Following someone on Facebook is not the same as being their friend.
You can follow someone on the platform without having to add them as a friend or wait for them to accept your friend request.
Of course, this works both ways: while you can follow other users without being their friend, this also means that other users may be able to follow you without your approval.
With that in mind, how do you add a Follow button to your Facebook profile, to give users an option to follow you rather than request friendship?
Why Add a Follow Button to Your Profile?
Before we dive into how to make your profile follower-friendly, let’s consider the reasons why this may be something you want to do.
For one thing, if someone follows you then they can see your posts, reels, and stories, without you having to become their friend or allow further interaction. This is particularly beneficial for those who want to make their content accessible and visible to a wider audience, thereby increasing their reach and visibility, but without having people who they don’t know try to engage with them further.
Another benefit is that followers can be restricted in terms of what they see, making it an option for high profile individuals and those looking to build a brand while retaining some semblance of a personal page too.
In short, the follow button is an alternative to becoming friends on Facebook, granting users who follow you some access to your content but without them being able to connect with you directly.
So, how do you add the follow button to your profile?
Adding the Follow Button to Your Facebook
To add the follow button to your profile, you need to make sure that anyone can follow you.
To do this, follow these steps:
- Click on the menu button in the bottom right hand corner of the page
- Select ‘Settings and Privacy’, then ‘Settings’
- Scroll down until you find the option for ‘Followers and Public Content’
- Change the visibility next to ‘Who Can Follow Me’ to Public
Once you’ve done this, your profile will be open for all users who want to follow you – regardless of whether you know them or not.
As mentioned above, this is a good first step for those looking to take their profile to a new level and start reaching out to users who may be interested in your content as you start to build a brand – all without allowing or encouraging them to become Facebook friends with you.
Understanding the Follow Button on Your Page
If you manage a page on Facebook, then you will be familiar with the importance of the ‘Like’ button.
The more likes your page gets, the more visible your content becomes and the higher your authenticity ranking both on Facebook’s algorithm and among other users.
So, what’s the Follow button about and why is this such a good action to add to your page?
When a user follows your page, your content becomes a part of their feed, meaning that they are far more likely to see the content and engage with it. While likes are a valuable indicator of how visible your page is and how large its community is, it’s the followers who are truly committed to seeing and interacting with your content.
The more you can encourage users to like and follow you, and engage with your content on a regular basis, the better your overall visibility on Facebook will be.
We hope this helps! The follow button is a great tool for page managers as well as Facebook users, creating direct links with active users who are interested in seeing your content – but who you don’t necessarily want to become friends with.
