---
name: facebook-group-plan
description: "Plans Facebook Group strategy with content schedule, engagement prompts, moderation rules, and growth tactics. Use when launching or revitalizing a Facebook Group for community and lead generation."
allowed-tools: Read Write Glob
metadata:
  author: matthewhitcham
  version: "1.0"
---

# Facebook Group Plan

## When to Use This Skill

Use this skill when you need to:
- Launch a Facebook Group as a community or lead generation tool
- Revitalize a stagnant group with a new engagement strategy
- Plan content schedules, discussion prompts, and group rules
- Build growth tactics specific to Facebook Group dynamics

**DO NOT** use this skill for Facebook Page strategy, Facebook ads, or general community planning on other platforms (use community-launch skill).

---

## Core Principle

A FACEBOOK GROUP THRIVES WHEN MEMBERS TALK TO EACH OTHER, NOT JUST TO THE ADMIN — YOUR JOB IS TO START CONVERSATIONS, NOT DOMINATE THEM.

---

## Phase 1: Brief

### Required Inputs

| Input | What to Ask | Default |
|-------|------------|---------|
| **Group topic** | "What is this group about?" | No default — must be provided |
| **Purpose** | "Is this for community, lead gen, customer support, or course students?" | Community + lead gen |
| **Target member** | "Who is the ideal member?" | No default — must be provided |
| **Free or paid** | "Is this a free group or tied to a paid product?" | Free |
| **Existing group?** | "Starting new or revitalizing an existing group?" | Starting new |
| **Time budget** | "How much time per week for group management?" | 3 hours |

**GATE: Confirm brief before building plan.**

---

## Phase 2: Outline

```
1. Group Setup — name, description, rules, membership questions
2. Content Schedule — daily/weekly posting rhythm
3. Engagement Prompts — conversation starters that work
4. Membership Questions — how to qualify and onboard
5. Growth Tactics — how to reach the first 500 members
6. Monetization — how the group drives revenue
7. Moderation Plan — rules and enforcement
```

**GATE: Approve outline before full plan.**

---

## Phase 3: Write

### 1. Group Setup

```
## Group Configuration

**Name:** [Keyword-rich name that describes the value — e.g., "Freelance Pricing & Client Strategy"]
**Description:** [3-4 sentences: who this is for, what they get, why it's different from other groups]
**Privacy:** Private (visible but content is members-only — best for engagement and exclusivity)
**Type:** General or Social Learning
**Tags:** [3-5 Facebook Group tags for discovery]
**Cover image:** [Design direction — include group name and value proposition]

**Rules (pinned post):**
1. Introduce yourself when you join (template provided)
2. Give before you ask — help others before promoting yourself
3. No link-dropping without context or value
4. Keep discussions respectful and constructive
5. No DM spamming other members
```

### 2. Weekly Content Schedule

```
## Posting Rhythm

| Day | Post Type | Example |
|-----|-----------|---------|
| Monday | Motivation / Goal Setting | "What's your #1 goal this week? Drop it below and let's keep each other accountable." |
| Tuesday | Educational Tip | Admin shares a valuable tip or framework (text post with image) |
| Wednesday | Member Spotlight / Win | "Share a win from this week — big or small." |
| Thursday | Discussion Prompt | "[Hot take or question] — what do you think?" |
| Friday | Resource Share | Free template, tool recommendation, or useful link |
| Weekend | Light / Fun | "What are you reading/watching/listening to?" |

**Posting time:** 8-10 AM in the majority timezone for the target audience
```

### 3. High-Engagement Prompts

```
## Proven Engagement Prompts

**Easy to answer (low friction):**
- "What's your biggest [topic] challenge right now? One sentence."
- "Yes or no: [debatable statement about your niche]."
- "[This] or [That]?" polls
- "Drop a [emoji] if you've experienced [common situation]."

**Medium engagement:**
- "What's one piece of advice you wish you'd gotten when you started [activity]?"
- "Share your [tool/system/routine] for [common task]."
- "What's a mistake you made with [topic] that taught you the most?"

**High engagement (stories and depth):**
- "Tell us your [biggest win / turning point / failure] story in 3 sentences."
- "If you could go back to [time period], what would you do differently with [topic]?"
- "Unpopular opinion about [your niche] — go."
```

