Guide to Writing and Posting Articles on Facebook Instant Articles

Are you looking to reach a wider audience and enhance your content strategy on social media? Facebook's Instant Articles could be a powerful tool for you. In this comprehensive guide, we'll walk you through the process of setting up your Facebook Instant Articles and publishing articles that appear seamlessly on Facebook.

Step-by-Step Guide to Setting Up Facebook Instant Articles

Step 1: Sign Up
Before you can publish articles on Facebook Instant Articles, you need to sign up. Log in to your Facebook account and navigate to the Facebook for Publishers program by visiting the page provided.

Note: To begin publishing, you must have an existing Facebook Page and hold an Admin or Editor role on the Page.

Step 2: Choose Your Facebook Page
Once you've signed up, you'll be given the option to choose which Facebook Page you want to activate articles for. This is where you'll set up your Instant Articles for.

Step 3: Claim Your URL
After selecting your page, claim the URL that will serve as the base for the URLs of all your posts. This URL should ideally be your blog URL, such as Buffer Blog - Social Media Marketing. To do this, you need to add a meta tag to the HTML's head tag and submit the URL to your settings. All the details can be found in the Instant Articles Settings section.

Creating and Publishing Articles

Facebook has streamlined the process of creating and publishing articles. Here's how you can do it:

Option 1: Direct Publishing - As a content creator, you likely want a single tool to publish articles to the web, mobile apps, or wherever your readers see your content. With Facebook Instant Articles, you can publish directly from your Content Management System (CMS), without having to re-create articles within Facebook.

Option 2: Syncing Your Blog
To sync your blog with Facebook Instant Articles, you have a few options:

Connecting with WordPress

If you use WordPress to power your blog, Facebook has created a plugin that makes it easy to create Instant Articles directly from your WordPress dashboard. This is a straightforward and efficient way to get set up with Instant Articles.

Using RSS Feed or API

For publishers who prefer more control, you can also sync your blog via an RSS feed or an API, which allows for more customization.

Writing and Posting Articles

Once your setup is complete, you can start writing and posting articles on Facebook. You can write big, engaging posts on your page's timeline itself, or use the 'create' feature from your dashboard to create comprehensive articles.

Creating on Timeline:
Directly on your timeline, you can write and publish big posts. While this is a convenient method, consider how well your page is promoted. If your page is not well-promoted, these posts may not gain as much visibility compared to posts on your timeline.

Creating from Dashboard:
A dropdown will appear when you visit your home page. Select 'Page' to access the page like a blog where you can write and post larger articles. This method ensures your content can be optimized for better reach and engagement.

Conclusion

Publishing articles through Facebook Instant Articles allows you to share detailed, well-written content with your audience in a seamless and attractive format. By following the steps outlined in this guide, you can set up your page and start creating and publishing high-quality content that resonates with your audience.

Keywords: Facebook Instant Articles, SEO for Facebook, Article Publishing on Facebook