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Facebook's New Link Limits: What Authors Need to Know
Updated: 1 day ago
Updated October 2026
Just when you think you've got everything figured out . . . 🤦🏻♀️
What's changing
Meta launched its new subscription model Meta One in September, and has been testing these changes for a year, though the rules and exactly how it's going to shake out for people are still a bit muddy. For now, these changes affect Pages and Profiles in Professional Mode. They're rolling these changes in an unpredictable fashion, so your account may already be affected, while others of you may not see it take effect for a couple months.
Here's how it works for accounts that have the limit:
You get 2 free organic posts or comments containing outside links per month.
Facebook counts posts, not URLs. One post with three links in it uses one of your two.
Your free allowance resets on the 1st of each month. Unused links don't roll over.
When you've used them up, Facebook shows a message saying you've used your links for the month and offers you a Meta One subscription.
Not every Page has the limit yet. Some people have had it switched on and then quietly switched off again with no explanation. Meta itself still calls this a test.
Who's affected (and who isn't)
Where you're posting | Limited? |
|---|---|
Facebook author Page | Yes, if your Page is in the test |
Personal profile with Professional Mode turned on | Yes, likely |
Regular personal profile (no Professional Mode) | No |
Facebook Groups | No (for now) |
Paid ads and boosted posts | No |
Stories (link stickers) | No |
Not sure if you're in Professional Mode? If you ever turned it on, even briefly to try it out, check. Some social media experts suggest switching it off to escape the limit, but be careful: depending on how Facebook handles it, you could lose the followers you gained in that mode.
What counts as a link
❌ Counts toward your 2 | ✅ Doesn't count |
|---|---|
Amazon, B&N, Kobo, Apple Books links | Links to Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, or Threads |
BookFunnel, StoryOrigin, Prolific Works links | Facebook Event links |
Universal book links (Books2Read, etc.) | Facebook Group links |
Your website, newsletter signup, or Linktree | Extra links in the comments of a post that already has a link |
A link you drop in the first comment (on a post with no other link) | Links in paid ads |
Links to other authors' books or sites | Affiliate links through Facebook's own affiliate program (not Amazon Associates) |
⚠️ The "link in the first comment" trick no longer works for Pages in the test. Early on, comment links were exempt. Under the current rules, a comment link counts too—unless the post itself already has a link.
Sharing other people's links
This is the part that hits our community hardest, because so much of author marketing is mutual promotion: newsletter swaps, group promos, cover reveals, release-day shout-outs.
A link to someone else's book counts exactly like a link to yours. If you share a friend's preorder link from your author Page that's one of your two for the month.
Sharing someone's Facebook post (with the Share button) is a Facebook link, so it shouldn't use up your allowance. This is the friendliest way to boost a fellow author right now.
Links you comment on someone else's Page post often won't be clickable. Facebook has been deactivating these for a while.
Posting in Groups is still unrestricted. That makes community spaces like this board, but especially genre reader groups, more valuable.
For promo swaps and group promos: Facebook's link limit will change how we support each other. Before you commit to "share my link on your Page," talk about it. Many authors will now want to save their two links for their own launches. Good alternatives to ask for:
Share the author's Facebook post instead of their direct link (which means making sure that whenever you share a book link, make it a public post so people can share it.)
Post the link in a Facebook Group
Add it as a link sticker in Stories
Include it in a newsletter (which is where swaps work best anyway)
If you're verified (Meta Verified)
This is the most confusing part, so here's what I gleaned:
Meta Verified on its own no longer seems to lift the limit. In the early test, paying for Meta Verified gave you more links. Several social media experts now report that the basic $14.99/month Meta Verified plan still caps you at 2.
Meta says nothing changes for current Meta Verified subscribers for now while it plans to move them over to Meta One. So if you're verified and haven't seen the limit, you may see it later.
The blue checkmark is now bundled into Meta One. Every Meta One plan includes verification once your ID is confirmed.
Meta One plans (U.S. prices)
Plan | Monthly cost | Facebook posts with links |
No subscription | $0 | 2 |
Essential | $14.99 | 2 |
Advanced | $49.99 | 8 |
Expert | $149.99 | 20 |
Max | $499.99 | Unlimited |
Prices vary by region and some people have been offered lower rates. A paid allowance resets on your renewal date, not the 1st.
Is it worth paying?
For most authors, probably not. Link posts already get very little reach on Facebook. Mari Smith, a longtime Facebook marketing expert, points to Meta's own data showing that only about 1.3% of widely viewed content in U.S. feeds in early 2026 included an outside link. Paying $50 a month for 8 links that the algorithm will still bury is a hard sell.
If you need more clicks, a small, targeted ad budget may get you further than a subscription, since ad links don't count and actually get shown to people. And as always, your newsletter is the one channel Facebook can't throttle.
How to check if you're affected
Look for a notification on your Page about link limits.
Try posting a link from your Page. If you've hit the cap, Facebook will tell you.
Check whether your personal profile is in Professional Mode.
How to work around Facebook's link limit for authors
Plan your two links. Save them for launches, preorders, big sales, and your reader magnet. Keep a simple monthly link calendar.
Stack links on one post. Once a post has a link, extra links in its comments are free. Make one "everything" post per month with your buy links, freebie, and newsletter in the comments.
Use a link hub on your own website. One page with all your books and offers. Update it whenever, and share that one link.
Update your Page's action button and intro. These links are always on and aren't posts, so they don't count.
Pin your best link post to your Featured section and point people to it.
Use Stories. Link stickers don't count, and you can reuse the same graphic on Instagram and TikTok.
Make Facebook Events for launches, signings, and author events. Event links don't count.
Invite DMs. "Comment BOOK and I'll send you the link" works, and you can automate it for free in the Meta Business Suite.
Make URLs easy to remember. Say them out loud in videos, put them on graphics, or add a QR code.
Post in Groups. Including this one on Promo Day (Fridays).
Grow your email list. Once readers are on your list, you never need Facebook's permission to send them a link.
One more change for anyone selling on Meta
Separately, Meta's updated Commercial Terms take effect October 30, 2026 for anyone using Facebook, Instagram, Messenger, or WhatsApp for business—running ads, managing a Page, or selling through a shop. The new terms let Meta automatically crawl and analyze websites connected to those business accounts, and there's no opt-out short of not using Meta for business. Meta told Snopes the update just consolidates existing terms and doesn't change how it collects or uses data.
Worth knowing if you post sample chapters or other content on your author website.
The bottom line
Don't panic. You don't have to change your whole marketing plan overnight, but it does highlight an important truth: don't build your whole marketing plan on a platform that can change the rules overnight. Use Facebook for connection and conversation, use your links wisely, and keep pointing readers to the places you do control: your website and your newsletter.
You've got this!
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Facebook’s link limit apply to personal profiles?
Not regular ones. It applies to Pages and profiles in Professional Mode.
Do links in comments count?
Yes, unless the post already has a link.
Does Meta Verified remove the limit?
Reportedly not anymore. Extra links now come with Meta One plans starting at $49.99/month.
Can I still post links in Facebook Groups?
Yes, Groups aren’t limited right now.
SOURCES: Mari Smith: Facebook's New 2-Link Limit — 15 Smart Ways to Keep Driving Traffic Engadget: Meta is charging government and nonprofit pages to post links on Facebook (Oct. 23, 2026)
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