Social media giant Meta is currently in the midst of rolling out an update that will see public followers on personal Facebook accounts removed.
Previously, any personal profile could enable the option to have public followers. Followers would then be able to see any public posts from that profile within their feeds, as well as any posts granted follower access, despite not actually being friends with the profile.
However, personal profiles that indeed have public followers are now being presented with a choice: remove their public followers, or transition their profile to Professional Mode. This mode was originally announced back in December 2021*, and allows creators with a platform to connect with their audience without the need for a Facebook page.
Why is Facebook doing this? The official reason it gives in the notice presented to affected profiles is that it’s “simplifying settings”. Indeed, it’s true that for most people, if they’re not friends with someone else, do they need that someone to see their posts within their feed? Probably not. The only real benefit this setting has is for people like content creators and entrepreneurs who are trying to build up a personal brand, as businesses should always have a dedicated Facebook Page instead.
A more likely reason for Facebook doing this is for more ad space – ads don’t appear on personal profiles, but they do on accounts with Professional Mode, and so encouraging more people to switch to this will provide them with more advertising opportunities (and, resultantly, revenue).
At the minute, this switch is being staged in waves, so if you’re a personal profile with public followers and you haven’t received a notice just yet, you may end up with one at some point next year.
If you need help with setting up a Facebook page, advertising on Facebook or simply growing your business presence online, we’d be happy to help here at Engage Web. Reach out to us today.
- Facebook removes followers from personal profiles - December 18, 2024
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- Meta makes questionable audience targeting change for ads - October 3, 2024
