Facebook has come out with some cool updates over the past couple months, and I want to share a few of them with you!
Creator Studio
You might have noticed Facebook launched Creator Studio for pages. Creator Studio allows page admins to post, manage, monetize and measure content across all the pages they manage, which is wonderful news to anyone who manages multiple Facebook pages.
How to find it:
From your Page, go to “Publishing Tools.” At the top, a notification should say “Manage All Your Posts in Creator Studio,” next to a “Try it Now” button. You can also use this link to get there: https://business.facebook.com/creatorstudio/
Here are some of the specific features of Creator Studio:
Home:
The Home tab allows you to post or schedule content (even to multiple Pages at once), go Live, and look at recent posts and quick insights.
Content Library:
The content library is home to all the content you have posted, scheduled or drafted. My personal favorite function of the content library is that you can actually search for a post using keywords. Gone are the days when your boss asks you to pull insights from a post you shared 10 months ago, forcing you to patiently scroll through the insights posts tab. Now, you can just search for the post.
You can also sort content by type (video, photo, Live, etc.), by status (published, scheduled, drafted), by a certain timeframe, and you can even apply filters to your search.
Insights:
Insights offers a variety of metrics for your content (primarily video). You can:
- Track watch time, view counts and follower activity
- See how many people followed/unfollowed you during a certain timeframe
- Better understand user retention
- Track unique video views (3-second, 1-minute and completed video views) for a certain timeframe
- Check estimated earnings (if you monetize your content)
Inbox:
This…is basically the normal Inbox feature for Facebook Pages. Nothing new, other than you can quickly toggle between different Page’s inboxes.
Monetization:
Monetization is only available for certain Pages. I don’t personally use this, but if you do, here is more information about managing monetization.
Rights Manager:
Rights Manager helps Pages protect copyrighted content on Facebook and Instagram.
Sound Collection:
Sound Collection is home to free, legal music and sounds effects for videos, which is music to any admin’s ears if you manage social media on a small or non-existent budget.
Instant Experience
Instant Experience is a fullscreen experience that allows admins to create posts with multiple assets. As Facebook describes it, Instant Experience allows you to “tell a story about your brand.” Through the Instant Experience, you can include videos, photo carousels, forms and more.
I’m still slightly confused about whether it is an ad (that you have to pay for), or if it is free. I first saw the feature when I was creating a post, and clicked on “Photo/Video.” The last option says, “Create an Instant Experience.” Facebook provides more information about Instant Experience on its Facebook Business website.
Want to see what Instant Experience looks like? Check out the example below.
Subscription Groups for Pages
You will either find this really interesting or completely useless. If you didn’t know, Facebook Pages can create Groups. If you want to create a Group for your Page, here is how you can do it:
- Go to your Page’s Settings
- Click on “Templates and Tabs”
- Click “Add a Tab”
- Click “Groups” and add it
- Go back to your Page
- Click on the “Groups” tab
- Create Group
I recently received a question about how to monetize Facebook for educational purposes. Now, Facebook is giving Group admins the ability to create an additional subscribers-only Group that sits alongside their existing Group. Last year, the subscription group was only available to a small number of Groups as part of a pilot test. In March, Facebook opened subscription Groups to more partners.
Something to consider: If a professor or anyone within your university would like to monetize Facebook through subscription Groups, definitely check into your university’s policies, first.