How to use Facebook group announcements
As a Facebook Group owner, I’ve often wished there was a way to pin more than one post at the top of the group page. Finally, Facebook has made that possible with their new announcements feature. See this short video to see exactly how it works. (for more info, see this from Facebook: A New Investment in Community Leaders.
As a Facebook group owner, there may be certain posts you want to highlight for your community. The new announcements feature lets you easily add posts to the top of the page in a way that’s not too terribly obtrusive. Up to ten posts can be added to the announcements section, which show up at the top of the group page. However, only one announcement shows up, with a little “See More” link to view the rest of them.
‘Pin to Top’ is still available, and can be used to pin one post as the top announcement.
Group owners can also set specific posts to expire at a set time. This will remove the post from the announcements section, but won’t delete it from the page.
I can see quite a few uses for the new announcement feature.
- Group rules
- Special offers
- Group member recognition
- Upcoming events
- FAQs
Although this isn’t a super huge update from Facebook, it’s one I’ve wanted for a long time. So I was pretty happy to see this when I stumbled on it. How about you? If you’re a Facebook group owner, do you think you’ll use this new feature?
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Good morning – I am a user (not a group owner) and “announcements are not showing up on my facebook groups (I know there are announcements though). Any help? Thanks / Mke
Is there a way to change the title of an Announcement? Want to change “Announcement -1” to something that describes the announcements topic.
Can anyone tell me how to DEMOTE an announcement so that it simply lives in the discussion thread moving forward?
Hi Therese,
The last few days when I’ve gone to my groups using my iPad, I see old posts from 2018-2019; nothing current is showing up, even under Announcements. Today Feb. 2021 when I looked on my laptop, it was fine. Do you know how to fix? I reported it to FB today. It’s actually doing this for ALL of my groups…shows announcements that are 2-3 years old but nothing current. Also, the Albums tab shows up on my iPad but not my laptop now. UGH! Thanks for your help.
Molly…I am having the same issue with a group I monitor, but in my group there seems to be a mix of announcements from 2-3 years back and new posts.
Is there any resolution?
You’re not alone. I’ve heard of this happening on personal feeds too. As far as I know, there’s no fix that you can do. It’s yet another one of Facebook’s glitches.
Hi Therese, I am just wondering a couple of years down the track if anyone has had any luck in keeping your Announcement pinned to the top of a FB Group?
It seems to be pretty inconsistent, it works for some but not others. I wish it could be more reliable.
What do you say to the members of a temporary private group when you are deactivating it?
I’d do a post reminding them it was temporary, and let them know when the group will be deactivated. I’d give at least a few days before deactivating it. If it’s something you think people might want to refer to, you could also turn commenting off.
Thought I would share when I removed my announcement it did delete my post. 🙁
Ahhh, that stinks! A LOT of people are having problems with FB these days, so I’m guessing it’s a glitch. But, knowing how FB is, there’s a chance they’ve changed it. I wonder though, did you scroll back on your feed to see if the post was there, in chronological order when you originally posted it?
I thought mine was deleted, too. However, after I created a new post, the old post appeared in its original place in the Discussion. Maybe it just takes 5-10 minutes to reappear in the Discussion.
Thanks! I haven’t had them disappear on me, so this is good to know. Facebook is a strange beast. lol
Thank you! You answered my question about removal exactly.
Great! Happy to help.
I want to change something in a poll. But what I have read here is that impossible. I can not remove the poll, because it is still open for members to react. But one option we have used and I want to change that option to add the word USED to it.
So I have the announcement feature. However, I am finding that some of the people in my group are not seeing the announcement first, even though I pinned it to the top. Some do see it at the top like I do but not all. And it is more than one, both on their phone and on the computer. Wondering if anyone else has run into this.
I know several people have had problems with the announcement feature. I’m guessing it’s a Facebook bug. In that case, all you can do is report it and hope it gets straightened out.
Hello, I admin a group and I realize that my pinned post suddenly vanished for no reason and the Announcements Section is empty. Please help to let me understand what is going on. Is this a temporary bug on Facebook, or this is a permanent damage on my group? Is there any way to recover this fully important Pinned Post?
