Hi Reader,

I wasn't too concerned when Facebook began limiting the number of links Pages can post because Link Posts have been dead to marketers for years. For a long time now, its been the best practice to put all Facebook links in the comments ...but historical fiction novelist AL Kucherenko alerted me today that Facebook's new "link tax" policy now applies to links in comments too!

If you use Facebook and haven't encountered this yet, you're going to want to know! Facebook LOVES YOU SO MUCH they'd cut off your legs rather than see you go.

But since that would be bonkers, instead they're going to charge Pages that have the audacity to link outside of Facebook. Essentially, you're allowed to post 2 links per month. After that, Facebook hits your Page with a pop-up promoting their pricey new "verification" plan. They are rolling this out intermittently so if it hasn't hit you yet, TRUST it will soon.

Here are all the workarounds that Facebook pages have been using to share links without paying

Some people were able to post the link after ignoring Meta's sales pitch nag, and the link shows but it is greyed-out/not clickable. Do this now if you still can...but it's not likely to keep working. For some, Facebook is disabling the Post button if you've included a url. I've even heard of Facebook users being prevented from completing a post that didn't even have a link! This is because Facebook is anticipating people will try to get around the new limitations and are thus also flagging posts for having "link-like content," even though there wasn't an actual URL. Using words in your post like website, .com, or visit my site may be counted as having a link even if they don't!

You'll get less traffic than with a click-able link, but it's better than nothing.

Once that stops working, you have the following options. I put these in order from ill-advised to most-advised, with some explanation as to the issues with each...and they all come with some issues!

8. Revert to a Facebook personal page

Starting with this to say... don't do it! You'll actually get much greater reach with your personal profile, and you can allow people to follow (rather than "friend") you. But it is a violation of Facebook's terms of service to post as a business rather than a person. So if you're selling stuff with your personal profile, you are at the risk of losing your account. There is an exception that's perfect for artists, authors and small creators... Professional Mode. But the "link tax" applies to Professional Mode as well.

I could see trying this out if you were angry enough to consider leaving Facebook anyhow. But you'd still need to coax all your followers to re-follow you via your personal account...and if you're herding all the cats anyhow, may as well herd them to a completely different platform.

7. Put the link in an image

You could include the text of the link in an image, if you can no longer insert the un-clickable link. It requires the reader to manually type in the url... easy enough yet readers already hesitate to click external links. So this is going to hurt your traffic for sure. If you go this route, it's a good reminder to always use concise, keyword dense urls. e.g. instead of wordpressblogsforwriters.com/what-is-the-difference-between-a-blog-and-a-website, better to edit the url to wordpressblogsforwriters.com/blog-vs-website.

Another issue: Facebook already dislikes text inside images. So much so that they charge advertisers more money if the image has text---and the more text, the more they charge. I've not seen reports that they're doing this to organic posts as yet, but it proves they're already using technology to identify text inside images. Which means it may not continue to work, and they may opt to bury your post further down in the feed regardless.

6. Use a QR code

Seeing a QR code in a social post comes across as a bit amateur, since QR codes are for IRL print media. Online, QR codes are more cumbersome than a direct link, so if the image is meant to be digital the QR code is extraneous at best ...or it was until now. It's debatable whether a QR code is easier to access than a picture of a url. Either way, it's still an extra step and you will definitely lose potential traffic. And if everyone starts doing this, before long Facebook will opt to ban or charge people for including QR codes as well.

5. Buy Facebook ads

If you're thinking of giving in and paying for Facebook's new "verification" upsell, don't. You'd be better off buying Facebook ads, which still allow external links.

I still find Facebook is the best bang-for-your-buck when it comes to advertising books (yes, even better than Amazon). The downside? The approach to advertising to a new audience is not the same approach you should take when posting to your existing audience. However, it would still be better to pay for ads that go to your existing friends rather than to pay for Meta's newest ploy. With ads, you can be sure people will actually see the post, while an organic "verified" post still has to claw it's way up to "popular" to be seen. Though it means more moolah for Meta, less for you, at least with ads you can set your own price. And you can reach new audiences who are particularly interested in what you're working on.

