How to Make an Announcement on Facebook
By Dan Ketchum
If you're a regular Facebook user, you already know that Facebook socializing involves more than clicking “like” and complaining about the line at the coffee shop. You can use Facebook to announce anything from a soiree to the birth of your child and everything in between. Facebook offers a variety of methods for making announcements, so how to make each announcement will differ depending on the type of message you want to send and the audience you want to reach.
Timelines and Pages
You can make an announcement using the status field -- the blank box that says “What's on your mind?” or “Share what's new” -- using either your personal Timeline or public page. Your Timeline is designed for individual, non-commercial use, so use this space to announce things such as birthdays, anniversaries, celebratory events or vacations. When posting an announcement on your timeline, customize who will see your announcement, choosing from options such as “Public” and “Friends" from the drop-down menu. This also works for Facebook notes. Your Facebook page is designed to serve as a representation of your business, brand, or organization (or you, if you're a celebrity) so keep these announcements relevant. For instance, use your business page to announce a sales or promote or your band. Remember, you can only make announcements on Facebook pages if you're a page admin.
Groups
Facebook Groups offer a sort of middle-ground. These pages act as private spaces for members such as families, co-workers, project partners or teammates. Use your Facebook fantasy baseball group to announce draft picks or your work group to announce the date and time for the office Christmas party, for instance. Keep in mind that only members can see announcements in secret and closed groups, but anyone can see announcements in open groups. To make an announcement on a group page, simply type in the “Write Post” field, just as you would in the status field for timelines or pages.
Notes and Events
If you have an in-depth personal announcement to make -- perhaps a detailed explanation of your decision to move to a new city, or a love letter announcing your engagement -- turn to Facebook notes. You can compose a long-form announcement by choosing “Notes” from your Facebook Home page and then clicking the “Write a Note” button. If your announcement centers around an event, such as a gallery reception or graduation party, create an event by clicking “Create Event” on your Facebook home page. This option allows you to set a time and date, specify a location, create a description and invite friends to the occasion.
Tagging and Adding Media
No matter what part of Facebook you use to make an announcement, you can add additional features to your message. Click “Photo/Video” or “Choose File” to attach a relevant image or video to your announcement, or -- where available -- click on the pin icon to add a location to your message. Click the face icon to tag friends in your announcement, allowing you to indicate that you're with someone or simply bring the announcement to the attention of specific people. You can also tag a person within the text of the announcement by typing “@” and then typing the person's name. For a major announcement on your Timeline, such as a marriage or child birth, click “Life Event” to record it as an important milestone.
References
Writer Bio
Dan Ketchum has been a professional writer since 2003, with work appearing online and offline in Word Riot, Bazooka Magazine, Anemone Sidecar, Trails and more. Dan's diverse professional background spans from costume design and screenwriting to mixology, manual labor and video game industry publicity.