Facebook Tried Cracking Down on Clickbait. What Happened Next Will SHOCK You.

This article will be the most interesting and useful piece of content you’ll consume today, guaranteed!*

*Not actually guaranteed

I bet that before you even clicked on this article, you suspected that you probably would believe what happened next. You could probably even guess with reasonable accuracy. But you clicked on it anyway. And suddenly two things happened:

1. You left Facebook (or Twitter or however you found this) and
2. You’re probably a bit disappointed in the content (sorry!)

These two actions are hugely consequential to the algorithm wizards at Facebook whose job is to keep you on the platform as long as possible and give you the best user experience.

Facebook didn’t invent the concept of Clickbait (check out the history of the term here) but its platform has arguably done more to popularize Upworthy-style headlines than any other medium. And in light of their recent algorithm tweak to de-prioritize publisher content, punishing clickbait seems like the logical next step to keep users within the confines of Facebook.

You can read the full Facebook press release here, but let’s get into what this means for us.

What does this mean for agencies and advertisers?

• Focus on video. It looks like Facebook is updating the algorithm to prioritize content that keeps consumers within the platform. So ‘lean in’ and make the algorithm happy. (And while you’re at it, make sure you’re optimizing video for the newsfeed environment)
• While there will be minimal short term impact to Sponsored Posts, it’s a fair bet that Facebook will soon penalize ‘clickbait-y’ posts just like they do to text heavy photos with the update to the 20% Rule. That could mean inflated CPMs and very limited reach — so it’s best to break the habit now
• Keep walking away from the Organic/Always-on model. Organic reach is so painfully low already (like, sub 2% low for big brands) and we can only see this change causing further reach erosion
• In the long run, this will probably be good for Advertisers as this will clear a lot of the ‘spam’ out of our Newsfeeds. Less schlocky content = a more premium environment. So we’re getting the extra oomph of our ads showing up in a more premium environment
• It’s probably a good idea to review any content partnership arrangements you have with publishers and adjust headlines and distribution strategies accordingly

And most importantly, make sure to follow these best practices from Facebook to avoid getting penalized.