Is Facebook's Instant Articles in jeopardy following publisher dissatisfaction?
Facebook's attempt to partner more closely with media firms encountered a speed bump after disparities were revealed between ad revenue on the platform and publishers' own sites, forcing the social media giant to search for new innovations.
The Instant Articles innovation is proving to be slow in adding revenue for publishing partners due to restrictions Facebook has in place for advertising within the platform and now the social media platform is rethinking its policy. Facebook also recently launched a new app which users can access for a one-stop destination for a news outlet, with video streaming service Vevo as one of the first partners.
"Facebooks instant articles really need to lighten up on the images to text ratio when approving campaigns as publishers look to maximize ad revenue from the published content," said Marci Troutman, CEO of SiteMinis. "Images are a big part of social media and the hit/like percentage, less text and bigger images are a key factor."
Publishing problems
While publishers are entitled to sole profits from ad revenue sold and developed themselves for the Instant Articles, it is proving not enough, as Facebook?s ad restrictions are too much. Publishers are not able to make sufficient profits that match what is made on their own platforms from the overbearing guidelines.
The platform is being forced to make some changes to fit publisher?s needs or face extinction.
Facebook only allows for one banner ad sized 320 x 250 pixels for every 500 words and prohibits any rich media advertisements as well. This is a serious difference as most publishers have multiple ads in various formats on their own Web sites, and since the platform eliminates traffic deriving from Facebook but instead allows users to view it natively within the social media platform.
The social media developer still has a chance to continue its relationships with its partners, as users are still showing behavior in which publishing content resonates well on the platform.
Facebook news
Reports that Facebook will launch a standalone news application called Notify next week is the latest in a long line of attempts by key players to get the scoop on mobile news (see more).
Also, Facebook?s mobile ad revenue totaled $3.4 billion in the third quarter ended Sept. 30, 2015, up 73 percent year-over-year as initiatives such as video and carousel ads resonated with marketers (see more).
"One of the things to recognize is that instant articles can only have one banner ad for every 500 words of content; whereas the publisher will have up to four to promote," Ms. Troutman said.
Final take
Brielle Jaekel is editorial assistant at Mobile Marketer.