Meta is testing a feature that would put Facebook link sharing behind a paywall for creators, blocking certain professional accounts from the ability to post many links unless they pay to join the company’s paid verification program. The pilot, which Meta characterizes as a limited test, is another push to monetize creator tools and to deter off-platform clicks.
What Meta Is Testing With Facebook Link Limits
Some creators who manage Facebook Pages or have professional mode turned on are seeing notifications that their accounts will be limited to a low number of link posts per month if they don’t sign up for Meta Verified, a program that costs $14.99 per month. A screenshot from the social media analyst Matt Navarra revealed a maximum of two links per month; in the test, Meta says, the monthly cap varies by account and unused link allowances are not carried over.
Meta said it is testing to see if additional link-post capacity brings value to the subscription. Normal profiles have not been affected. Links that point to Meta properties don’t count toward the limit, either—so an Instagram or WhatsApp link is not affected, nor are any internal Facebook destinations—and links inside a post’s comments aren’t currently limited.
Why Link Shares Matter to Creators on Facebook
Outbound links, for working creators, are economic levers. They plug newsletters, merchandise, ticketing pages and paid courses, and affiliate storefronts and branded campaigns. Even if only lightly, limiting the links that can be posted makes traffic planning more difficult, dilutes measurable conversions and drives content increasingly toward native formats that primarily serve the interest of the host platform.
The stakes are higher, as Facebook has diminished in its role as a traffic driver. Industry researchers have also documented multiple years of decline in publisher referrals through the platform as it has stepped away from prioritizing news and links in the feed. Yet as a distribution channel, Facebook remains important: 30% of U.S. adults say they regularly get news on the platform, far more than any other social media site, according to the Pew Research Center. For creators who are linked with sponsored link campaigns, this means small distribution restrictions can create missed deliverables or increased ad spend.
How the Limits Work in Meta’s Paid Link Pilot
According to Meta’s announcement and creator reports, the test is applicable to:
- Facebook Pages and profiles (professional mode)
- Monthly allotment with no carryover for unused link slots
Brands currently have to go organic if they want to share a post with an outbound link.
Exemptions include:
- Meta-owned service links (Instagram, WhatsApp, internal Facebook URLs)
- Links in comments to a post
That comment bypass is already a go-to for creators looking to acquire reach from link content. If the test is scaled up, we can expect to see more “link in comments” ploys that would clutter threads and further frustrate moderation and analytics.
Meta’s Plan and the Platform Economics Behind Link Caps
Putting link capacity behind a paywall is consistent with longer-term incentives. Further clicks reduce session time and perish other opportunities to serve advertisements. By turning robust link posting into a paid perk, Meta can safeguard in-feed engagement while generating more recurring subscription revenue. And more broadly, it fortifies the value of Meta Verified beyond badges and help, as a toolkit for professional distribution.
The exception for Instagram and WhatsApp links highlights a pattern on the platform: keep the ecosystem incestuous. Not that the preference is atypical, but it will bring fresh scrutiny from creators and marketers who rely on bringing audiences to independent sites, storefronts and newsletter platforms.
What Does This Mean for Publishers and Brands
Smaller creators might be nudged into paying for subscriptions or ads to keep outbound reach, while larger publishers and ecommerce brands may rejigger their posting calendars to batch links, upweight “link hubs,” or adopt native experiences like Shops, lead forms and Click-to-Message campaigns. The agencies which run paid social will be considering the cost of Meta Verified against any anticipated conversion loss due to fewer organic links.
There are measurement trade-offs too. Relocating links into comments or Stories might hide attribution, mess with UTM tagging and make incremental lift measurement less accurate. Creators with stringent sponsorship deliverables may require updated contracts to account for platform limitations and alternative placement tactics.
What to Watch Next as Meta Tests Paid Link Limits
Among the big unknowns: how widely Meta will roll out the cap, whether Meta Verified pricing or features might be altered, and if exemptions (say for comment links) persist.
If pilots drive creator satisfaction down or give a boost to spammy comment behavior, then Meta could refine limits, add more native link surfaces for cross-app promotion at different levels of restrictiveness, or tier quotas, the company said.
In the meantime, creators should do an inventory of any link-dependent posts; test alternatives such as “link in comments” and native options; and model for themselves the ROI of subscribing to Meta Verified against expected traffic and campaign commitments. The message of its test is clear: On Facebook, it’s no longer enough for an outbound link to just be content — they’re now a premium feature.
