Meta Tests Charging Non-Verified Facebook Users to Share External Links
Meta has initiated a limited test on Facebook restricting non-Meta Verified users to posting only two external links per month. This test, which started on 16 December 2025, applies to a subset of Facebook pages and user profiles operating in Professional Mode, excluding news organizations from the trial.
Profiles without a Meta Verified subscription are capped at two organic posts per month, while Meta Verified subscribers can share more links. Meta Verified subscriptions begin at £9.99 per month, with higher tiers costing up to around £400 per month.
Meta describes the test as an effort to assess whether allowing increased link sharing offers additional value to Meta Verified subscribers. This move aligns with Meta's broader strategy to monetize reach and promote Meta Verified amid a backdrop of previous actions to deprioritize news content and fluctuating traffic to media outlets on the platform.
Critics have expressed concern that these restrictions may further curb the sharing of publisher content, potentially harming newsrooms and media publishers. This comes amid ongoing declines in Facebook-driven traffic to news sites, as some outlets such as Express experience significant shifts in referral traffic from Facebook.
