Schedule Publishing Posts to Facebook using Google Sheets and Hobo Socialbot

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By scheduling all content from a simple Google Sheet, businesses and creators can maintain a vibrant and consistent presence on Facebook, driving significant growth in engagement and reach without the daily time commitment. The Facebook platform is a cornerstone of digital marketing, rewarding brands that share valuable content at a steady, predictable pace. But manually posting updates throughout the day is a notorious time-sink, pulling you away from the strategic work that truly matters. Even the simple act of visiting the site to post can be a major distraction for social media managers. You could turn to commercial scheduling tools like Buffer or Hootsuite, but their subscription fees and user limits can be costly, and you’re ultimately handing your Page’s access and data over to a third-party service. What if there was a better way? What if you could build your own powerful, private, and completely free Facebook scheduler using a tool you already have open all day: Google Sheets?

Introducing Hobo Socialbot: Your Personal Scheduling Framework

Hobo Socialbot isn’t just another social media tool; it’s a pre-built Google Sheets framework that empowers you to create your own robust scheduler. Instead of signing up for a service, you make a copy of our template. We provide the sophisticated code and the simple spreadsheet interface; you connect it to your own personal Meta for Developers account. This one-time setup gives you a level of power, privacy, and control that no third-party service can match when it comes to scheduling posts to your Facebook Page.

Why This Model is Perfect for Facebook

Using your own personal API keys is the secret to unlocking the full, free potential of the Facebook platform for automation.

1. You Leverage the Generous Graph API – This is the most critical advantage. When you use your own Meta Developer App, you are interacting directly with the powerful Facebook Graph API. While rate limits are dynamic and based on many factors, a properly configured app for personal page management operates well within the generous limits provided for free. A heavy schedule of 10 posts per day to your own Page falls comfortably within the standard API allowances.
2. You Control Your Page’s Reputation – Because all API calls originate from an application that you own and control, your automation activity is tied directly and transparently to your own developer account. This is the cleanest and safest way to interact with the platform, ensuring your Page’s reputation remains firmly in your hands.
3. It’s Completely Free to Access – This entire powerful setup costs you nothing. It leverages the free tiers of both Google Sheets and the Meta for Developers platform, providing a professional-grade scheduling solution without the monthly subscription fees.

Playing by the Rules: How to Be a “Good Citizen” on Facebook

A powerful tool requires responsible use. Facebook’s Community Standards and platform policies are designed to foster authentic interaction. The most important rule for any scheduler is to avoid spammy, low-quality, or overly repetitive content. Posting the exact same update repeatedly can lead to reduced reach or penalties against your Page. The goal of Hobo Socialbot is to free up your time to create better, more varied content, not just to automate noise. Use the time you save to craft unique and engaging posts for each time slot.

How to Get Started in 3 Simple Steps

1. Get the Framework: Get the latest copy of the Hobo Socialbot Google Sheets template.
2. Create Your Meta Developer App: Follow our simple guide to create your own free application in the Meta for Developers portal. It’s a one-time process that puts you in control.
3. Connect & Schedule: Copy your personal App ID, App Secret, and Page ID into the Settings tab of your new sheet. From there, just fill out a row with your content, mark it as “SCHEDULED,” and let the bot handle the rest.

Hobo Socialbot: Facebook Connection Guide

This only takes a few minutes and only needs to be completed once to enable scheduling posts to your Facebook Page.

Overview

This guide provides the steps to connect your Hobo Socialbot Google Sheet to the Facebook Graph API. The script uses a standard server-to-server authentication flow that allows you to post text, links, and images directly to a Facebook Page that you manage.

Prerequisites

Before you begin, please ensure you have the following:

• Ensure you have the latest version of Hobo Socialbot in Google Sheets.
• You have a Facebook account that is an Admin or Editor of the Facebook Page you want to post to.
• You have signed up for a Meta for Developers account.

Step 1: Get Your Redirect URI from Google Apps Script

This is a unique URL for your specific script file that you will need to give to Facebook.

1. In your Google Sheet, go to the menu Extensions > Apps Script.
2. In the Apps Script editor, click the blue Deploy button in the top-right corner.
3. Select Manage deployments.
4. Find your active deployment and click the Copy button next to the Web app URL. This URL ends in /exec.
5. Keep this URL safe; you will need it in Steps 2 and 4.

Step 2: Create & Configure Your App in the Meta for Developers Portal

1. Navigate to the Meta for Developers portal and click “Create App”.
2. Select “Other” as the use case, then click “Next”.
3. Select “Business” as the App Type, then click “Next”.
4. Provide an App Name (e.g., “HoboSocial Page Scheduler”) and your contact email, then click “Create App”.
5. From your new App’s dashboard, on the left sidebar, click “App Settings” > “Basic”. Here you will find your App ID and App Secret.
6. Now, on the left sidebar under “Add products”, find “Facebook Login for Business” and click “Set up”.
7. In the settings for “Facebook Login for Business”, find the box labelled “Valid OAuth Redirect URIs”.
8. Paste the base Web app URL you copied in Step 1 into this field.
9. Click “Save Changes” at the bottom of the page.

Step 3: Get Your Facebook Page ID

You need the unique ID for the Facebook Page you want to post to.

1. Navigate to your Facebook Page.
2. Click on the “About” tab.
3. Select “Page transparency”.
4. A pop-up will appear, and you will see your Page ID. Copy this value.

Step 4: Update the “Settings” Sheet

Now, transfer all the information into your spreadsheet.

1. Open the “Settings” sheet in your Google Spreadsheet.
2. Use the table below to paste the correct values into the cells in Column B.

 

Step 5: Authorise the Application

This is the final step where you connect your Facebook account and grant permission for the specific Page.

1. In your Google Sheet, go to the menu HoboSocial Menu > Authenticate Platforms > Authorise Facebook.
2. A dialogue box will appear. Copy the URL and paste it into your browser.
3. Follow the prompts. It will ask you to continue with your Facebook profile.
4. IMPORTANT: It will then ask you which Pages you want to allow the app to access. Make sure you select the specific Page you want to post to.
5. Grant all requested permissions.
6. You will be redirected to a page that says “Success! Facebook Page token saved.”
7. This process automatically fills in the final HoboSocial - Facebook - Access Token field in your sheet.

Troubleshooting

• Error: “URL Blocked: This redirect failed because the redirect URI is not white-listed…”: This means the URL you entered in the “Valid OAuth Redirect URIs” field in Step 2 does not exactly match the one in your sheet.
• Error: “Could not find Page Access Token…”: This happens if you did not grant the script permission for your specific Page during the authorisation process in Step 5. You must re-authorise and ensure you select the correct Page.

Hobo Social bot is a social media scheduler in Google Sheets that you can use to schedule unlimited posts to Facebook pages. You can also post to LinkedIn, post to X (Twitter) and Bluesky too. Get Hobo Socialbot