughts, preferences, and personality. When used thoughtfully, polls can do some heavy lifting for your social media strategy.

• Boost Engagement Immediately: People love sharing their opinions, especially when it only takes a single click. A poll is a low-effort way for your followers to interact with your content, sending positive signals to the Facebook algorithm that your posts are valuable. This increased interaction can lead to better organic reach for all your content.
• Gather Real-Time Feedback and Ideas: Wondering what kind of content to create next? Curious which product design your community prefers? Throw up a poll. It’s instant market research. Instead of guessing what your audience wants, you can ask them directly and get clear, quantitative data to guide your decisions.
• Humanize Your Brand: Polls can show off your brand's lighter side. Asking fun, relatable questions like "Pineapple on pizza: Yes or No?" or "Favorite season: Summer or Fall?" helps you build a more personal connection with your followers. It shows you're not just there to sell, you're there to have a conversation.
• Understand Your Audience Better: Beyond clicks. The answers from your polls are a window into who your audience is. Pay attention to the choices they make. Do they prefer casual content over formal tutorials? Are they early adopters of new trends? The more you learn, the better you can tailor your messaging and offers to genuinely connect with them.

Where You Can Create Facebook Polls

Facebook gives you several different places to launch a poll, each with its own vibe and purpose. Knowing which one to use is the first step in getting the results you want. Let's look at the main options.

• Facebook Page Feed: This is the most common spot for businesses and creators. A poll here appears in the main news feed of your followers. It’s perfect for brand-wide announcements, general audience feedback, and fun, engaging questions that represent your brand’s personality. These polls are more formal and can be boosted with ad spend.
• Facebook Group: Polls thrive in Facebook Groups. Because groups are built around a shared interest, members are often highly engaged and willing to participate. This is the ideal place for specific questions, gathering detailed community feedback, or making group decisions. Group polls also have more features, like allowing members to add their own options.
• Facebook Stories: Quick, informal, and fun. Story polls are perfect for getting in-the-moment feedback or just having a simple interaction with your most engaged followers (who tend to watch Stories). They only last 24 hours and often feel more personal and spontaneous. Great for "this or that" type questions.
• Facebook Messenger: Need to make a decision with a specific group of people? A Messenger poll is the way to go. You can create a poll within a group chat to help decide on a meeting time, a lunch spot, or anything else that requires a quick consensus without cluttering the main page.

How to Create a Poll on a Facebook Page Feed

Placing a poll on your main brand page is a great way to engage your entire audience. The process is straightforward and only takes a few moments.

1. Start a New Post: Go to your Facebook Page and click on the "What's on your mind?" box at the top of your feed, where you would normally create a new post.
2. Find the Poll Option: In the post creation window, click the three dots (...) icon to see all post options. From the menu that appears, select “Poll.”
3. Write Your Question: The post window will now transform into a poll creator. The first field is for your question. Be clear and direct. For example, instead of a vague “Thoughts on our new logo?” try something more specific like, “Which of our new logo concepts do you like best?”
4. Add Your Options: You’ll see fields for "Option 1" and "Option 2." Fill these in with the choices for your poll. To add more options, just click the “+ Add Option” button. Keep them short and easy to understand.
5. Attach Media (Highly Recommended): Each poll option allows you to add a photo or GIF. Do this. Visuals grab attention in a crowded feed. If you’re asking about product preference, show a picture of each product. If it’s a fun question, find a relevant GIF to make it more eye-catching.
6. Set the Poll Duration: Below the options, you’ll find a dropdown menu for "Poll Ends." You can choose to have it run for 1 day, 1 week, a custom date, or never expire. For topics that are time-sensitive, setting a clear end date can add a sense of urgency and encourage people to vote now.
7. Publish Your Poll: Once everything looks good, you can "Post" it immediately or use the scheduling feature to have it go live at a later time when your audience is most active. That’s it!

How to Create a Poll in a Facebook Group

Group polls are excellent for gathering targeted feedback from a dedicated community. The process is similar to a Page poll but with a few extra features tailored for groups.

