What to know about Facebook’s war on clickbait
The platform’s updated algorithm could have significant impact on marketers, PR pros and publishers. Here are insights and information about the changes.
What does Facebook’s new assault on clickbait mean for publishers, agencies and marketers?
To understand the impact of its updated anti-clickbait algorithm, you must consider other recent Facebook policy changes that, taken together, will make it harder and more expensive for publishers to bundle native content, drive traffic and accomplish their reach goals.
Regarding clickbait, in answering the question, “Will this affect my Page?” Facebook writes, “We anticipate that most Pages won’t see any significant changes to their distribution in News Feed as a result of this change.” Which is code for “Of course it will.”
Facebook’s approach to curtailing clickbait says the new algorithm will target any headline that “withholds information required to understand the article … [or] misleads the reader.”
Clickbait is often used for untoward purposes, and there are several bad actors who ought to be reined in. Let’s concentrate, though, on the collateral damage from Facebook’s systematic war on organizations that are gaming (or trying to game) its platform.
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