Facebook is testing a new way to promote brands within shared links, according to an AllFacebook reader who saw the potential new feature in action.
The reader found a Gawker link shared on his News Feed and, as seen in the screenshot below. Above the link description, which we currently see in links shared in the News Feed, was Gawker’s page description (“News/Media website”) and a button to “Like” the page:
If this new feature is released to all users, brands might begin to see their follower numbers increase as links are shared on Facebook.
Recently Facebook announced new brand-friendly features for the News Feed including Story Bump, which will include older but interesting posts in users’ News Feeds so they don’t miss out on important information. It’s also been rumored that Facebook will launch a Trending Topics feature which will spread popular news stories in the News Feed.
Update August 15, 2013 8:30 a.m.: I witnessed one iteration of this feature myself on Facebook last night. A friend posted a link to a Huffington Post story, and when I “liked” the story a box appeared below the link. Inside, it said, “Want to see more from HuffPost Politics?” followed by a “Like Page” button. Here’s a screenshot:
Have you seen page information like this in links on your News Feed? Let us know in the comments section!