In a bid to improve the credibility of information shared on its website, Facebook recently introduced a new feature in the US: ‘Facebook News’. If this rolls out elsewhere, there could be both positive and negative implications for organic content published by affiliates and the iGaming media.
Opportunities
Vetting content in this manner should, theoretically, result in Facebook becoming a more reliable information source. Users might make this their go-to place for news, as a result. That could lead to people spending more time online, and a higher chance of affiliates and publications’ posts being seen.
It’s also worth noting that Facebook News is supposed to have a personalised section. So, users who specifically want to read iGaming-related articles will see related content as they consume more of this. This isn’t just good for visibility. Websites might find that, as well as receiving more traffic, they also attract a better-engaged audience.
Challenges
Just as there’s a chance that these changes will boost the visibility of affiliates and the iGaming media, the opposite is also possible. While independent journalists will curate content, there’s a chance that unconscious bias could influence recruitment. There’s also a risk that websites could write content just to please the algorithms, leading to lost authenticity.
It’s also worth noting that there isn’t a one-size-fits-all regulatory approach. At the moment, Facebook News is only being rolled out in one market. But news standards and regulations in the US differ to other parts of the world. ‘Credible’ can still therefore be defined by Facebook. If something disagreeable is shared – even if its factual – it can be penalised.
How can affiliates and the iGaming media act?
One way to ensure that organic content is more credible is through the gathering and use of higher-quality data, which is something we recently discussed in another article. This will require the cooperation of operators, as well as affiliates and the iGaming media. Gathering more credible information will lead to a better argument, which will raise the standard of what you share.
No matter where Facebook News expands to hereafter, one fundamental will remain the same. You need to provide value to your audience. If you don’t seek to solve a specific problem, then there’s no incentive for people to read your posts. The same applies if you fail to provide useful insight. Authenticity will also continue to be valued, meaning that it’ll always be important to be yourself. Facebook News should ultimately be viewed as a chance to improve the quality of what you write naturally, and not surrender to the algorithms.
