Instagram Charging for Links

Meta:

If you subscribe to a Meta One plan, you can add links to a set number of posts and reels each month based on your plan:

• Meta One Advanced plan: up to 4 posts and 4 reels with links per month
• Meta One Expert plan: up to 8 posts and 8 reels with links per month
• Meta One Max plan: up to 12 posts and 12 reels with links per month

Via Nick Heer:

Instagram has never supported links of any kind in individual posts, so that is a new feature with two links per month permitted for free, and more enabled by this pricey subscription — starting at $50 USD per month for four posts per month containing external links. But links in Reels have been commonplace for years. Meta is now gating that, too; and there is more. Meta seems to have two objectives here: to take a cut from businesses that use Meta’s services as a referral source more generally, and — more specifically — to capture some of the money made by influencers.

Requiring login, removing RSS, discouraging links. Things are not looking good for the open Web.

Previously:

• Reddit to Remove RSS
• Twitter Now Requires Logging In
• “Link in Bio” Is Apparently a Billion-Dollar Business
• “Link in Bio” Is a Slow Knife