I think it’s a Facebook bug. I’ve heard of a few people having problems with announcements. Your post should still be in your timeline, but you’d have to scroll back to the date you originally posted it.
I cannot find the pin the post option any more, just the announcement option. Will that do the same thing? If it’s an announcement, can others comment on it?
How can I un-announce an announcement? I created an announcement for an upcoming meeting but now the meeting is over and I want the announcement to just become a part of the normal feed. There is the remove announcement option but will that remove it totally or just change its status to a normal post?
Thanks
No, the post will not be deleted if you click on the remove announcement option. It will still show up in the feed, according to whenever it was posted. I just won’t show up as an announcement.
I am Admin for a group, currently there is the option to make an announcement, however it will not allow me to add another. I deleted the current announcement and doing so deleted the announcement button. I cancelled the deletion and the button came back. I just can’t figure out what is going on. Very confused. Has the announcement option been removed by Facebook?
Hi Anne,
I still haven’t found an answer to this, and I know you’re not the only one having problems. I don’t know if they’re making changes or not, but I found this, so I’m assuming it should still be working.
https://www.facebook.com/community/education/blog/group-announcements/
I would contact FB and let them know it’s not working properly. With any luck they’ll respond:
https://www.facebook.com/help/186570224871049/?ref=u2u
People generally don’t go to ANNOUNCEMENTS, so for me it is not very useful. I still find myself having to use PIN TO TOP for my main important post and then MANUALLY top.uppost the things that I want to keep at the top — constantly all day long.
To me it would be much more efficient to just be able to PIN POSTS (multiples) and prioritize them as admin chooses.
I set a poll as an announcement. Now it won’t let me remove it as an announcement because “This Poll Can’t Be Edited – Polls can’t be edited after they’ve received posts.” Suggestions?
That’s a new one! Is your poll completed? If so, you might try deleting it. If you want to keep the results for a post, you could do a screenshot and post that after you delete the actual poll.
I only have the add to announcement tab for some posts. Not all. An older post will not add to announcements.
There have been several buggy things with Facebook lately. What you might want to try, if you want it to show up as an announcement, is to post it again and see if you can add the new one as an announcement.
The ‘Announcements’ feature is very useful, but the ‘Pin to Top’ feature is in fact no longer an option, although every Facebook info page I have found still says that it is. This is 11/25/18 and this option no longer appears on the little drop down menu.
Announcements and pinned posts are working in my private group but only for admins. Regular users don’t see announcements or pinned posts at the tops; they have to actually click ‘Announcements’ to see them, and I believe the majority of our users don’t click that or aren’t even aware they exists. Is there some kind of setting that’s been toggled? Very frustrating
So i just got this wonderful feature in a group I admin in. I do wonder though since the post is put as a announcement does it not also show in the group feed? I keep bumping the post thinking it is but not quite sure as no one responds.
I’ve been using Announcements recently, but after I remove them, the posts seem to have been DELETED. I thought after announcements were removed, they just moved down the line.
I’ve tried searching for the ‘removed’ Announcements and they don’t show up. There were about TEN announcements I might want to re-use, with a bit of updating.
Any thoughts?
Oh boy, that’s not good. They’re supposed to stay on your timeline, in chronological order. It sounds like you must have scrolled down to the original posting date to see if they were there though. I haven’t heard of that happening to anybody else (yet!), so my best guess is that it’s a Facebook glitch.
I removed an old post from the announcements but didn’t delete it. Since the post have become relevant again, I want to re-add it to the announcements, but the option doesn’t show up. Can a post only be made into an announcement once? I’m on mobile if that helps.
I’m beginning to think the announcement feature is pretty buggy. I’ve been able to re-add posts as announcements. I do know several FB features work differently on mobile than on desktop/laptop. I’d try doing it with a computer and see if it works that way.
Is there a way to edit an announcement? Just need to fix something and can’t find a way.
You can edit it like you would any other post. Just click the 3 little dots in the upper right corner of the post.
I tried that, but there is no “edit” option in that menu.
I also need to edit an announcement but the three dots do no contain an edit option
Posts with a color background when made as announcements appear as plain announcements. Any method to retain the background color also?