### 4. Membership Questions

```
## Entry Questions (Facebook allows up to 3)

1. "What do you do and what's your biggest challenge with [group topic]?"
   Purpose: Qualify the member and identify their pain point

2. "How did you hear about this group?"
   Purpose: Track which growth channels work

3. "Would you like to receive our free [lead magnet]? Drop your email below."
   Purpose: Build email list (optional — check Facebook's current policy)
```

### 5. Growth Tactics

```
## Reaching 500 Members

### Phase 1: Seed (0-50 members)
- Personally invite contacts, customers, and social followers
- Share the group link in your email signature
- Post about the group on your other social channels
- Ask founding members to invite 2-3 relevant people each

### Phase 2: Grow (50-200 members)
- Go live in the group weekly (Facebook promotes live content)
- Cross-promote with complementary groups (not competitors)
- Share valuable group content screenshots on your public profiles
- Mention the group in podcast interviews, blog posts, and guest posts

### Phase 3: Scale (200-500 members)
- Encourage members to invite peers ("Know someone who'd benefit? Invite them!")
- Create shareable content that members repost to their own profiles
- Partner with complementary brands for joint group events
- Optimize group name and description for Facebook search
```

### 6. Monetization

```
## How the Group Drives Revenue

- **Lead magnet delivery:** Membership question captures email for nurture sequence
- **Warm audience:** Group members are pre-qualified leads for your offers
- **Soft promotion:** Share case studies, testimonials, and launch announcements (max 1 promo post per week)
- **Free value → paid offer:** Weekly tips build trust, monthly CTA points to paid product or service
- **Exclusive access:** Offer "group member only" discounts or early access to launches
```

---

## Phase 4: Polish

### 1. Group Launch Checklist

```
## Facebook Group Checklist

- [ ] Group name is keyword-rich and descriptive
- [ ] Description clearly states who it's for and what they get
- [ ] Cover image includes value proposition
- [ ] Rules are written and pinned
- [ ] Membership questions are set up
- [ ] Weekly content schedule is planned
- [ ] 20+ engagement prompts are pre-written
- [ ] First 10-20 members are personally invited
- [ ] Welcome post template is ready
- [ ] Moderation plan is in place
```

### 2. Welcome Message

```
## New Member Welcome

"Welcome to [Group Name], [Name]! We're glad you're here.

Here's how to get the most out of this group:
1. Introduce yourself in the comments — tell us what you do and what you're working on
2. Check the pinned post for group rules and resources
3. Jump into any discussion — there are no dumb questions here

Your first step: Answer this → What's your biggest [topic] challenge right now?"
```

---

## Example: Facebook Group for Freelance Designers

```
Name: Freelance Design Business — Clients, Pricing & Growth
Description: "A community for freelance designers who want to land better clients, charge what they're worth, and build a sustainable business."
Schedule: Mon motivation, Tue design biz tip, Wed wins, Thu discussion, Fri resource
Growth: Invite existing Instagram followers, cross-promote with design tool groups
Monetization: Weekly free value → monthly CTA for design business course
```

---

## Anti-Patterns

- **Admin posts everything, members post nothing** — it is a blog, not a community. Prompt discussions, do not just publish.
- **No membership questions** — without qualification, the group fills with spam accounts and irrelevant members.
- **Too many rules** — 15 rules scares people off. Keep it to 5 clear, enforceable guidelines.
- **Promoting too often** — more than 1 promo post per week makes members feel like they are in a sales funnel, not a community.
- **Ignoring spam** — one unanswered spam post signals that the group is unmoderated. Remove spam immediately.
- **Letting the group go quiet** — if the admin stops posting for 2 weeks, engagement dies fast.

---

## Recovery

- **Group is dead (no engagement):** Restart with a "Re-introduction Week." Post daily prompts, go live, and personally tag active members to re-engage.
- **Too much spam:** Tighten membership questions, enable post approval temporarily, and remove offenders immediately.
- **Members only post self-promotion:** Enforce the "give before you ask" rule. Redirect with a friendly comment and a link to the rules.
- **Cannot commit time:** Appoint 1-2 active members as moderators. Pre-schedule a week of content in 1 batch session.
- **Group is not driving leads:** Add an email capture to the membership questions. Create a lead magnet specifically for group members.
