Facebook is introducing innovative features to strengthen creators’ and followers’ relationships. These features include customised top fan badges and fan challenges.
This initiative aims to convert Facebook into a dynamic centre in which users engage with creators in innovative, interactive ways and actively participate.
Fan challenges spur creativity and participation
Creators can publish reels or photographs with hashtags to invite followers to participate in fan challenges. Ranking entries on a leaderboard based on audience reactions makes it competitive and fun.
For instance, a cooking creator could ask fans to share videos of their favourite butternut squash recipes to celebrate autumn. Kalen Allen, a creator with 3.6 million Facebook followers, saw 520 entries when he challenged fans to post videos about their dreams.
Over the test period, Meta reported 1.5 million fan challenge entries, proving the feature’s popularity and potential to amplify community buzz around creators’ themes.
Custom badges reward fan loyalty
Facebook is also launching customizable top fan badges that appear next to the names of followers who engage most with creators’ content. These badges turn passive followers into recognised supporters, such as Ed Sheeran’s fans becoming “Sheerios,” or Cardi B’s top fans joining the “Bardi Gang.”
Users feel connected to the community when they receive badge acceptance notifications and see them alongside their comments and interactions. Personalising fan recognition strengthens loyalty.
Facebook’s new direction in fan engagement
The fan challenges and custom badges mark Facebook’s effort to capture the energy of viral challenges on platforms like TikTok and Instagram Reels. By formalising these trends into dedicated features with landing pages and leaderboards, Facebook seeks to boost creator-fan interactions in a structured, rewarding way. After successful trials that generated millions of entries and comments, the challenge feature launched, signalling a shift towards more immersive social interactions on the platform.