Ignore last week's advice, Facebook now favors links

It is a running joke that as soon as I finish a social media class Facebook makes wild changes that negate some of my previous advice.  This week facebook announced two big changes. 

1. They will now favor links over pictures without links.  

What this means for you - your blog posts are even more important now.  So create homes for your images and link to that page so facebook automatically posts the picture for you.  

Their reasoning - this gives users a better experience by letting them preview content to decide whether or not they want to click the link.  It also allows users to use the newly introduced save button so they can use their news feed as a collection area for content. 

2. Facebook will now de-prioritize click bait type headlines in an effort to weed out spam (think buzzfeed, upworthy)

What this means for you - you need to encourage your users to do two things - 1. stay on the link for awhile to read and 2. engaged with you content by clicking like, commenting, or sharing.  This is how facebook will be measuring spam. 

Their reasoning - Less spam means more time on facebook. 

So, get ready and adjust your plans.