How to Make a Post Shareable on Facebook

Hey there! Have you ever tried to share a hilarious or interesting post on Facebook, only to find there‘s no share button? Annoying, right?

As a seasoned social media expert, I can tell you this happens because of post privacy settings. But not to worry – you can fix it easily.

In this comprehensive guide, I‘ll explain everything you need to know about making posts shareable on Facebook. I‘ll share tips on settings, troubleshooting problems, and best practices for creating viral content.

Let‘s dive in!

What Does Shareable Mean on Facebook?

When a Facebook post is "shareable," it means other users can share it from your profile to their own timeline or news feed. This allows the post to reach a wider audience.

Sharing is one of the core social activities on Facebook. It helps spread funny memes, valuable content, personal updates, and more to extended networks.

According to Facebook, over 2 billion content shares happen each day. That‘s a lot of viral cats and babies!

Why Can‘t I Share Some Facebook Posts?

If you notice certain posts have no share button, there are a few possible reasons:

• The original post is set to "Friends Only" or "Only Me."
• The post is in a private Facebook group.
• Your personal account settings don‘t allow public sharing.
• The original poster disabled the ability to share their post.
• Copyrighted material like songs and videos are blocked from sharing.

But in most cases, it comes down to the post‘s privacy settings or your account settings. The good news is you can change these settings to enable sharing.

How to Make Your New Posts Shareable

When you create a new post, you can set the audience to control who can see and share it:

1. Go to Facebook and start a new post.
2. Before posting, click the audience selector underneath your name.
3. Choose "Public" to make the post viewable to everyone.
4. Click Post to publish it publicly.

You can also choose "Friends", "Friends Except", or custom friend lists if you don‘t want full public visibility.

Expert Tip

For maximum sharing potential, always post publicly. This allows all 2.9 billion Facebook users to share your content.

Making Existing Posts Shareable

To make old posts shareable, edit the privacy settings like this:

1. Go to your profile and find the post.
2. Click the three dots in the top right corner.
3. Select "Edit Privacy" from the menu.
4. Change the audience to Public or Friends.
5. Click Confirm to save the changes.

You can also edit the audience directly from that dropdown on the post. Changing the privacy opens up sharing.

Pro Tip

Analyze your highest-performing posts. If they were shared a lot organically, consider re-sharing them periodically to boost engagement.

Sharing Posts in Groups

Sharing posts from Facebook groups depends on the group‘s privacy setting:

• Public groups – Posts can be shared to your timeline.
• Private groups – Posts stay within the group only.

To make group posts fully shareable, either create them in public groups or share to your own profile first.

Insider Info

As of 2022, there are over 100 million Facebook groups, with over 1.8 billion users in groups. Most groups are public, making sharing easier.

Making Posts Shareable on Mobile

You can also make Facebook posts shareable right from the mobile apps:

• New posts – Tap the audience selector before posting.
• Existing posts – Tap the three dots, then "Edit Privacy."

The process is the same as on desktop. Tap the audience selector on old posts to change the sharing settings.

Pro Tip

If sharing issues persist on mobile, force quit and restart the Facebook app to clear any glitches.

Why Make Your Posts Shareable?

Here are some stellar benefits of shareable posts:

• Reach more people outside your direct network.
• Drive engagement – shared posts get more reactions and comments.
• Get discovered by new audiences who can follow you.
• It‘s fun! Sharing viral laughs and entertainment is part of what makes Facebook great.

But don‘t feel pressured to share everything publicly. For privacy, limit personal posts to friends only.

Hot Tip

Add value consistently by sharing useful content related to your interests and expertise. This organically builds a bigger audience.

Troubleshooting Problems Sharing Posts

If issues sharing a post persist, here are some troubleshooting tips:

• Double check the post privacy settings.
• Try sharing from a different device.
• Make sure your account allows public sharing.
• Check if the post was deleted.
• See if the post contains copyrighted content.
• Clear the app cache and data if on mobile.
• Try resetting your browser cookies if on desktop.

I‘d recommend checking the post and account privacy settings first. In most cases, that will resolve any problems sharing posts.

How to Create Viral, Shareable Content

Now that you know how to make posts shareable, let‘s talk about creating content people love to share!

Certain types of posts tend to be more viral on Facebook:

• Humor – Funny videos, jokes, memes, etc.
• Entertainment – Celebrities, movies, TV shows, music.
• Cute animals – Especially dogs, cats, babies.
• Inspirational – Uplifting stories and quotes.
• How-to tutorials – Useful DIY, cooking, beauty, etc.
• Controversy – Debates and drama tend to spread.

Here are my top tips for creating shareable posts:

1. Use eye-catching images and video.
2. Write clear, engaging text with some personality.
3. Leverage hashtags to help discovery.
4. Post consistently at optimal times when feeds are most active.
5. Monitor analytics to determine what your audience responds to best.
6. Encourage engagement with questions, polls, contests, etc.

It’s a mix of art and science! Try different post formats and topics to see what your audience gravitates towards most.

Expert Advice

According to BuzzSumo research, posts with images receive 98% more shares than text-only posts. Visuals boost stopping power.

Most Common Questions about Shareable Posts

Here are answers to some of the most frequently asked questions about making Facebook posts shareable:

How do I share someone else‘s post?

Tap or click the Share button below their post, choose where to share it, and hit Post/Send.

Can I restrict who can reshare my public posts?

Not directly. Public posts can be shared by anyone. You could disable link resharing in Settings.

How do I share posts if my account is private?

Change your account privacy in Settings to allow public sharing. Or only share posts with friends.

What happens when I make a post public?

It becomes visible and shareable to anyone on Facebook. This extends reach but reduces privacy.

Can I share old posts from Facebook Groups?

Only if the group is public. For private groups, you can only share posts within the group.

Let‘s Summarize

Post sharing is a core part of the Facebook experience. While privacy settings can limit shareability at times, you can adjust these settings on both new and existing posts.

Simply look for the audience selector when posting. Choose Public to enable anyone to share the post.

To troubleshoot issues, check the post and account privacy settings first. Creating engaging, high quality content also boosts shareability.

The more you can make your posts shareable, the more it will grow your audience and reach on Facebook organically over time.

I hope this guide gave you lots of useful tips and insights on post sharing. Let me know if you have any other questions!