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If you use Facebook™ or Instagram™ to promote your business organically, there is a change from Meta™ that you need to know about.
Meta™ has introduced new subscription plans for businesses called Meta One. And one of the features getting the most attention is the restriction on external links in organic posts.
If you regularly share links to your podcast, lead magnet, masterclass or sales page in your Facebook™ posts, this change could significantly limit how you drive traffic from your organic content.
What is Meta One and what does it cost?
Meta One is Meta™’s new subscription offering for businesses. There are four tiers: Essential at $14.99 USD per month, Advanced at $49.99, Expert at $149, and Max at $499 per month. Those prices apply per Facebook™ Page, Instagram™ profile or WhatsApp Business number.
The different levels include features like verification, impersonation protection, support allowances, scheduling tools and team access. But the feature I want to focus on today is external links, because the implications for businesses relying on organic social are significant.
The link restrictions are tighter than you might expect
Without a subscription, businesses affected by these restrictions are limited to 2 organic posts containing external links per month. That includes sharing the link in the comments.
Even the paid plans have limits.
The Advanced tier at $49.99 per month gives you 8 Facebook™ link posts and 4 Instagram™ link posts.
Expert at $149 per month allows 20 Facebook™ link posts and 8 Instagram™ link posts.
Even the Max tier at $499 per month, which gives unlimited Facebook™ link posts, still caps Instagram™ at 12 link posts and 12 Reels.
But here is the important part: paying for the ability to post a link does not guarantee the distribution of that post. You are paying for permission to share more links, not for guaranteed reach.
Here are 2 alternative options to the Meta™ One subscription:
Option one: comment funnels
Rather than including a link directly in your post, ask your audience to comment a keyword. An automation tool like ManyChat then sends the link via Messenger or Instagram™ DMs.
This approach has benefits beyond just getting around link restrictions. Instead of relying on someone noticing a link and clicking it, you are getting them to actively raise their hand and say “I am interested.” You are moving the conversation into their DMs, which is a much warmer touchpoint.
The change is simple. Instead of “click the link in this post,” try “comment GUIDE and I will send it to you.”
Option two: put that money into Meta™ Ads
If you are considering paying Meta™ $50, $149 or $499 per month for the ability to share more links, consider what happens if you invest that same amount into advertising instead.
With ads, you are not paying for permission to put a link in a post and hoping people see it. You are paying for distribution. You can create an ad specifically designed to get the right people to take the next step. You can choose an objective aligned with the action you want. And you can measure exactly how many people are clicking, registering, becoming leads and buying.
Even $499 per month is meaningful ad spend for many online businesses. I would much rather see that money invested into deliberately getting marketing in front of more of the right people than paying for the privilege of posting more links into organic posts that Meta™ still is not promising to distribute.
Final thoughts
There is a really important distinction here. The ability to post a link is not the same thing as having a strategy for getting people to click it. And clicks are not even the final goal. We want the right people clicking, entering our funnels, becoming leads, and turning into paying clients.
Before you add another subscription to your monthly expenses, ask yourself what you are actually trying to achieve. If the answer is more people clicking through to your website, lead magnet, masterclass or offer, I would be putting that money into a strategy designed specifically to achieve that outcome. And for me, that is Meta™ Ads.
I would love to hear your thoughts...