I’m not sure what’s happening, maybe just a glitch. I just tried it in one of my groups and it worked fine. Have you tried doing another post? Maybe it was just that particular post.
Does removing the announcement delete the post? It seems to have done that on one of my pages, which would make this much less useful. When a post becomes less needed, it doesn’t necessarily mean that I want it deleted.
It shouldn’t delete it. I’m guessing you looked through your feed to see if it’s still there? It should be there, in chronological order, based on the day you posted it.
Once you add a post to announcements, can you delete it under posts without it removing from announcements?
No. If you delete the post, it’s gone everywhere. The announcements feature does not create a duplicate of the post. Think of it as a bookmark.
If you’re frustrated with no announcements clap your hands!
*clap clap*
Well now it’s June and I still don’t have the announcement feature in my old group. But I did just start a new group and the feature is in there. So odd. I really need it in my old group. So hopefully with one of the next few updates I’ll get it. Kind of annoying though. To still be waiting.
Frustrating, huh? There really does seem to be no rhyme or reason to who gets it.
When I mark an old post as an announcement does it send a notification out to my group members at the time of pinning?
No, it just keeps it at the top of the page.
Can you tell me if Moderator’s will have this ability or is it only Admins?
Yes. If not, give it some time and hopefully it will be.
Hello.
Apparently, it’s almost May, and my group still doesn’t have the announcement feature. Though majority of the groups I’m in already has them.
Do you have any idea how can my group get the feature? Thank you
I wish I did know how to get the feature. I think all you can do is wait. I’m still waiting for some other features to show up in one of my groups. It can be frustrating for sure!
I run a closed group, previously I was able to pin a post to the top and unpin it when I needed to.
I created a doc and set it as an announcement (somehow)… now I am ONLY able to ‘Mark as an announcement’ and am unable to ‘Pin post to top’ anymore – for any posts… any ideas.
Q – if I click the ‘remove announcement’ option – does it delete the post or does it just remove its ‘announcement-status’ and make it a regular post ??
Thanks for your help
The announcement feature replaces the pin post feature. You can now have up to 10 posts (announcements) at the top of your feed. If you remove one as an announcement, the post stays, but it’ll just show up in chronological order like any other post.
We’re having trouble with our page, it seems that the Desktop version will let us select “Mark as announcement” and you can see the announcement banner.
But going to the mobile device, no admins or moderators are able to “mark as announcement” and no members can see the announcement banner like you can see on the desktop. Any ideas?
That’s a new one! Have you and your admins updated your mobile app? That may help for you, as individuals, but I’m not sure it would help your members. It may just be Facebook being Facebook, and resolve on its own.
Great video thanks – I have the feature in one group but not another so it is a roll out for sure and for those above I’m in Canada – I dont have the option for a timed announcement love the idea of a announcement that only last for so long!
Hi Brett, thanks for letting us know! With any luck, everybody will have it soon.
Thanks for the info on Announcements! I have the feature but for the life of me can’t figure out how to do more than one?!
If you already have the feature, you should see an option to mark a post as an announcement. Click the 3 little dots to the right of the post, and it should be in the dropdown.
Once you have 1 or more announcements, you can view them by clicking Announcements on the left (on desktop) or if you’re on your phone you’ll see Announcements below the status update box.
April 10th and I still don’t have the feature on one of my groups. The other group has had it for ages. OI have several groups that do not have it. Hope their not done. LOL
Hello Theresa, I Am From Indonesia. I Have group facebook members 75k, but I Don’t have fitur Announcement.
I hope Facebook gives me an announcement facility
Facebook is slowly making it available to groups. I don’t know what their timeline is, or how they decide who gets it, but I hope they add it to all groups soon!
Thank’s Your Answer Theresa…
It is really weird that it appears in some groups but not in others. And annoying that it replaced the pin feature. Now when I post something new and pin it, it appears double at the top, once as a recent post and once as an announcement. Previously the pinned post only appeared at top and jumped back to its chronological spot only when unpinned.
is this something that isnt available to “secret” groups?
