Over the past few years, social media experts have harbored significant doubts about the impact of including a link within a post, as evidenced by several studies. Indeed, rumors suggest that placing a direct link in a post can diminish its reach. For better “reach,” meaning greater visibility on social networks like Facebook, some specialists already advise placing the link in the first comment of the post.
Until now, this suggestion has been merely speculative, but it seems it may soon be officially confirmed by Meta.
Alerts Received by Several Page Administrators
This past weekend, several Facebook page administrators reportedly received notifications from Meta suggesting optimizations for their posts. While some recommendations may seem obvious, such as incorporating a video or photo to boost user engagement, another piece of advice caught the attention of users. Screenshots shared on Threads, a competitor of X (formerly Twitter), and on Facebook itself, also included a tip regarding the handling of links in posts.
Does a Link in a Post Reduce Its Reach?
Though some might have dismissed it as a social media “urban legend,” it appears that including a link in a post might indeed reduce its reach. The messages shared by users clearly stated that “links can diminish the reach of a post,” and suggested that it’s better to “add a link in the first comment instead.” While some may still be skeptical about this advice, other data suggests that it is quite reasonable.
97.3% of Link-Free Posts in the USA
As usual, Meta has released its latest user engagement statistics, revealing intriguing data for the first quarter of 2025. Notably, it was shown that 97.3% of the most viewed posts in the United States did not contain a link in the original message, compared to only 2.7% for posts that did include an external link. While Meta has not yet officially commented on this trend, it further underscores, if there was any doubt, that Meta’s primary goal is to keep users within its ecosystem.
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Samantha Klein is a seasoned tech journalist with a sharp focus on Apple and mobile ecosystems. With over a decade of experience, she brings insightful commentary and deep technical understanding to the fast-evolving world of consumer technology.