What Were Facebook Sponsored Stories?

Sponsored Stories were a way for a business to pay to highlight a post from a friend or a Page, such as a check-in, so people were likelier to see it. Facebook’s February 2012 filing says they ran on the right-hand side of the page and, from January 2012, in News Feed. In June 2013 Facebook said it would include the best of them in all ads.

What were Sponsored Stories?

Facebook’s 29 February 2012 post defined them as “posts from friends or Pages on Facebook that a business, organization or individual has paid to highlight so there’s a better chance people will see them”. The same post said that, like all stories in News Feed, people have control over who sees a Sponsored Story.

Facebook’s S-1 filing, dated 1 February 2012, adds detail. It says Sponsored Stories “enable marketers to amplify the distribution of stories that users have already shared”. Its example is a person checking in at a Starbucks store: the story could be shown in friends’ News Feeds, and Starbucks could pay to increase its reach, frequency and prominence. The filing also says marketers could use them to promote stories published from their own Page to people connected with that Page.

If you meet the term in an old guide, read it as “an ad built from a real friend or Page story”.

Where did they appear?

The S-1 says Sponsored Stories were shown on the right-hand side of the page, and that “in January 2012, we also began including them in users’ News Feeds”. On 29 February 2012 Facebook said Sponsored Stories could be seen in News Feed on mobile devices. The same post announced Offers and premium ads on the log-out page.

Facebook’s final prospectus, filed on 18 May 2012, says it launched sponsored stories in 2011 and began including them in mobile News Feeds in March 2012. None of the Meta pages read for this entry gives an exact launch day, so this page gives only the year.

Why did Facebook fold them into ads?

On 6 June 2013, Fidji Simo wrote that marketers had asked Facebook to simplify its ads products, and that Facebook planned to cut ad units “from 27 to fewer than half of that” within six months. One of the listed changes was “Include the best of sponsored stories in all ads”.

Her reasoning was that advertisers previously had to buy Sponsored Stories in addition to ads to get the best social context. In future, for example, a Page post photo ad would automatically get social context, which would remove the extra step. She wrote that these changes would happen in the fall.

Facebook’s annual report for 2012 still describes its ads as including sponsored stories. The annual report for 2013, filed on 31 January 2014, does not use the term. It says marketers can include social context, which it defines as information that highlights a friend’s connections with a particular brand or business.

No Meta page read for this entry gives a date when Sponsored Stories stopped being sold, so this page does not state one.

Does Meta still show friends’ activity with ads?

Meta’s help centre says it always shows social information with your ad if there is information to show. Examples are a friend liking your Page, liking, commenting on or sharing one of your posts. You cannot control when it appears.

So the action is not to buy a placement. Make sure your Page and posts are worth a friend’s attention, because that is the material social information draws on. Then check Ads Manager for the options in your account.

Were Sponsored Stories the same as promoted posts?

No Meta page read for this entry compares the two. On 3 October 2012 Facebook said businesses could already promote posts from their business Pages, and called that a product that launched in May. Check which product an old guide means before you copy its steps. For how promoting a post differs from running a full campaign, see the entry on boosted posts versus ads.

FAQ

Can I still buy Sponsored Stories?

Facebook’s June 2013 post said it would include the best of Sponsored Stories in all ads, and its annual report for 2013 no longer uses the term. Check Ads Manager for the ad options available to your account today.

Why did Facebook merge Sponsored Stories into ads?

Facebook said it wanted to simplify its products. Many accomplished the same goals, and advertisers had to buy Sponsored Stories separately to get the best social context. Its example was a Page post photo ad, which would get social context automatically, with no extra step.

Does social information show on every ad now?

Not on every ad. Meta says it shows social information when there is information to show, for example when a friend liked, commented on or shared something from the Page. If no friend has engaged, there is nothing to display, and you cannot force it.