Are You Click-Baiting On Facebook?

Facebook Is Eliminating Click-Baiting Posts From New Feeds

Have you ever shared a post on your Facebook Page with a link and image instead of pulling the information directly from your article? Well now Facebook is saying this could be perceived as “click-baiting,” which they claim does not do well in their News Feeds.

One example that they point out on a recent news announcement is found here (image courtesy of Facebook):

Basically any post that includes a link that serves the purpose of asking users to click to view more without providing enough information could be perceived as spam according to Facebook. The reason given in their news article was this: “When we asked people in an initial survey what type of content they preferred to see in their News Feeds, 80% of the time people preferred headlines that helped them decide if they wanted to read the full article before they had to click through.”

So how should Page owners post their articles?

By directly plugging in the link with a detailed explanation, which automatically generates an image and link to access more information on the post itself, rather than including the link in the details.

Here is another example of what Facebook would like to see appear in News Feeds:

As you can see in the above illustration, the post describes the topic, and does not leave the reader guessing what the article is about. The image and headline are prominently displayed, which is more likely to appear in the News Feed as users share, comment on and ‘Like’ the post.

What does this mean for Facebook Page administrators?

According to Facebook posts that do not hold a reader’s attention or interest will become suspect to link baiting if they are posted in their image example above. This means that when a user decides to continue browsing through the News Feed instead of taking more time to read the article, that could mean a red flag.

Facebook will now also take into account the active interactions of each post, and will be measuring the ‘Likes’ and shares, as well as the comments of articles.

Over the next few weeks expect to see less link-based posts in News Feeds, as these will become phased out over time. Pay attention to how you are sharing your posts, as this could mean a serious decline in visibility, even while using hashtags.

If you have been posting your articles this way, do not fear! Only a small percentage of Page owners will see a decline, and future posts done correctly will maintain your exposure in the News Feed.

Are You Click-Baiting On Facebook?