How to Share a Post on Facebook

Sharing a great post on Facebook is one of the most effective ways to spread a dynamic idea, a treasured memory, or an important update with your community. Whether you're sharing a friend's good news, an article relevant to your business, or a viral video, knowing how to do it right can significantly boost your reach and engagement. This guide will walk you through everything - from the basic steps of sharing to advanced strategies for brands, including how to troubleshoot when the share button doesn't cooperate.

The Fundamentals: How to Share a Post in Just a Few Clicks

At its core, sharing a post on Facebook is straightforward. The design is intuitive, but the options you get can change slightly depending on whether you're on a computer or your phone. Let's break down the basic method that works for any public post.

On a Desktop Computer:

1. Find the Post: Scroll through your News Feed or visit a specific Page or Profile until you find the content you want to share.
2. Locate the 'Share' Button: Beneath the post's text and media (photo or video), you'll see a row of buttons: "Like," "Comment," and "Share." Click on Share.
3. Choose Your Sharing Option: A dropdown menu will appear with several choices. For a simple share to your own timeline, click "Share now (Friends)". This will immediately post it with the default privacy setting.
4. Add Your Own Perspective (Recommended): To add your own text, which is always a good idea, choose "Share to Feed" instead. A new window will pop up where you can write your own caption above the original post.
5. Set Your Audience: Use the audience selector (it might say "Friends" or "Public" by default) to decide who can see your shared post.
6. Post It: Once you've added your caption and selected your audience, click the blue "Post" button.

On a Mobile Device (iOS or Android App):

1. Find the Post: Just like on desktop, navigate to the post you wish to share.
2. Tap the 'Share' Button: It's located in the same spot, usually in the bottom-right corner of the post.
3. Select a Sharing Method: Tapping "Share" brings up a menu. To add a caption, tap "Share to your story" or "Write Post." Selecting "Write Post" brings up the familiar composer window.
4. Craft Your Caption: At the top of the screen ("Say something about this..."), add your thoughts, commentary, or a call-to-action. Tagging friends or pages here is a great way to increase visibility.
5. Adjust Privacy and Destination: At the top of the screen, you can choose where to post (e.g., your Feed or a group) and who can see it.
6. Tap 'Post': Once you're ready, hit the "Post" button at the top right.

Understanding Your Sharing Destinations: Where You Can Share a Post

Facebook gives you a number of places to share content, each serving a different purpose. Understanding these options allows you to get the right content in front of the right people.

1. Share to Your Feed

This is the most common option. The post appears on your own timeline and will also show up in the News Feeds of your friends (or the public, depending on your audience settings). This is perfect for sharing personal updates, interesting articles, and things you want your primary network to see.

2. Share to a Friend's Timeline

Want to wish someone a happy birthday by sharing an old photo? You can post directly to their timeline. Just be mindful - some users have settings enabled that require them to approve posts before they appear. It's often better to share the post to your own timeline and simply tag your friend in the caption.

3. Share to a Page You Manage

If you're a social media manager or business owner, this is where the magic happens. You can share relevant industry news, user-generated content (with credit!), or posts from partner brands directly to your business Page. This is a powerful tactic for content curation and community building.

• How to do it: From the sharing options, select "Share to a Page." You'll then be able to choose which of the Pages you manage you'd like to post to.

4. Share in a Group

Sharing content to a relevant Facebook Group can drive highly targeted engagement. If you find an article perfect for your local gardening club or a tech review ideal for your developer community, sharing it in that group can spark valuable conversations. Remember to check the group's rules first, as some have strict policies about sharing external links or promotional content.

5. Share via Messenger

Not every share needs to be a public declaration. The "Send in Messenger" option lets you privately send a post to one or more friends. This is ideal for inside jokes, sending a link for them to check later, or anything that doesn't need to be broadcast to your entire network.

Sharing with Strategy: Best Practices for Brands & Creators

For businesses, brands, and creators, sharing isn't just an action - it's a strategy. How you share content defines your voice and impacts how your audience perceives you. Here’s how to do it effectively.

Always Add Your Own Commentary

Never just hit "share now." Sharing a post without context is like handing someone a book without a title. Your audience follows you for your perspective. Tell them why you're sharing the post.

• Good Example (Sharing a new marketing statistic): "This data is a huge confirmation of what we've been seeing with our clients. Especially that 35% jump in video engagement on weekends. For anyone planning their content calendar, this is a must-read."
• Bad Example: Sharing the article with no text.

Adding your own take turns a simple share into a piece of valuable content unique to your brand. It sparks conversation and positions you as a knowledgeable resource.

Give Proper Credit and Tag Thoughtfully

Whenever you share someone else's original content - especially photos, videos, or artwork - your caption should credit the original creator or source. You can manually type their name in or, even better, tag their Facebook Page or profile by typing "@" followed by their username. This not only is the right etiquette, but alerts them of your share, which can lead to reciprocal engagement. Tagging people who appear in a photo or businesses who are relevant to the post is also a great practice to extend your reach, but avoid "spam-tagging" pages or people who are not directly involved.

Share User-Generated Content (UGC) with Permission

When a happy customer posts a glowing review or a great photo of your product, it’s a golden opportunity. Sharing this UGC is authentic and powerful social proof. However, always ask for permission before re-posting content from a personal profile to your business Page. A simple private message or comment like, "This is a fantastic picture! Do you mind if we share it on our Page? We’d be happy to credit you," goes a long way.

Reshare Your Own Best-Performing Content

Your content has a very short lifespan, so don't be afraid to reshare one of your popular-performing posts after a few weeks or months. Not everyone saw your content the first time around, and a well-performing post is likely to succeed again. Look through your Page's analytics to pinpoint which posts resonated deeply. You can either share the original post again or create a newer post containing updated info and reference the old post by copying its link and pasting it into the new caption.

Troubleshooting Common Issues: "Why Can't I Share a Post on Facebook?"

It's frustrating when you try to share something, but discover that the Share button is unavailable or grayed out. This usually happens for one of a few specific reasons, typically pertaining to the original post's privacy settings.

• The Post Isn't Public: The #1 reason you can't share a post is that the original poster has set the privacy to a restricted audience, such as "Friends" or "Friends of Friends". Facebook is designed so that these posts remain within their trusted circle, preventing friends from broadcasting personal content to the public. Only posts set to "Public" can generally be reshared by anyone.
• The Original Page Has Restrictions: Some Business Pages may enable age or country restrictions. If you fall outside of their target demographic, you may not be able to see or share the content.
• The Post Is in a Private Group: If a post is made in a "Closed" or "Secret" group, you cannot share it with anyone who isn't a member of that group. The content is meant to stay within that specific community.

Final Thoughts

Mastering the art of sharing on Facebook is about more than just clicking a button, it's about connecting with your community, adding your voice to important conversations, and strategically building your brand. From personal notes to friends to a detailed plan for your Business Page, thoughtful sharing makes an impact.

To stay consistent with your content strategy, both for original posts and shares, it's crucial to stay organized. That's where a scheduling tool can make all the difference. At Postbase, we built our tool to simplify the process, bringing all your social platforms into a single, clean visual calendar. Scheduling content consistently becomes straightforward, freeing you up to focus on engagement and the creative side of social media marketing.