Meta One: What Facebook’s new link limits could mean for your organisation

A new Meta test is limiting some Facebook Pages to sharing just two links per month unless they pay for a Meta One subscription. While that may affect how arts and cultural organisations use Facebook, there are still plenty of opportunities to engage audiences on the platform. 

In this article, Tech Champions Katy Farrell and Nicola Barratt explore what we know so far about Meta One, what the changes could mean for arts and cultural organisations, and practical steps you can take to adapt your social media strategy, improve reach without links and make the most of Facebook’s other features. 

What do we know about Meta One so far? 

Meta One is a subscription service for Facebook Pages and Instagram profiles that offers additional features, support and analytics through a range of paid plans. It currently offers four subscription tiers for businesses: 

• Essential (£12.49/month) 

• Advanced (£41.99/month) 

• Expert (£129/month) 

• Max (£419/month) 

Advanced is the lowest-priced tier that offers additional links, allowing you to share up to eight per month.  

As Meta One is still being tested, it’s unclear exactly what the final subscription tiers will include. However, early indications suggest that Meta One will roll out to all Business Pages. Any future link limits could apply to those shared in both posts and comments, and subscriptions would be charged per Facebook Page or Instagram profile. For example, if you manage two Facebook Pages affected by the test, each Page requires its own subscription. 

Meta One isn’t replacing Meta Verified, so if you’re already paying for Meta Verified then this is a separate subscription – important to ensure you’re not paying twice! 

What can you do?

If you’re concerned about how this could affect your organisation, Digital Culture Network Social Media Tech Champions Nicola Barratt and Katy Farrell recommend that you:

1. Review Facebook’s role in your social media strategy

Look at your audience demographics, engagement rates and overall performance. Are you reaching people on Facebook that you can’t reach elsewhere? Could you create more content that doesn’t rely on links? Or do you need to reduce your posting cadence? You can learn more about creating a social media strategy in our ‘What goes into a social media strategy’ webinar.

2. Focus on link-free content

Facebook’s algorithm has long prioritised content that keeps users on the platform, with posts containing links often receiving lower reach. Where possible, lose the link entirely – tell the story within the post itself and make sure it’s entertaining, educational or informative to reach more people and encourage engagement. If you’re using Instagram, you’ll already be familiar with posting without links – replicate this on Facebook. 

3. Use Facebook Groups

Can you reach your audience by posting in local Facebook Groups? For now, it’s predicted that links posted in Groups won’t be included in the two-link limit, so they might be an alternative way to reach your audience if you don’t want to pay for the subscription. 

4. Create Facebook Events

If you’re promoting a show, exhibition or event, currently Facebook Events can still include links and may help people discover your activity.

5. Use paid promotion strategically

If including a link is essential, consider boosting a post or running a targeted ad campaign. Check out Nicola’s article about setting up Meta Ads to help you get started.

6. Explore inbox automation

Try a Meta inbox automation, which can automatically send users a link via direct message if they comment with a specific keyword.

7. Don’t rely on links in comments

Remember, links shared in comments may also count towards the limit, so don’t rely on using these as a workaround. 

For updates on Meta One and other social media developments, follow the Digital Culture Network on LinkedIn.