The short answer: no, in almost every Facebook group you have to be a member to post, and in many groups an admin has to approve you first. Some public groups let visitors take part when the admins allow it, usually with each post reviewed, but most don't, and no tool can post in a group for you if you aren't in it. So the work is in two parts: join the right groups once, then post to all of them. The second part is what AutoGP (we make it) does: you write the post once, tick dozens or 100 groups you've joined, and it posts to each one automatically, in one click, safely, with a daily limit from your account's age and a stop the first time Facebook warns the account. Every tool for that step is compared in the best Facebook group posting tools.
This question usually comes from someone who has found the perfect group for their car, their flat or their business, opened it, and found no box to write in. Or from someone who hopes a tool can post to a hundred groups without the bother of joining each one. This guide explains why Facebook works this way, how to join groups quickly and well, and how to stop posting into them one at a time once you're in.
Why Facebook makes you join first
A Facebook group belongs to its admins. They decide who gets in, what can be posted and when, and members agreed to those rules when they joined. If anyone could post without joining, every buy and sell group and every local group would fill with ads from strangers, and the members would leave. Membership is what keeps a group worth posting in.
So:
- Public groups can be seen by anyone, but posting is for members. A few public groups let visitors post or comment if the admins switched that on, and those posts usually wait for an admin to approve them.
- Private groups show their posts only to members. You see the name, the description and the member count, and a Join button.
- Many groups ask membership questions, often your town and that you agree to the rules, and an admin approves each request by hand.
There's no setting, trick or tool that posts into a group you aren't in. A service that says otherwise is either posting somewhere else or asking for something you shouldn't give it, such as your Facebook password.
How to find the right groups to join
The groups worth joining are the ones where your buyers or customers already are, and that allow what you post. Search Facebook for them by the words they're named with, then choose the Groups filter:
- By place: "buy and sell [town]", "[town] classifieds", "[town] community", "[county] yard sale". Try your town, the towns around it and your region.
- By category: "cars for sale [region]", "furniture buy and sell [city]", "[city] rentals", "[city] jobs".
- By audience: "moms of [town]", "students [university]", "expats in [city]", where you genuinely belong to that audience.
The Discover section under Groups suggests more from the ones you're already in. Our guide to buy and sell groups has more search patterns for sellers.
Before you ask to join, open the group and check three things:
- Is it active? Posts from the last day or two, with replies, matter more than a big member count.
- Is it near you, or about your thing? A town group of a few thousand often sells a sofa faster than a national group of half a million.
- Does it allow your post? Read the About section and the pinned post. Some groups ban sales, allow them only on certain days, or are for private sellers only.
How to get accepted
- Answer the membership questions fully. Admins decline blank or one-word answers, and many decline anyone who doesn't agree to the rules.
- Use a real, complete profile. A profile with a photo and some history looks like a neighbour; an empty one looks like a spammer.
- Ask to join a handful of groups at a time, over several days, rather than fifty in an hour. A burst of join requests from one account is one of the patterns Facebook watches.
- Be patient. A request can wait for days while admins review it. Asking again doesn't speed it up.
Once you're in, read the rules again before your first post, because a post that breaks a rule gets declined or removed, and admins remember who broke them.
Once you've joined: post to every group at once
Joining is done once. Posting is done again for every car, every flat, every offer and every event. That's where an evening goes: open a group, paste, add photos, post, and again for the next one.
AutoGP is a Chrome extension that does the posting part for groups you've joined, through the Facebook session already logged in to your Chrome. It never asks for your Facebook password.
- Sync your groups. In AutoGP's side panel, press Sync Groups. It lists every group you're a member of. Save the ones you post to together, your local buy and sell groups, for example, as a bundle.
- Write the post once. Text, photos, and a second or third way of saying it, so each group gets a slightly different version.
- Tick the groups, or the bundle, and start. AutoGP posts to each group in turn, automatically, in one click, with a pause between groups that varies.
- Check Results. Every group gets a row: posted, waiting for admin approval, or why it didn't go through. A group whose join request is still pending shows as not a member of the group, and AutoGP carries on with the others.
When you join more groups later, sync again and they appear.
Posting safely in groups you've just joined
A brand-new member who posts an ad in their first minute can look like a spammer to admins and to Facebook. A few habits help:
- Read the group for a day or two first, and post what it allows, on the days it allows it.
- Don't post the identical text everywhere. Vary the wording per group; AutoGP sends groups your versions in turn.
- Keep the amount sensible for the account. AutoGP starts a new Facebook account at about 25 posts a day and raises the limit as the account ages.
- Stop when Facebook objects. If Facebook blocks posting, asks you to confirm it's you, restricts the account or logs you out, AutoGP stops the whole run instead of carrying on in every group left.
No tool can honestly promise that Facebook will never restrict an account; Facebook decides that. More in is auto-posting to Facebook groups safe? and can you advertise in Facebook groups?
Examples
Selling your car. Join the car groups and the buy and sell groups for your town and the towns around it, then post the ad to all of them in one run. See why isn't my car selling on Facebook.
Selling furniture before a move. Join local buy and sell, yard sale and moving groups a week ahead, so the requests are approved by the time you post. See how to sell things fast on Facebook.
Selling your house. Join local community, relocation and real estate groups that allow private sellers. See selling your house by owner on Facebook.
Frequently asked questions
Can I post in a Facebook group without joining it?
In almost every group, no: you have to be a member, and many groups need an admin to approve you first. A few public groups let visitors post when the admins allow it, usually with each post reviewed. Join the groups once, then a tool like AutoGP can post to all of them in one click.
Can a tool post to Facebook groups I'm not a member of?
No. A tool that posts honestly posts as you, so it can only post where you could post yourself. AutoGP posts only to groups you've joined, and skips a group where your request is still waiting.
Why can't I see the post box in a Facebook group?
Usually because you aren't a member yet, your request is waiting for approval, or the group allows only admins to post. If you are a member and still can't post, see why can't I post in Facebook groups.
How long does it take to get accepted into a Facebook group?
It depends on the admins. Some groups accept at once, others review requests every few days. Answering the membership questions fully and having a complete profile make approval more likely.
How many Facebook groups can I join?
Facebook doesn't publish a number. Join a handful at a time over several days, and only groups you'll actually use, rather than many in one sitting.
Can my Page join and post in a Facebook group?
Some groups let Pages join and post, if the admins allow it. Many groups are for people only. Check the group's settings and rules, and post as the profile or Page the group expects.
More guides on Facebook group marketing, or post to many groups in one click.