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Meta, the company behind Facebook, is running a small-scale trial where profiles without a Meta Verified account may be limited to posting just two external web links per month.

The Trial's Parameters

This pilot program currently involves a subset of Facebook pages operating in Professional Mode, which is typically utilized by creators and influencers to monetize their posts. Although publishers are excluded from this trial, the long-term implications could be significant.

"Beginning 16 December, certain Facebook profiles without Meta Verified will be limited to sharing two organic posts per month."

Stepping Back from News

This move follows Meta's multi-year strategic withdrawal from news distribution. Industry analysts note that after ending deals to pay publishers and blocking news links in Canada, Meta has signaled strongly that news is no longer strategic.

Publishers previously faced a massive drop in website visitors following a policy change last year to show less news in favor of short-form and engaging video. While traffic had been recovering in 2024, it remained down by around 50% compared to the previous year.

The Push for Subscriptions

The new test is understood to be a wider effort to encourage users to sign up for Meta Verified. This paid tier costs from £9.99 to almost four hundred pounds monthly and offers extra features like a blue checkmark and enhanced security.

• A company representative said: "This is a limited test to understand whether the option to post an greater number of posts with links adds additional value for Meta Verified subscribers."
• Some experts suggest this move to charge for reach may be connected with Meta's expensive ventures in other areas, like the metaverse and AI.

A Potential Silver Lining?

Interestingly that in January, Meta stated it would take towards a tailored feed for political content. Later reports indicated this could have resulted in more news content showing up again for some users.

As one instance, visitors referred by Facebook to certain newspaper websites reportedly grew significantly in the early months of this year.

In the end, this trial underscores the ongoing tension between social media platforms seeking new revenue streams and publishers that depend upon them for traffic and audience reach.