Like-Gating is when you force a Facebook user who has not already liked your Page to like your Page before they can see content on a particular custom tab. Like-gating your campaigns (sign-ups, contests, newsletters, etc.) can be helpful if you’re trying to get more people to like your page. However, it may not be the best method to use. Before you bolt your campaigns behind a gate, here are a few recommendations to consider:

A common phenomenon and issue is that users may decide to “unlike” your company’s page after the promotion is over. The reason is because they only wanted to participate in that promotion to take advantage of a one-time offer.

Next, consider the negative impact a like-gated campaign can have on your genuine Page likes. The number of people who Like your company’s Page because they actually follow your content, products or services – can be distorted by the Likes from a like-gated campaign.

If you’re trying to get lots of entries and shares for your promotion, the “give-to-get” is a much better method to use to achieve your goal. The give-to-get method is simply about giving fans and non-fans the same opportunities to participate and access the content you’re promoting –forget about like-gating. Your business should still be able to acquire valuable information from both fans and non-fans. An example of the data you may want to collect is to have users take a survey or their email address in order to participate in your promotion.

So, why all the fuss about Liking a Facebook you may be asking? There are several reasons why people may not want to like a company’s Facebook page. A few reasons are:

• If a person has not had any dealings with your company, they may not want to publically like your page because their friends will see their Likes and it would akin to a blind endorsement.
• Your company’s content hasn’t prompted them to engagement with your brand, product or service.
• They’re not passionate enough about what you offer to publically follow your brand online.

The bottom line is, like-gating rewards your existing customers and most often denies potential customers. It’s wasteful and unproductive to reserve all the goodies for people who already do business with your brand. The smarter choice is to share your content with as many people as possible. You won’t have to force people to like your Page if they really like your brand and what you’re offering.

Has Like-gating had a negative effect on your Facebook campaigns? Leave a comment, share your story below.

Hazel Burgess

Hazel Burgess
FOUNDER/SEO DIRECTOR

Hazel is the Founder & SEO Director at Envisager Studio, a premier website design agency specializing in WordPress website design, development and internet marketing. In her spare time, she writes about search engine optimization, website design, and internet marketing.