Facebook is testing a limit on link posting for users in professional mode and Facebook Pages, restricting them to a maximum of two links per post unless they subscribe to Meta Verified.
The experiment, reported by social media strategist Matt Navarra, was discovered last week. A screenshot shared by Navarra shows that users can still post affiliate links, links in comments, and links to content on Meta platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp without any restrictions. Meta confirmed that the test is limited to professional mode and Facebook Pages, with the latter being a feature that converts a personal profile into a creator profile, thereby increasing content discoverability to a wider audience.
A Meta spokesperson explained to TechCrunch that “this is a limited test to understand whether the ability to publish an increased volume of posts with links adds additional value for Meta Verified subscribers.” The company is using such experiments to identify ways to enhance its paid subscription plan, Meta Verified, which costs $14.99 per month.
The test primarily affects creators and brands that rely on sharing links from external blogs or platforms to reach their audiences. However, it’s worth noting that publishers are not part of this test. Moreover, links in comments remain unrestricted for all users, regardless of their subscription status or the type of profile they have.
Meta’s Q3 transparency report sheds some light on link usage on the platform. According to the report, more than 98 percent of feed views in the United States come from posts without links. Of the remaining views for posts with links, which total about 1.9 percent, most originate from pages that users follow. Views from posts shared by friends or in groups are minimal. The report also highlights the most common domains in linked posts, which include YouTube, TikTok, and GoFundMe.
If the limit becomes a permanent feature, creators and brands that exceed the two-link limit would have to either share content from other Meta platforms like Instagram or WhatsApp or stop posting links unless they purchase a Meta Verified subscription. This development is part of broader shifts in online content distribution, where AI-driven search and summary tools have reduced traffic to linked external sites, affecting publishers. Other platforms, like X, have adjusted their algorithms to prioritize native content over posts with external links, demoting the latter to encourage on-platform posting.
