Here's something that volition likely send a chill through many a social media manager:

That'due south right, Facebook appears to be running a test which would run into the 'Share' button removed from News Feed posts, replaced with a 'Message' push button instead.

A comparison of Facebook's current and test post interaction options

The new format would likely run across a reduction in public post sharing, further shrinking already low organic reach numbers. And while the option does move in line with broader trends shifting towards private messaging, the impacts could be significant - if, in fact, Facebook does go ahead with a broader push.

On that front, nosotros don't have a lot to go on as withal. But as noted, it does make some sense.

Diverse reports have shown that private messaging is on the ascent, with the big iv messaging apps now seeing more active usage than the large four social platforms.

A chart showing the growth of messaging apps versus social platforms

That trend can be traced dorsum to the rise of Snapchat - while, initially, the concept of being able to share everything publicly on social media was heady, providing anyone with a platform from which to share their views, as the medium has evolved we've also get increasingly enlightened of the dangers and potential negatives of public sharing.

This is most notable in regards to publicly recorded perspectives beingness used against u.s.a.. Nosotros saw a high profile example of this recently in Sarah Jeong, a writer at The Verge who'southward been appointed to a function at The New York Times. Upon the announcement, some of Jeong's old tweets, which expressed controversial views, were uncovered as part of a campaign to discredit the NYT and Jeong herself.

What you post on social media stays forever, and can be seen past your parents, your grandparents, and anyone else who might care to take a look.

That element appears to have pushed people towards more individual sharing - on the dorsum of this, Snapchat substantially rose to prominence every bit the anti-Facebook, with a focus on individual, disappearing messages that couldn't be pinned to your public record. Since then, messaging apps have continued to rise, and the latest Facebook data scandals look gear up to amplify this fifty-fifty further, pushing more and more engagement across to messages and enclosed groups.

Given the broader trends at play, switching the emphasis on public sharing of Facebook posts to private messaging is logical - and Facebook's data must show that more users are indeed sharing content via bulletin, every bit opposed to sharing them publicly.

But that may not be the best news for Pages.

Given the various News Feed changes, which have squeezed organic Page attain to the depression single-digit percentages for nigh brands, sharing remains a key selection for boosting reach. By prompting users to share, you can generate more awareness of your content, helping to expand your messaging and subsequently boost your referral traffic.

Without that option, or with it essentially de-emphasized, you'll be more reliant on organic attain, and while you may see some of that replaced by increases in sharing via message, given that that type of sharing is not public, you would have to recall that it won't help y'all become your messaging in front of as big an audition.

Only then over again, peradventure it will - maybe the data shows that more people are sharing via message anyway, and by making it a bigger focus, it could really prompt more users to distribute and discuss your content, fifty-fifty though it's in a more private forum. It seems unlikely, simply merely Facebook has the actual data, and we won't exist able to measure information technology for ourselves unless it gets implemented.

Again, we take no give-and-take if or when that could happen, and whether this is even a full-scale test that Facebook's pushing. But it'southward ane to picket either fashion.

We'll go on you lot updated as we learn more.