4. "Link in bio"

Many are already familiar with this phrase, as it's long been the case that Instagram doesn't allow links in posts. You are allowed to have a link to your website on your profile page, so rather than linking, Instagrammers end their posts with a reminder that the link is in their bio. Often these go to a complicated "link tree", which is a page that includes all your various links. They then update this with the latest promotion at the top. I'd advise instead styling a page of your site with your blog posts and links displayed prominently, as blog posts archive automatically. Let me know if you have questions about that.

3. Use a DM chatbot tool

The big push amongst social media/marketing pros is presently to use a tool that will automatically send a direct message (ie, Facebook Messenger) to someone who wants more info. This is likely to continue working because Facebook wants people to use Messenger more. The way it works: at the end of the post, you ask people to comment with a particular word if they want more info. If their comment uses that word, they automatically receive a message with the link. The plus side is that you have people actively expressing interest and more personal one-on-one conversation. Of course you'd have to set it up for each link. Let me know if you'd like help with that.

This technique does come across as a bit corporate to me, as the brands I see using it are more likely to be real estate agents than authors or artists. But with this new policy, a good portion of creators who want to stay on Facebook are likely to get on board. If that's how you feel, this is one of your best options.

2. Put the link in a Facebook Story rather than a Post

Links are still allowed in Facebook Stories, the vertical videos you see at the top of the page. Many stalwart Facebook users still don't click on Stories (if they were eager to try new things, would they still be on Facebook?). The downsides are significant: it requires video, disappears after a day, and can't exceed 1 min. If you can work within those restraints, Stories are your second-best option.

1. Post the link to a Facebook Group

You can still post links within Groups. Facebook wants people to use Groups more so there is a good chance this will keep working. Groups are a better way to interact on Facebook anyhow, because they force you to think of your COMMUNITY rather than YOUR PROFILE---less about your brand and more about what brings you together. But, if you don't already have a group you're audience is active in, it requires you to create one and coax your existing followers to join it.

0. Autoposting hacks

There are some additional workarounds that are hacks and so I'm not confident they will continue to work in the future. If you fail to post a link with Facebook's built-in scheduling tool, supposedly when you remove the link it will still be there in the final scheduled post. Sounds like a bug; Facebook will likely squash it soon.

What may work a bit longer is to use third-party scheduling tools. For now, links posted in this way are still getting through. SoMe Planner is the tool I'm seeing recommended most often.

Leave Facebook

If you think this all sounds tedious and stupid, you're not alone. In all the discussions I've seen about the new link tax, there are people saying "No thanks, I'm out!"

Think of millennials and Gen Xers who only use Facebook to keep up with particular artists, brands, nonprofits etc. When those brands leave, their followers will be the next wave to go. And when they leave, their parents will eventually follow them, because they'll want to be on the platform where they can see updates from their kids. Others will just find it frustrating to have to deal with all these workarounds.

I take Facebook's latest move as a sign that it's nearing the end of its relevancy. Remember AOL Online? No matter how big Facebook seems, nothing lasts forever.

Consider starting an account elsewhere and promoting it NOW while you still have followers on Facebook. I know it's tough to accept, but this is the danger of using someone else's platform to build your audience. Trust me, I learned this the hard way! I had over 42,000 followers on a fading site, and I held on too long...but that's a story for my next email.

Alternatives to Facebook

As to alternatives, most people who leave Facebook go to Instagram. But that's also owned by Meta so any problems in one will eventually find their way to the other.

I'm a fan of Bluesky. ...and well, that's the end of my list. There are plenty of alternatives to Facebook, but I dislike each of them for various reasons, and for the sake of brevity I won't list them here.

Even better, start an email list. I tired of building audiences only to watch the platforms that hosted them fade away. It's the reason I started this email list! I wanted to keep up with you all, but without being beholden to someone else's platform.

But! I'm biased... I never liked Facebook. So what do you think? Is this the thing that's going to make Facebook go the way of AOL? Or will people adapt and keep on using it?

Sincerely,

Karma Bennett
​WordPressBlogsForWriters.com​
​KarmaBennett.com​

Feel free to respond directly to me. Part of why I do this is to keep in touch! If your response is also useful for others, I may share it on social. I am most active on BlueSky if you want to chat.

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