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Facebook's parent company, Meta, is running a small-scale trial where users without a paid subscription may be limited to posting just two links to other sites per month.

The Trial's Parameters

This pilot program currently involves a subset of Facebook pages operating in Professional Mode, which is often used by content creators to earn money from their posts. Although publishers are excluded from this trial, the long-term implications could be significant.

"Beginning 16 December, some Facebook accounts without Meta Verified will be restricted to posting two free posts per month."

Stepping Back from News

This move follows years of Meta deliberately retreating from news distribution. Media consultants point out that after ending deals to pay publishers and blocking news links in Canada, Meta has made it clear that news is no longer strategic.

Publishers already experienced a steep decline in online traffic following a policy change last year to de-prioritise news in favor of short-form and engaging video. While traffic had been recovering in 2024, it remained down by approximately half compared to the previous year.

The Push for Subscriptions

This latest trial is understood to be a broader campaign to persuade people to sign up for Meta Verified. This subscription service costs from £9.99 to nearly £400 monthly and provides additional perks like a blue checkmark and enhanced security.

• A company representative said: "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."
• Analysts theorize this move to charge for reach may be connected with Meta's expensive ventures in other areas, like the virtual reality and AI.

Could News Benefit Elsewhere?

It is worth noting that earlier in the year, Meta announced a shift towards a tailored feed for political content. Later reports indicated this may have led to more news content reappearing in feeds for some users.

For example, visitors referred by Facebook to some major sites was said to increase by a notable margin in the early months of this year.

Ultimately, this test highlights the ongoing tension between social media platforms seeking fresh income sources and publishers that rely on them for readers and visibility.