How to schedule a post on Facebook [2 methods]

Still waking up Monday morning in a cold, sweaty panic, desperately trying to schedule Facebook posts on the fly? Snap out of it.

Learning how to schedule a post on Facebook can save you hours, if not days, of valuable time. By scheduling posts ahead of time, you can plan your posts more strategically, and publish them when your audience is most active, giving you more control over your social media presence.

There are two tools you can use to schedule Facebook posts ahead of time:

• Meta Business Suite Using Facebook’s built-in posting scheduler.
• Third-party: Publishing tools like Hootsuite can be used to bulk schedule social media posts across platforms.

This blog will teach you how to use both.

Key Takeaways

1. Scheduling Facebook posts saves time, improves consistency, and boosts engagement by posting when your audience is most active.
2. You can schedule posts using Meta Business Suite or third-party tools like Hootsuite, which offers advanced features like bulk scheduling, combined analytics, and cross-platform publishing.
3. Best practices include maintaining brand consistency, choosing optimal times for engagement, and monitoring analytics to adjust your strategy.

Bonus: Download our free, customizable social media calendar template to easily plan and schedule all your content in advance.

Why schedule Facebook posts?

There are many benefits to scheduling posts on Facebook, here are our top five:

1. Saves time: Batch-drafting posts is more efficient than creating and posting individual posts daily. Collect content, write copy, and strategically schedule posts at optimal times, without waking up in a cold sweat on Monday morning.
2. Better strategy: Scheduling posts ahead of time allows you to plan and organize your content more strategically, ensuring your posts align with upcoming events, holidays, or promotions.
3. Improves consistency: Your audience will know when to expect posts from you, which can increase engagement and build trust.
4. Time zone-friendly: If you have an international audience, scheduling posts can help reach them at the best time for their time zone.
5. Increases engagement: Scheduling posts allows you to publish content at times when your audience is most active on Facebook, increasing the likelihood of engagement and reach.

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How to schedule a post on Facebook using Meta Business Suite

Before scheduling posts on Facebook, make sure you have a Facebook business page. Don’t have one? Find out how to create a Facebook business page in just a few steps.)

Once you’re all set up, follow the walkthrough below to learn how to schedule a Facebook post using Meta Business Suite (formerly known as Facebook Business Suite).

Step 1: Go to your Facebook page

Log into your Facebook account and navigate to your business page. If you’re using the old Facebook page format, you can find your page on the left-hand side of your screen.

If you’ve updated to Facebook’s New Page Experience, click your profile picture in the top right corner, then click the smaller profile picture to the right.

Step 2: Open the Meta Business Suite Planner

On the left side of your page, you’ll see a menu. Click All tools, then Planner.

This will open up a new tab, where you can see a weekly or monthly calendar of any scheduled content.

Step 3: Create your post

Click the Create post button in the top left to begin drafting your post. The dropdown menu will give you options to create a story, reel, or post. Learn more about how to schedule Facebook reels.

Choose post. Then, a new screen will open with fields for media and text. Add your images, video, and any copy here. A preview will appear on the right-hand side of your screen.

Step 4: Schedule your post

Next, select a date and time you want your post to go live by choosing Schedule from the Scheduling options box.

You can also click the Active times button to see recommended times Facebook thinks your audience will be active.

Finally, click the Schedule button at the bottom of your screen. You’ll now see your post reflected in your Planner.

Keep in mind that Meta Business Suite can only schedule Facebook and Instagram posts. If you’d like to schedule posts across multiple platforms, you’ll need to use a more comprehensive social scheduling tool.

How to schedule a post on Facebook using a third-party Facebook scheduler

For those looking for a little more functionality in their Facebook post scheduler, third-party tools like Hootsuite offer more advanced features, such as bulk scheduling and cross-platform publishing.

Here’s how to use Hootsuite to schedule a Facebook post:

Step 1: Open Hootsuite

First, you’ll need to log into your Hootsuite account (Don’t have one? Sign up here.) If you’re new to the tool, try any of our plans free for the first 30 days.

Once you’re in, choose Create from the left-hand menu or click Create post at the top right.

Step 2: Draft your post

Next, choose the Facebook account you want to post to under the Select social account menu. From here, add any photo or video assets, plus the copy you want to see in your post.

Fresh out of copy ideas? Use OwlyWriter AI to craft thumb-stopping posts with the power of AI.

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You can also add tags here to help rank your content with similar posts.

Plus, map out a targeted Facebook audience to ensure the right people see your post.

If you’re adding links, shorten them with Ow.ly and add tracking, so you know how many clicks and conversions each link brings in.

Other features include AI hashtag suggestions, which can help you get the most out of your Facebook post.

As well, the Ask for approval feature lets you tag your team members to review and approve posts before they go live. A strong social media workflow helps protect your brand on social.

Step 3: Schedule your post

When you’re ready to schedule your post, click Schedule for later in the bottom right of your screen.

This will bring up a box that lets you choose the date and time you want your post to go live.

Click See recommended times to find the best time to publish your Facebook post. Hootsuite’s posting recommendations are based on past engagement, impressions, link clicks, and follower data.

Once you have the time and date set, click Schedule in the bottom right of your screen.

With Hootsuite, you can schedule posts up to 29 days in advance, ensuring your content is aligned with any upcoming events, holidays, or promotions.

Step 4: Bulk schedule Facebook posts

If you’re looking to schedule multiple posts at once, you can use Hootsuite’s bulk scheduling feature.

