From the archive. First published in September 2017. Rewritten for clarity, with a note on what happened afterwards.
When Facebook let pages create and link their own groups in 2017, it was presented as a return to community: a more controlled space where a brand could talk with its most engaged followers rather than broadcasting at everyone.
The theory was sound. A group member chooses to join, notifications work differently from feed distribution, and conversation happens between members rather than only between the brand and its audience.
What we know, and what we do not
Here is the honest position, and it is worth stating because the internet is full of confident claims on this point.
We could not find a single methodologically sound measurement of page linked group reach from recent years. Every source we checked was either a content farm recycling the same unsourced numbers or a tool vendor selling group automation. The widely repeated claim that groups get many times the reach of a page has no credible evidence behind it that we can find.
What is defensible:
- Group content reaches members through a different mechanism than page posts reach followers, so it is not subject to the same page demotions.
- Groups require moderation, which is a real and ongoing cost most brands underestimate.
- An active group is harder to transfer than a page, because its value lives in its members’ behaviour rather than in a follower count.
What this means if you buy or sell
Groups do trade, and an active group with a real, well located membership can be worth more than a page of similar size, precisely because its reach does not depend on page distribution. But be careful about valuing one on member count alone. A group of fifty thousand with twenty posts a day is a different asset from a group of fifty thousand that nobody has posted in since 2019, and the second is far more common than sellers admit.
Ask for recent post and comment volume, not membership. That is the number that reflects whether anything is actually happening.
Thinking of selling?
We give free valuations with no obligation. Send us the page URL and a representative replies with a figure, usually within one business day. Looking to buy instead? Register as a buyer.
