How the Facebook Algorithm Actually Works for Coaches (Without the Jargon)

I was off Facebook for more than eight years. When I came back in June 2021, fewer than five people liked my first posts. Not even my husband. And I posted anyway.

Within two years, posts I shared were getting 400, 600, even 800 responses. One post got 733 comments in a single day.

Nothing changed about the algorithm. What changed was how I understood it, and what I gave it to work with.

The Algorithm Isn't Against You - It Just Doesn't Know Who You Are Yet

Most coaches treat the Facebook algorithm like a mysterious enemy. They blame it when posts flop. They think certain accounts are being favoured and theirs is being punished.

That's not how it works.

The algorithm's job is to match content to the right audience. When your profile is vague, when your bio doesn't clearly say who you help and what you help them do, the algorithm doesn't know who to show your content to. So it shows it to very few people. And when very few people see it, very few people engage. And low engagement means even fewer people see the next post.

That cycle is not the algorithm working against you. It's the algorithm doing exactly what it is designed to do. It needs signal. Your job is to give it signal.

The clearest signal you can give is niche clarity. When your profile says exactly who you are, who you serve, and what problem you solve, the algorithm can start to do its job. It learns over time who responds to your content and starts finding more people like them.

Please write down this word: mastery. You don't want to be mediocre at this. You want to master it. And mastery starts with understanding the fundamentals, not chasing tricks.

Your Profile Is Your First Impression Before You Post Anything

Think about your Facebook profile as your mini website. Your name card. The first thing someone sees when they find you. Before they read a single post, they are already forming an opinion based on your profile.

There are three things that matter most.

The first is your profile photo. It must be front-facing. Your full face, looking directly at the camera. This is not just aesthetics. When your face is turned slightly to the side, or angled away, it reads subconsciously as someone not comfortable being seen. A front-facing photo communicates reliability and trustworthiness. That is the message you want to send.

The second is your bio. It must be short and punchy. It must contain your WHO and your WHAT. Who do you help? What do you help them do or achieve? That's it. People don't need to know your high school or your favourite books. If it's irrelevant, take it out. The bio's job is to make someone in your first three seconds think, "this person is for me."

The third is your banner. Your banner should include a clear authority photo, your niche statement, and a call to action. Join my free group. Book a call. Whatever your next step is. If someone lands on your profile, your banner should immediately tell them what you do and where to go next.

Fix these three things first. Then worry about your content.

Content That Creates Conversation Beats Content That Gets Passive Likes

Here is the thing most coaches get backwards. They spend all their energy trying to write posts that get likes. Likes are passive. Someone scrolling quickly double-taps and moves on. That gives the algorithm almost nothing to work with.

What the algorithm responds to is conversation. Comments. Real engagement. People stopping, thinking, and typing a response.

The posts that grew my account fastest were not the polished ones. They were the ones that asked something. Or shared something personal that made people want to respond. Or offered something and asked who wanted it.

And here is the other thing. The world does not need you to be perfect. The world just wants to see the real you. I started out not knowing what to post, not knowing what my voice was, not knowing how to be authentic in front of a camera. I started out being bad at it. And I kept going. Every single one of you has a starting point. That's okay.

Consistency beats perfection every single time. The coaches who win on Facebook are not the ones with the most polished content. They are the ones who show up, keep going, and keep improving. 🙌

Your profile is your foundation. Once that is solid, your content has somewhere to land.

Fix the profile first. Then let the algorithm learn who you are.

Championing your dreams ❤️