Facebook fighting a war against clickbaiting posts
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Facebook will this week begin demoting news feed posts from people and pages that use clickbaiting to get greater reach.
In what it describes as an effort to promote more meaningful and authentic conversations on the platform, Facebook staff have detected different types of clickbaiting – or in social media lingo, “engagement baiting” – to show spammy and sensational content less on the news feed. But the clampdown will exclude posts that ask people for help, advice, or recommendations.
Facebook warns that business pages and publishers that use engagement baiting will get less engagement, and more significant drops in reach if they repeatedly use the tactic.
As a result, pages should continue to focus on posting relevant and meaningful stories that do not use engagement bait tactics.
To learn more about clickbaiting and how to avoid using it on Facebook guidelines.
Questions & Answers
Q.Which specific types of posts will be excluded from this new demotion effort?
Which specific types of posts will be excluded from this new demotion effort?
The clampdown will exclude posts that specifically ask people for help, advice, or recommendations. Facebook is targeting other forms of engagement baiting, rather than genuine requests for assistance or opinions.
Q.What is the primary objective behind Facebook's decision to demote clickbaiting posts?
What is the primary objective behind Facebook's decision to demote clickbaiting posts?
Facebook's primary objective is to promote more meaningful and authentic conversations on its platform. The company believes that reducing the visibility of spammy and sensational content will improve user experience and interaction.
Q.What are the potential consequences for business pages and publishers who continue to use engagement baiting tactics?
What are the potential consequences for business pages and publishers who continue to use engagement baiting tactics?
Business pages and publishers that continue using engagement baiting will experience reduced engagement. Repeated use of the tactic will lead to more significant drops in the reach of their posts on the platform.
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