Have you ever seen a post in a Facebook group that has comments reading “Bump” attached to it?
This is a tactic employed by Facebook users who want to push a specific post to the top of a Facebook group, by adding comments which are classed as new activity and so add new life to the post. Typically, putting the word “Bump” into a comment tells others that you want to reignite interest in and conversation around the post, ensuring it gets lots of visibility.
Why Use the Word ‘bump’ in a Comment?
In order to understand the value of a bumped post on Facebook, you need to know a little more about how the algorithm works.
Facebook’s news feed and group activity feed is heavily influenced by engagement. When a post gets a new comment within a Facebook group, it brings that post to the top of the feed (when the feed is filtered by New Activity). Adding a quick “Bump” comment is an effortless way of tapping into this value of a new comment in bringing the post to the forefront of the feed.
Similarly, adding fresh “Bump” comments to a post can make it appear more engaging in the eyes of Facebook. When the platform itself considers a post to be highly engaging and valuable, it shows the post to more users and will ensure that it remains visible for a longer period of time.
NOTE: You need only scroll through a Facebook group newsfeed to see the impact that the algorithm has. Posts with no comments or likes are pushed way down the feed while those with lots of comments and shares tend to remain near the top and therefore enjoy even greater visibility.
Tips for Using the ‘bump’ Comment
There are several reasons why you might decide to “Bump” a post on Facebook.
- You don’t yet have the response you are looking for, and so want to continue the conversation and invite fresh comments from other users
- You want to increase the visibility of a post
- You want to support a post but don’t have anything else to comment
Some users will add a “Bump” comment to link their own account and notifications with the post, so that they can then follow the post and keep an eye on subsequent comments and activity.
It is also important to note that the “Bump” comment only works on Facebook groups and does not have the same effect in the standard Facebook newsfeed.
Can You Bump a Facebook Story
There is a subsection of the Facebook algorithm that deals with story content – however, it does not rely on user comments and activity.
Rather, the Facebook Story bump feature is one which is integrated into the algorithm, connecting individual users with the story posts that they are most like to view and interact with. By that we mean, Facebook acknowledged that users will only watch a certain percentage of stories available to them, and so it is vital that these users are presented with the stories that they are likely to engage with.
This is classed as the Facebook Story Bump.
Can You Bump a Marketplace Listing?
Facebook Marketplace acts in a different way, with users needing to renew their listing if they want to bring it back to the top of the Marketplace page.
This is a way of bumping your listing without the “Bump” comment – instead renewing the listing so as to show potential buyers that it is still available. Users can renew a listing up to five times. If you hit this limit and it still hasn’t sold, the best thing to do is remove the listing and create a new one.
Does the ‘bump’ Feature Work?
All in all, users can “bump” a Facebook group post, a marketplace listing, or a Facebook story – though all three require different actions.
To bump a Facebook post, one need only comment the word “bump” in the comments (or indeed add any other comment that brings the post back to the top if the feed).
To bump a story, simple upload your story and let Facebook’s algorithm do the rest.
To bump a Marketplace listing, the post will need to be renewed.
We hope this helps!
