Affiliates could be penalised under Meta’s new experiment, which limits the number of links users can post on Facebook, unless they pay for its verified subscription service.
In the past week, several users have received notifications stating certain profiles will be limited to sharing links in two organic posts per month.
Social media expert Matt Navarra posted a screenshot of the notification message, which read: “Starting December 16, certain Facebook profiles without Meta Verified, including yours, will be limited to sharing links in two organic posts per month.
“Subscribe to Meta Verified to share more links on Facebook, plus get a verified badge and additional benefits to help protect your brand.”
A spokesperson from Meta told iGaming Expert: “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 tech giant confirmed the test will impact a limited number of Facebook profiles using professional mode and pages, and currently, publishers are not included in the trial.
Professional mode lets users convert their personal profile into a creator profile, which in turn enables their content to be discoverable by a wider audience.
This move would directly affect operators posting links from their site and affiliate programmes to reach a wider audience.
For Meta, this is a trial to see if they can boost the uptake of its verified subscription, which offers Facebook and Instagram users a blue tick, showing it is a genuine account. The Zuckerberg-owned company is trying to understand if higher link posting capacity increases the value of its subscription.
Currently, for business users, a subscription costs between $14.99 and $499 per month, depending on the package they choose.
According to Navarra, users can still post links in comments and to other Meta platforms, such as Instagram and WhatsApp.
iGaming Expert has approached Meta to confirm if affiliate links will be impacted by the trial.