1. Navigate to Your Group: Go to the Facebook Group where you want to post the poll.
2. Open the Post Creator: Click the "Write something..." box. You’ll see a list of post types underneath. Select "Poll."
3. Enter Your Question and Options: Just like on a Page, type your question and fill in the options. You can add more options by clicking the plus sign.
4. Explore Poll Options: This is where group polls differ. Click on “Poll Options” below the response fields. Here, you’ll find two powerful choices:
   • Allow members to add options: This community-focused feature lets other members suggest their own answers. It’s fantastic for brainstorming sessions or when you want to make sure you haven’t missed a popular choice.
   • Allow people to choose multiple options: If your question doesn't require a single definitive answer, check this box. It’s useful for questions like, “Which of these topics should we cover in our next webinar?”
5. Post or Schedule: Once you've configured your settings, click "Post." Group posts typically see high engagement right away, so be ready to interact with the comments!

How to Create a Poll in a Facebook Story

Stories provide a more casual, behind-the-scenes way to connect. A poll here is less about deep data and more about quick, fun interaction.

1. Create a Story: From the Facebook mobile app, tap the “+ Create Story” button on your home feed.
2. Choose Your Visual: Select a photo or video from your camera roll, or take a new one to use as the background for your poll.
3. Add the Poll Sticker: Tap the "Stickers" icon at the top of the editing screen (it looks like a square smiley face). From the sticker tray, select the "POLL" sticker.
4. Set Up Your Poll: A poll sticker will appear on your screen. Tap "Ask a question..." to type your query. The default answers are "Yes" and "No," but you can tap each one to customize them with your own text.
5. Position and Customize: You can drag the poll sticker to position it anywhere on your screen. Use two fingers to resize it or change its angle. You can also customize the colors by tapping the color wheel icon at the top.
6. Share Your Story: When you're happy with it, tap "Share to Story." Your followers can now vote directly on your story for the next 24 hours, and you'll see the results in real-time by viewing your own story.

Best Practices for Memorable Facebook Polls

Just knowing how to create a poll isn't enough. The real magic is in how you use them. Here are some strategies to make your polls stand out and produce great results.

Keep It Simple and Relevant

The best polls are easy to understand and quick to answer. Avoid complex questions or industry jargon. The question should be directly related to your brand, your industry, or a topic your followers genuinely care about. Relevance is everything.

Use Strong Visuals

A poll with a generic color background is easy to scroll past. A poll comparing two product photos with the question "Which one are you more excited for?" is far more compelling. Use high-quality images or fun, relevant GIFs for each option to capture attention instantly.

Tap Into "This or That" Questions

The "This or That" format is simple but wildly effective. It plays on people's natural tendency to have a preference. Think about what makes sense for your brand:

• Coffee or Tea?
• Work From Home or Office?
• Video Tutorials or Blog Posts?

These questions are quick, friendly, and give you valuable insights into your audience's habits and preferences.

Let Your Customers Co-create With You

Make your audience feel like part of the team. Use polls to let them have a say in your business decisions. For example:

• "What flavor should we launch next?"
• "Which t-shirt design should we produce?"
• "What topic should we cover in our next expert Q&A?"

When people feel their opinion matters, a customer becomes a community member.

Follow Up and Share the Results

Don't just post a poll and walk away. The conversation doesn't end when the voting does. Once the poll is over, create a new post sharing the results. Thank everyone for participating and maybe offer a brief commentary on the outcome. For instance, if you asked them to choose the next product feature, your follow-up could be, "You voted, and we listened! Feature B is officially on our development roadmap. Thanks for helping us build a better product!" This closes the loop and shows your audience you're actually listening.

Final Thoughts

Using Facebook polls is an incredibly simple way to listen to your community, boost your engagement, and make your social media feed a fun, interactive space. Whether you're gathering critical product feedback on your brand page or simply asking a lighthearted question in your story, you’re building a stronger, more personal connection with every vote.

While running a great poll is one part of the puzzle, a consistent content strategy is what really grows your brand on social media. At Postbase, we focus on making that consistency feel simple. Our visual content calendar helps you plan all your engaging posts - including fun polls and short-form videos - weeks in advance, so you can stop juggling apps and focus on building relationships with your community.