Recently, Facebook issued new guidelines related to branded content that have confused authors who manage Facebook business pages. We’d like to clarify what’s happening, given the misinformation that’s now circulating.
- First, the new policy only affects verified pages (those with a blue check mark).
- If your page does have a blue check mark, then you’d have to be accepting payment for third-party promotional content in order for this policy to affect you.
- If you are accepting payment for promoting someone else’s content on Facebook, and you’ve got the blue check mark, then yes, make sure you’re aware of Facebook’s branded-content guidelines and following them.
Mari Smith has written an excellent Facebook post describing what branded content is and what the new policy means. You don’t have to read it unless you’re curious or think you might be accepting payment for Facebook posts in the future.
Bottom line: Whenever Facebook announces a new initiative or policy, confusion and misunderstanding inevitably follow. Be slow to trust any blog posts or information indicating hugely dramatic changes or draconian measures underway at Facebook—or at any other social media site. Double-check the policy language yourself, and read professional news outlets that regularly cover the tech industry, rather than relying on author blogs. (We’re grateful to subscriber Chris Syme for bringing this latest issue to our attention.)
Jane Friedman has spent her entire career working in the publishing industry, with a focus on business reporting and author education. Established in 2015, her newsletter The Bottom Line provides nuanced market intelligence to thousands of authors and industry professionals; in 2023, she was named Publishing Commentator of the Year by Digital Book World.
Jane’s expertise regularly features in major media outlets such as The New York Times, The Atlantic, NPR, The Today Show, Wired, The Guardian, Fox News, and BBC. Her book, The Business of Being a Writer, Second Edition (The University of Chicago Press), is used as a classroom text by many writing and publishing degree programs. She reaches thousands through speaking engagements and workshops at diverse venues worldwide, including NYU’s Advanced Publishing Institute, Frankfurt Book Fair, and numerous MFA programs.
