According to Engadget, Meta is testing a new scheme that puts link-sharing behind a paywall for certain creators on Facebook. The test, confirmed by a Meta spokesperson, affects an unspecified number of creators and pages using “professional mode.” Under the test, profiles without a Meta Verified subscription are limited to sharing links in just two organic posts per month. The notification, shared by consultant Matt Navarra, explicitly states the new limit. Meta’s stated goal is to see if “the ability to publish an increased volume of posts with links adds additional value” for its paying subscribers, who are charged at least $14.99 per month. Publishers are not currently affected by this limited test.
The Creator Squeeze Play
Here’s the thing: this isn’t just about a new feature. It feels like a fundamental shift in strategy. For years, creators and small businesses have built audiences on Facebook with the understanding they could use it to drive traffic to their own sites, stores, or other platforms. That was the unspoken deal. Now, Meta is signaling that the free ride for outbound traffic might be ending. And that’s a huge deal. It turns Facebook from a potential referral engine into more of a walled garden, where the incentive is to keep everything—content, engagement, commerce—inside Meta’s ecosystem. How many small businesses or indie creators can realistically add another $15/month to their overhead, especially when the algorithm already makes organic reach a gamble?
Winners, Losers, and The Big Picture
So who wins if this goes wide? Obviously, Meta gets a new revenue stream from creators who absolutely must share links. They also keep more user attention and ad impressions on-platform. The losers are the creators and businesses for whom Facebook is a critical, free marketing channel. They’re faced with a tough choice: pay up, drastically change their content strategy to avoid links, or diminish their presence. It also feels like a gift to competitors. Platforms like Threads, TikTok, or even LinkedIn might suddenly look more creator-friendly if they promise not to throttle essential tools like link-sharing. Basically, Meta is betting that its network is so essential that people will pay not to be crippled on it. That’s a powerful, and for many, a very frustrating position to be in.
