Facebook’s link-posting restriction is a misguided policy, yet I still had to subscribe to Meta Verified

Hitting the wall with link posts on Facebook

The other day I shared one of my blog posts on Facebook just for friends, but the response was far weaker than I expected. While wondering whether the article itself was boring, I ran into a friend who said he’d never even seen the post. It turns out that including an external link (my blog’s URL) makes the algorithm less likely to show it in the feed.

The social networks I use are almost entirelyFacebookandX (formerly Twitter). I do have dormant accounts on Instagram and Threads, but in practice I only use these two. Since I don’t like duplicating the same post on multiple platforms except for announcements, I don’t use any auto-posting tools.

Because of its nature, I run X as a basically public account and use it to announce updates to my blog and podcast. Facebook, by contrast, is for personal connections, so my everyday posts are friends-only by default. What I post publicly there is mostly the same notices about my blog or podcast as on X. In short, everything outsiders can see on my Facebook feed is pretty much “announcements.”

Restricting external links backfires—the irony of making the platform itself boring

Lately Facebook’s design makes posts containing external links extremely hard to surface. As soon as you include a URL to a blog post or other outside media, likes and comments drop sharply. People say Meta is deliberately downgrading link posts in the algorithm to prevent users from clicking away.

Social Media Today

Where Each of the Big Social Platform Stands on External LinksAre links being throttled on all of the big social apps?

This article explains how the major social platforms handle external links. For Facebook, it clearly states that posts with external links are deemed to “encourage users to leave” and are therefore treated unfavorably by the algorithm. In other words, the reach drop when you post a link is intentional.

Because of this, I now leave the link out of the main text, post only an image and intro, and put the link in my own comment. It works, but it’s extra hassle and feels rather futile.

Such a setup only harms user convenience. Viewers are left thinking “What’s this about?” and must dig through the comments to find the key link. Facebook may see that as extra engagement and longer dwell time, but in reality few people bother to open the comments, and even fewer will take that extra step to read. The result is that the information you wanted to share gets buried.

Moving in the opposite direction of what makes social networking fun

I can understand Meta’s wish to “keep users from leaving.” The longer people stay on Facebook, the more valuable its ad space becomes.

Yet on a friend-based network like Facebook, outside content often sparks conversation. Someone shares an interesting article, others read it and reply “Exactly!” or “Here’s another angle,” and the discussion grows—back on Facebook. That person-to-person exchange is the very appeal of social media and what keeps people engaged.

Viewing that as a “risk of losing users” and suppressing link posts is extremely short-sighted. Ironically, heavy-handed restrictions could choke off conversation and in turn lower both activity and time spent on the platform.

Now I’ve learned they’re testing a rule in some countries limiting link posts to two per month. That’s pretty high-handed—almost as if they’re saying, “If you want to use it for free, shut up and obey.”

Choosing the “toll road” called Meta Verified

Since this is a free service provided by Meta, users may have no real right to complain. On a platform you either follow the rules the provider sets or you don’t use it.

Indeed, Meta has to earn revenue in exchange for our free use; they need resources to keep the service running. With that in mind, I decided to subscribe to Meta’s paid plan, “Meta Verified.”

Requirements for subscribing to Meta Verified

You can’t just sign up for Meta Verified on a whim. There are certain conditions, and you must meet the following criteria.

• Be at least 18 years old
• Reside in a country where Meta Verified is available
• Have an eligible Instagram or Facebook account
• Possess a government-issued photo ID
• Have not changed your account information (name, photo, username, etc.) frequently in the recent past
• Agree to the Meta Verified terms of use and other policies

help.instagram.com

Help Center

Meta Verified’s Standard plan costs 1,600 yen per month. Honestly, I felt that was pricey. Considering that Google Workspace’s Business Plus plan (2,040 yen per month) lets you use Gemini and many other Google services, the amounts are almost the same. I never imagined I’d pay a monthly fee just for an SNS. But if I want to keep driving on the Facebook highway, it seems I now have no choice but to take this “toll lane.”

Right now I’m in a phase where I value my time and the worth of what I create more than money. If I go to the trouble of producing an article or a podcast and hardly anyone sees it—or I have to waste effort on gimmicks just to get it noticed—then I’d rather pay and run things properly, even if the free option exists.

When you sign up for the Standard plan of Meta Verified, you get a verification badge on Facebook and the limit on link posts is lifted. The entire application is done in the browser, and although it said I’d need to upload ID documents, the verification went through instantly. From the perspective of how verification is supposed to work, that’s strange, but honestly it just seems typical of the company.

The effect is still uncertain, but I have no regrets about the choice.

I only just joined Meta Verified, so I don’t yet have clear proof that posts with links are getting better reach. Still, since this is currently the only method available, it should at least be the best state possible.

I want to keep putting information out there and have someone see it; even if that means dancing on someone else’s stage, once I decide to dance, all I can do is step forward. Right now there are no real alternatives to Facebook, and this shows just how big a drawback a monopolistic platform can be.

I don’t think Meta Verified will solve every problem, but I believe I’ve made the best choice I can in this environment. Rather than keep whining while enjoying a free service, I choose—deliberately—to pay for it. That, at least, gives me personal satisfaction.

Whether this decision proves fortunate or disastrous will take a little more time to see. Even so, I’m sure of one thing: amid these changing times, I took this step of my own free will.

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So, how will the post that shares this article get distributed in the feed? The AI might read the context—that I’m criticizing Facebook—and decide not to show it (they just might). Well, even if that happens, I’m not going to change my beliefs or arguments, so it can’t be helped.