Definition
A dark post, also known as an unpublished post, is a type of social media ad that doesn't appear on the advertiser's timeline or in the feeds of their followers. Instead, it is distributed directly to the targeted audience's feed. This means the content is only visible to those who fall within the segmentation parameters set by the advertiser, such as age, interests, location, and more.
Purpose of Dark Posts
- Targeting: Allows advertisers to create highly targeted campaigns without cluttering their own page or timeline with numerous posts.
- A/B Testing: Enables the testing of different marketing messages, images, or calls to action to see which performs best with specific audiences.
- Control: Provides better control over who sees the advertisement, preventing overexposure or ad fatigue among followers.
- Customization: Offers the ability to tailor messages to different segments without the need for multiple visible posts that could confuse the broader audience.
How Dark Posts Work
- Creation: The advertiser creates a post through the social media platform's advertising system, such as Facebook Ads Manager.
- Targeting: The advertiser sets targeting criteria to define who will see the post.
- Distribution: The dark post is distributed to the news feeds of users who meet the targeting criteria.
- Interaction: Users can interact with the dark post like any other ad, through likes, comments, shares, and clicks.
Platforms Supporting Dark Posts
- Facebook: Offers the option to create dark posts through its advertising platform.
- Instagram: Owned by Facebook, it also supports dark posts through the same advertising tools.
- LinkedIn: Allows the creation of dark posts for targeted advertising to professional audiences.
- Twitter: Offers tailored audiences and promoted tweets that can function similarly to dark posts.
Conclusion
Dark posts are a strategic tool in social media advertising, allowing for targeted and discreet promotion of products or services to specific audience segments. They are particularly useful for running multiple campaigns simultaneously without overwhelming an advertiser's main social media presence. As with any advertising strategy, it's important to use dark posts ethically and in a way that respects the privacy and preferences of the target audience.
