Creators and publishers have long been concerned about Meta’s ability to limit links to outside content. The company is currently testing a new system that effectively puts link sharing behind a paywall for creators on Facebook.
As part of the test, a Meta Verified subscription will determine how many links a creator can share to another profile per month. According to a screenshot shared by social media consultant Matt Navarra, the test’s creators recently received a notification from Meta informing them that “some Facebook profiles without Meta Verified, including yours, will be limited to sharing links in 2 organic posts per month.”
Meta makes link sharing pay to play with new test.
A Meta spokesperson confirmed the test to Engadget. The test currently concerns an unspecified number of creators and pages using “professional mode” on Facebook. Publishers are not affected at this time. “This is a limited test to understand whether the ability to publish an increased volume of posts with links adds additional value to Meta Verified subscribers,” the spokesperson said.
Although Meta seems to be trying to downplay the importance of the test, it is a notable change for the company. Many creators and businesses rely on Facebook, and reducing their ability to send traffic to outside websites could have a big impact. Many creators are already frustrated that the company puts its best customer service features behind the Meta Verified subscription, which starts at $14.99/month. Making link sharing a premium feature would also be even more unpopular.
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