As far as I know, it will be available to all groups. They just seem to be taking their time making it available.
hi theresa, thankyou for your reply, i have tried both no no luck:( waiting game it is . thankyou for the info and wil bel following you on facebook. all the best
ian
You’re welcome! And thanks for the follow : )
i still dont have this feature so frustrating, i wonder if there is another way of getting,or is it just a waiting game. it would be a massive game changer for me, i have over 10,000 members so this would help me so much.
I think it’s just a waiting game. You might though, check to see if your app is updated on your phone. And, maybe try logging out/in on your desktop. I don’t know if either of those will work but it’s worth a try.
If I mark something as an announcement, will it still be seen in my group members newsfeed or will they have to go to my group to see that post?
They’ll still see it in the news feed whenever you post it (chronologically with other posts). But, it’ll also show up in the announcements.
I don’t have the announcements feature either – did anyone figure out if it’s only available to certain group settings??
I think they’re just rolling it out slowly. I only have it in one of my groups. I don’t know how they determine which groups get it, but for me, it’s my most active group that has it, so I wonder if group activity has something to do with it.
FB often rolls out new features, or deprecates old features on an individual basis. You say we still have ‘pinned posts’ option also but mine has been removed. Guess I’l try announement instead, see how that works out. I really like being able to pin a post for a week then change it.
Hmm, hopefully the pinned post feature will suddenly be there for you soon! The cool thing I’ve seen is that I can pin one of my posts so it’s at the top of all the announcements. I can also set it to unpin after a set amount of time.
I want to change announcements back to Pinned Post…
I like the idea of this feature, but did they get rid of pinned posts?
No, you can actually pin one of your announcements as the top announcement.
I am the soul admin of a group ..I have lost the pinned post option and the announcement feature is missing as well , just my moderator can make an announcement..any ideas what going on ? Thank you
I’m sure it’s a Facebook being glitchy. I’ve heard from several people lately who say the announcements feature isn’t working as it should. Other features seem to be wonky lately too. I don’t know if it’ll help but you might try logging out, clearing your cache, and then logging back in.
I have this option in one of my new groups, but not in the other new group or in either of my older groups.
How do I add this to an old group, or find it in the new one.
Does the group type matter?
Hi Lacey, they appear to be rolling the new group changes out over time, like they normally do with new options. I’d give it some time. I don’t know how they determine which groups get it first, but I have a small group, so I don’t think size is a determining factor.
Thank you SO much for this clear explanation. I just started my first Group (Rootitoot Instant Pot Recipes and Help) and I’m a babe in the woods here. This was well written and easily understood. (As a writer of recipes, I truly appreciate clarity in instructions.) You might like to know the video does not work for me. I’m in Canada so maybe that has something to do with it? Thanks again.
Hi Ruth, Thank you! I’m glad it was helpful, but I’m not sure why the video won’t work for you. I just checked my FB settings and it should work. Here’s the direct link. If you wouldn’t mind, please let me know if this works for you:
https://www.facebook.com/ThereseKopiwoda/videos/1977968599196786/
I wonder if it’s something that will roll out like the 3 questions did. I don’t have it available in my closed group but it is available in groups I’m a member and admin for. Hopefully I get it soon because I’m really looking forward to this!
I think so. There are a couple of other features they are releasing, but I don’t have them yet. Here’s the announcement. If you scroll down a bit you’ll see a section on group tools.
https://newsroom.fb.com/news/2018/02/investment-in-community-leaders/
I do not see this option for “announcements” in my Facebook group. It’s not on my desktop or my phone. Do you know if there is a setting I need to change or something? I desperately want to use this option!
You could try logging out and back in on your desktop, or see if you need to do an update on your phone app. If it’s still not there, it’s probably just that you don’t have it yet since Facebook always rolls changes out a little at a time.
its intrusive my users are able to put junk announcements at top of page and they stay there, i rather they be normal posts in the flow thus forced to delete the users post or both user and post for prevention. nothing allows me to stop announcements.
As far as I understand it,only admins and moderators can post announcements.
I don’t have that feature either. Maybe it’s only available in certain countries, like the frame making feature. I’m in Canada.
I thought the option wasn’t available in my groups either, but when writing a post, as the admin you have the option to pin the post or make it an announcement in the discussion section of the group. Just click those three little dots after you have written the post… It is the same action you would take if you wanted to pin the post. You will see the option to make it an announcement.