At the end of 2014, Facebook updated their policy on requiring users to like a business page. This change was to create a more organic and loyal following for pages on Facebook and with that change, Woobox updated our apps in order to not break the policies set forth by Facebook. Though we do have defaults set up in place for the Fangate, we also allow our clients to customize what that page looks like, which means you could be breaking their policy without knowing it. Growing your fan base on Facebook may be a high priority for your business and the Fangate feature will accomplish that in the best way possible, while avoiding policy violations. Keep these examples in mind when setting up your Fangate.
Do Not:
The easiest way to break Facebook policy? By simply saying: “Like our page to enter”. That statement is false and insinuates that a user must like your page to participate. Another mistake is removing the option to skip. This will make it so users get stuck on your Fangate and can’t pass, regardless of actually liking.
Do:
Safest way to comply by Facebook’s incentivizing policies is to use our default text, which asks users to consider liking your page before proceeding to the entry page. You’re asking them to like your page and not showing them the entry page yet, but you’re not in any way implying they would need to like in order to proceed to entry.
Don’t:
Avoid stating “Like our page to win *awesome prize*”. Not only is this incorrect, because they could win without liking your page, but you’re incentivizing them to like your page in order to enter. Also, some users get confused by this wording and think if they like your page they’re automatically entered to win, but that is definitely not the case. A user needs to submit their entry via a form when using our Apps directly.
Do:
Ask users to like your page. The theme with following rules? Asking your entrants and not telling them to like your page. A request is okay, a statement or implying required liking is not okay. The difference in wording can easily determine if you’re breaking policy or not.
Don’t:
Include liking you as part of a list of actions a user needs to do to be entered or to receive extra entries is considered breaking policy. You can say they need to use a specific hashtag, submit an email, or that they can get referral entries or get votes to win, etc. However, in your list of ways to win, you cannot state that liking your business page is one of the steps. Again, whether they like you or not, they can still enter. Stating otherwise is false and breaks Facebook’s incentivizing policies.
Do:
You can tell them to like your page to stay up to date on future deals, contests, products, and so forth. This is the one way you can actually tell someone to like your page without breaking policy. In this way you are not telling them to like your page in order to have a chance to win or receive an offer. You’re telling them to like your page because they can keep up with your business. That’s the whole point of Facebook not requiring users to like your page – they want people to like your page because the user wants to stay updated on your business page.
Don’t:
Stating that an offer is for Fans Only is just another way of breaking policy and you will want to avoid this. The skip button will be there regardless, so users will be able to access the content if they aren’t currently a fan. This can also be off-putting to users who do not want to feel pressured to like a page in order to enter a promotion and you may not get as many entries, meaning less exposure to your business.
Here’s a real life example of a Fangate DO, courtesy of Designer Living. This is a wonderful example of asking users to like their page by enticing them with what they will gain by following their brand page.
When setting up your Fangate, just remember that you are asking users to keep up with your business and you will be on your way to creating an attractive and policy abiding Fangate.