Why a Facebook-first video strategy is stupid

Facebook was once king of the hill, now it's rolling down it

If your 2025 video plan starts with Facebook, I have some bad news that I'm happy to deliver to you: you're not strategic. You're nostalgic. Possibly held hostage by the great Facebook moneteziation era of 2015-2019ish. Hold my hand as I say this: it's over. That era is dead and gone. Like the original Star Wars trilogy, never to be recreated again. It's okay. Get a paper bag and breathe into it if you need to.

We must accept reality, though. Facebook is oversaturated with everything from memes, neighborhood watch nonsense, the Karens, the Dodo videos that I think are half staged give me a break, and every boomer who ever did live.

Brands and companies who still insist on making Facebook their number one go to fall prey to the myth of organic reach and engagement, simply because everyone is there. But are they on Facebook to get pitched to? Are they on Facebook because they love being on Facebook? Is Facebook where you go to find a specific kind of video, or is it just a mindless scroll zone where you disassociate from world events and adult responsibilities?

It's okay. I got you.

Facebook is still massive but it's in a decline. Its greatest days are behind it, the data backs this up. To be sure, Facebook is a tremendous time suck, but it's not designed to prioritize your content, it's designed to inundate and overwhelm the dopamine centers with a litany of content, not just video. Video content there also has a short shelf-life, of a few days, and good luck finding that video again if you want to rewatch it (you'll need to save it!)

Rage bait is all the... rage. See what I did there? The Facebook algorithm rewards chaos and outrage, not consistent brand storytelling, long form videos, or slow burns.

What actually works and why

  • YouTube: Of course, the Alphabet run company that also owns Google has made the best online video platform bar none. Videos here are searchable, and the only thing on YouTube is video. If you want to watch or find a video, you head to YouTube. Always. So if you're pushing video, YouTube is your primary go-to.

  • TikTok/Shorts/Reels: Here's where the discovery comes in. And with YouTube shorts, you can link in a related long form video or another Short to keep people on your content. Shorts also makes it easier to subscribe to a creator you like.

  • Owned platforms: email lists, blogs, websites, this is where your control lives. YouTube has also made it easier than heck to link your other online properties in the video description. I cannot say the same for Facebook and Instagram.

  • One video, cut a few different ways for each of the above platforms, can drive engagement and brand awareness across all. But yes, you will need to retool it for each platform. It's okay. I'm here for you.

Working in digital means adaptation

I've lived through the long battle of retooling Facebook-first strategy at least twice. Spoiler: it took more effort to untangle the mess than it would have to do it right from the start. At each company (I shan't name names), I encountered the same Stockholm syndrome wherein the participants harkened back to the glory days of Facebook monetization. Telling me "Oh but Courtney, we made so much money in these very specific three months to a year period!" Great! Cherish that history, because it's gone.

Like drug addicts chasing their first high, some marketers simply could not move passed what Facebook once was in its heyday. BUT THOSE DAYS ARE GONE.

I'm not saying you can't incorporate Facebook into a marketing strategy. That is NOT what I'm saying. I'm saying you can't and shouldn't make it first. It shouldn't eat up all your attention. You shouldn't tool videos for Facebook-first, you should tool Facebook third or fourth. The longer payoff comes from YouTube-first.

I met a lot of resistance when I explained, with data, why the company needed to rethink its strategy on video. It meant retooling. It meant the stubborn video editor would need to rework his process. Tough toenails, welcome to digital. Platforms change. Algorithms change. Adaptability is baked into this cake.

Marketers need to work for the content, to do what is best for the client and their packaging. Not to cater first to their own internal processes and how changing those processes would cause headaches for them. The reward is in higher performance for videos. The short growing pain is worth it.

Facebook-first isn’t a strategy, it’s a hospice program for content. If you want your videos to live, start somewhere with life, where videos flourish and frolic.