Facebook is launching Facebook News, a dedicated space on the platform that will highlight top news stories from national and local publications. The company confirmed with Marketing Land that publishers whose articles are placed in Facebook News will be able to monetize their content the same way they do in other areas of Facebook, including referral traffic and Instant Article ads, but the new tab dedicated to news stories will not include ads from advertisers.
“At launch, this tab is very much an alpha test as we figure out what will provide the best experience for people,” said a Facebook spokesperson, “Part of that testing includes partnering with some publishers who are required to build tools with us.”
Why we should care
Advertisers hoping for feed ad placement opportunities within Facebook News will have to look elsewhere as Facebook confirmed it will not be distributing ads to the new section of its site. It’s worth noting that this initial test is an “alpha” test, and there’s still a chance that the company will eventually decide to insert ads between the curated news stories — it was only this month that Facebook decided to place ads in search results. and began testing ads in the Groups tab.
If Facebook News turns out to be a hit with users, with consistent engagement and high adoption rates, it makes sense Facebook would open it up to advertisers.
More on the news
- Facebook said it surveyed more than 100,000 users to determine the range of content to be included in Facebook News. At launch, Facebook News includes four categories of publishers: general, topical, diverse and local news.
- To start, Facebook News is showcasing news from local publications located in the largest major metro areas in the U.S. and national publications that it has partnered with, including the Wall Street Journal, Business Insider and more.
- The “Today’s Stories” section of Facebook News will include content selected by, “A diverse team of journalists hired by Facebook.” The company is also using machine learning to personalize the content that appears in the News tab.
About The Author
Amy Gesenhues is a senior editor for Third Door Media, covering the latest news and updates for Marketing Land, Search Engine Land and MarTech Today. From 2009 to 2012, she was an award-winning syndicated columnist for a number of daily newspapers from New York to Texas. With more than ten years of marketing management experience, she has contributed to a variety of traditional and online publications, including MarketingProfs, SoftwareCEO, and Sales and Marketing Management Magazine. Read more of Amy’s articles.