- The most likely cause: the algorithm changed, not your Page
- How to check if this is what is happening to you
- The exact steps to fix it
- The second likely cause: your audience quality, not just format
- How to check that one too
- What does not work (the myths)
- When to contact support
- Frequently asked questions
- Primary sources
The short version: Your Facebook Page reach is falling because the News Feed algorithm now favours video and posts that get comments in the first hour, and it pushes link posts and photo posts from Pages much lower than it used to. Typical organic reach for a Page post is 2 to 6 percent of your followers, and that number has been shrinking for years, not just for you. The first fix: post a native video or a text update with one photo, ask a direct question in the caption, and stop posting a raw link as the whole post.
The most likely cause: the algorithm changed, not your Page
Facebook's feed ranking runs on signals it collects in the first 30 to 60 minutes after you post: comments, shares, and watch time on video matter far more than a like. Pages that post links to outside websites get ranked down because Meta wants people to stay inside the app. If most of your posts are "check out our new blog" with a link, that is very likely the whole story. This is not personal and it is not a shadow ban. It is a ranking rule that applies to every Page on the platform, including huge brands, and it has been getting stricter each year as Meta pushes harder on video and on keeping people scrolling inside its own apps rather than clicking away.
It also helps to remember that reach is a moving target, not a fixed number. The same post published a year apart on an unchanged Page will usually reach fewer people the second time, purely because the total volume of content competing for the same feed space keeps growing. That baseline shift is worth separating from anything you might have done wrong, because a lot of Page owners assume a mistake when the real cause is simply more competition for the same amount of attention.
How to check if this is what is happening to you
Open your Page, go to Professional dashboard, then Insights (or Meta Business Suite, Insights tab). Look at Reach for the last 90 days and filter by post type: Photo, Video, Link, Text. Most Pages see native video and plain text posts with a photo reaching two to four times further than link posts in the same window. If your link posts are dragging the average down, that confirms the cause. Also check Insights, Content, and sort by "Reach" against "Post type": if video consistently sits at the top and links sit at the bottom, you have your answer.
Give this comparison at least 15 to 20 posts of history before drawing a conclusion, since a single viral link post or a single flat video can skew a small sample. Looking at a full quarter of posting history, split by format, gives a far more reliable picture than comparing your last three posts against each other.
The exact steps to fix it
- Stop posting bare links. Put the link in the first comment instead, or describe the content and let people ask for the link.
- Upload video directly to Facebook (native upload), not a shared YouTube link. Aim for 15 to 90 seconds for feed video.
- Post at a time when your specific audience is online. Check Insights, When your fans are online, and post inside that window rather than a generic "best time to post" guide.
- Reply to every comment in the first hour. Replies count as engagement and extend the window the algorithm keeps testing your post with more people.
- Post 3 to 5 times a week, not once. Reach compounds when the algorithm has more recent signal about your Page.
Track the change accurately by picking one variable at a time. Switch to native video for two weeks and compare the average reach across those posts to the two weeks before, rather than changing the format, the posting time, and the comment habit all at once, since mixing changes makes it far harder to tell which one moved the number.
The second likely cause: your audience quality, not just format
If you have grown your following through giveaways, follow-for-follow swaps, or bought likes at any point, a large share of your followers may be inactive accounts or people with no interest in your niche. Facebook only shows your post to followers it thinks will engage, so a bloated but disengaged following pulls the average reach percentage down even if your content is fine. This shows up as a follower count that looks healthy next to a reach number that looks broken, and it is one of the most common gaps between how a Page appears from the outside and how it performs day to day.
This matters more the older the Page is, since a Page that ran a competition or a follower campaign years back can still be carrying thousands of dormant accounts today, quietly dragging down every single post average without any obvious recent cause.
