Instagram and Facebook set to be flooded with affiliate content

Soon, Instagram and Facebook will have direct shopping links within posts, eliminating the need for external "link in bio" tools. 

Meta revealed on Tuesday that new shopping capabilities will be added to both platforms, though there will be some variations in how they function.

On Facebook, creators can connect their brand affiliate accounts and tag products in Reels and images. 

Traditionally, influencers had to guide their followers via a comment or an external platform like ShopMy or LTK for affiliate links. 

Now, selected products will appear within the post as a clickable bubble. Initially, the affiliate program will be limited to a few partners, starting with Amazon in the US, with Temu and eBay to follow soon.

Instagram will allow influencers to insert up to 30 product links in a single Reel. Unlike Facebook, these products aren't restricted, allowing creators to directly add their own affiliate links. 

However, products must be listed in the brands’ commerce catalog registered with Meta.

This development is great for those earning through affiliate marketing, but others might feel the platforms increasingly resemble virtual shopping centers. 

These enhancements resemble TikTok Shop, where items like apparel and camera accessories are just a click away in videos.

These updates were announced not long after influencers discovered Instagram was embedding shopping links in their content without consent. 

The unapproved “Shop the look” feature linked to inexpensive dupes instead of the real items. 

Meta claimed it was a small trial and stated they are “considering different updates” to the feature.