Hootsuite’s bulk schedule tool makes handling a busy posting schedule more efficient. The tool lets you schedule a maximum of 350 posts at once.

To schedule multiple Facebook posts, save your Facebook content as a CSV file.

Include these details for each post:

• The date and time (using 24-hour time) that your post should publish.
• The caption.
• A URL (this is optional).

After you upload your CSV file, the Bulk Composer asks you to review all the posts. Once you’ve made your edits and uploaded any additional media files, select Schedule.

Don’t forget that you can edit individual posts afterward in Hootsuite’s Publisher (in the Planner and Content tab).

Learn more about Hootsuite’s bulk scheduling tool here:

Step 5: Edit or suspend posts

If at any time you need to make edits or suspend a scheduled Facebook post, simply navigate back to the Planner in Hootsuite and click on the post you want to change.

Here, you can edit, delete, duplicate, or even move the post to your drafts.

If you need to suspend all of your Facebook scheduled posts, say, in the case of a crisis or major event, you can do so in bulk by clicking on the Suspend all option at the top right of your Planner.

Remember, only super admins and admins of Hootsuite organizations can bulk-suspend content. You can also only suspend an organization’s content in the web version of Hootsuite, but your scheduled posts will also be suspended in the mobile app.

Hootsuite vs. Meta Business Suite

If you want to schedule and automatically post content to Facebook and Instagram, as well as TikTok, X (Twitter), LinkedIn, YouTube and Pinterest, Hootsuite is a great choice. Use Hootsuite for social media analytics, social listening, and answering all of your comments and DMs from one place.

On the other hand, Facebook’s built-in scheduling tool, Business Suite, only works for posts on your brand’s Facebook and Instagram accounts.

Overall, Hootsuite offers a more comprehensive solution for managing social media channels. Plus, with our free stock image library and Canva integration, you can easily create visually appealing posts that stand out on any platform.

Hootsuite’s recently introduced AI tools, like the OwlyWriter AI writing tool and AI hashtag recommendations, also make it easier to create high-quality content that resonates with your audience.

So, if you’re looking for a user-friendly and all-in-one social media management platform, Hootsuite is the way to go. Need more info? Here’s a quick breakdown of how Hootsuite compares to Meta Business Suite:

5 tips for scheduling Facebook posts

Whether you schedule Facebook posts on an app like Hootsuite or directly on the platform, follow these best practices.

1. Always stay on brand

With the pressure to write, edit, and post daily off your hands, you may be tempted to cut corners. But don’t forget, your social media accounts are an extension of your brand, and it’s important to maintain consistency in tone, messaging, and visuals.

Before scheduling any posts, make sure they align with your company’s values and branding guidelines.

Before you post, do a quick check for:

• Spelling and grammar errors
• Appropriate language and tone
• Brand colors and fonts
• Consistent use of hashtags, if applicable

2. Carefully choose the publication date and time

Publishing a post when your audience is offline is like making a tasty dinner when your guests have already eaten. It may be well-intentioned, plated, and delicious, but no one will see it.

According to our research, early mornings (between 4 AM and 7 AM) on Tuesday through Friday are generally the best times to post on Facebook.

Note: Time of day was localized across 118 countries where sample data came from, i.e. the graphs are accurate across time zones.

But who wants to wake up that early?!

Instead, use Hootsuite’s Facebook scheduler. It comes with the best time to publish feature that will help you schedule Facebook posts on days and at times when your audience is active on the platform. This way, your best efforts won’t go unseen.

3. Know when to pause your Facebook posts

Online, things are always changing. What seemed like a light-hearted or relevant post weeks ago may now come across as insensitive or tone-deaf in light of current events.

That’s why it’s important to regularly check in on your scheduled posts and be ready to pause or delete any that are no longer appropriate. Remember, if you receive backlash for a post that was scheduled before those changes occurred, it is still your responsibility to address and rectify the situation.

4. Remember that you can’t schedule everything

Some things you have to post about in real time. And some types of posts cannot be scheduled at all. On Facebook, these include:

• Facebook events
• Facebook check-ins
• Photo albums

If you want to schedule Facebook messages, you may want to look into an automation tool. Facebook messenger bots use conversational AI to send messages that reach customers even if your support team is offline.

5. Track analytics and engagement

A good posting schedule shouldn’t be based on guesswork. You’ll know what works best for your Facebook audience by monitoring your performance in a social media analytics tool.

Historical data will show you what posts perform well and where you could make improvements.

Facebook post scheduling FAQs Can I schedule a Facebook post?

Yes, you can schedule a Facebook post using the native Meta Business Suite scheduling tool. Or, through a third-party tool like Hootsuite. Third-party tools are often preferred because they offer additional features and better analytics. Plus, you can schedule posts for multiple social media platforms at the same time.

Why can’t I schedule posts on Facebook?

If you’re having trouble scheduling Facebook posts, it could be due to a number of reasons. Some common issues include:

• Not being an admin or super admin for your organization on Hootsuite
• Scheduling posts for a personal profile instead of a business page
• Using outdated browser cookies or software version

If you’re still having trouble with scheduling, reach out to a relevant support team for assistance. They’re always happy to help!

Can I schedule a post in my Facebook group?

Yes, group admins and moderators can schedule posts in Facebook groups from Hootsuite. Choose Composer, then post, then select the Facebook Page or group you’d like to publish to. Find a full walkthrough of how to schedule Facebook posts in groups here.

Use Hootsuite to schedule all of your social media posts, engage with your followers, and track the success of your efforts. Sign up today.

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