How to check that one too
Go to Meta Business Suite, Audience, and look at the age, location and activity breakdown of your followers. If a large chunk are in a country you never mentioned, sell to, or ship to, that is a sign of a low quality audience. You can also check Insights, Reach, and compare "people reached" to total followers on your best performing week; if it is consistently under 10 percent even on a strong post, weigh that against the format issue above rather than assuming one cause on its own.
If the audience quality check confirms the problem, the fix is not to remove old followers in bulk, since Meta gives no bulk removal tool for followers and manually blocking thousands of accounts is not a realistic use of your time. Instead, focus new growth on people who match your real customers, through relevant Groups, comment sections on related Pages, or an email list invite to follow, so the ratio of active to inactive followers slowly improves rather than trying to fix the historic number directly.
What does not work (the myths)
- Deleting and reposting the same content. This does not reset any penalty because there is no penalty to reset; it just wastes a slot in your posting schedule.
- Buying likes or followers to "look bigger." This actively lowers your reach percentage because those accounts never engage.
- Posting hashtags on Facebook. Unlike Instagram, hashtags do very little for Facebook Page discovery.
- Tagging unrelated big accounts hoping for a share. This can get a post reported and reduces distribution rather than increasing it.
- Switching your Page category. Category has no measurable effect on News Feed reach.
Most of these ideas persist because someone tried one shortly before a post happened to do well, and the two got linked together with no real evidence behind it. A better use of the same time is one of the format or consistency fixes above, tested for two to three weeks against your own average, since that is the only comparison that reflects your Page rather than a general rumour passed around in a group chat.
When to contact support
Go through Meta Business Help Centre if your reach did not gradually decline but instead dropped to near zero overnight across every post type, especially alongside a warning banner on your Page or a restriction notice under Page quality in Meta Business Suite. That pattern points to a real restriction, not an algorithm shift, and it is worth an appeal through the in-app "Request review" option under Page quality. For a normal, gradual decline over weeks or months, support cannot do anything, because there is no fault to fix; the answer is the format and consistency changes above.
When you do raise a case, keep the message short and specific: the date the drop started, screenshots of Insights showing the cliff, and whether every post type or only some were affected. A vague message that just says "my reach is bad" tends to get a generic reply pointing back to the Help Centre articles, while a dated, specific report is more likely to get looked at by a real reviewer.
I have written more around this on the site: Why Is Facebook Not Loading Pictures? The Fix for Blank Boxes and Broken Images, Why Is My Facebook Reel Not Getting Views, Where Should You Post Facebook Ads for the Best Results.
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For the rest of the series, see the Facebook Help: 80 Guides to Pages, Groups, Ads, Stories and Fixes.
Related reading: "deactivation and deletion" "delete page" facebook page.
Related reading: fb page earning calculator.
Frequently asked questions
Is Facebook Page reach dropping for everyone right now?
Yes. Organic reach for Pages has been falling for close to a decade as Facebook prioritises video, Reels, and content from friends and family over Page content. A drop on your Page most likely mirrors an industry wide trend rather than something specific to your account, especially if your posting habits have not changed.
Does boosting a post fix the underlying reach problem?
No, it only pays for reach on that one post while it runs. It does not change how the algorithm treats your future organic posts. It can be useful for a specific launch, but it is not a fix for a shrinking baseline.
Do Facebook Groups get better reach than Pages?
Often yes, because Group content from an account you are a member of behaves more like content from a friend in the feed ranking. Many creators now run a Group alongside their Page for that reason, though a Group needs active moderation to stay useful.
Why did my reach drop right after I posted a link to my own website?
Facebook deprioritises posts that send people off platform, and a link post is the clearest signal of that. One link post will not break your Page, but a pattern of mostly link posts trains the algorithm to expect you to keep sending people away, and it reduces distribution accordingly.
Should I post less often if engagement per post looks lower?
No. Posting less reduces the total signal the algorithm has about your Page and tends to make reach worse over the following weeks. Consistent posting, even at a smaller reach per post, keeps your account active in the ranking system.
