Facebook's Instant Articles Open To All Publishers In April

Facebook will be opening Instant Articles up to all publishers this upcoming April, the social network has announced. The service, which is already being used by a few hundred publishers, will be available to all regardless of the publication's size and location. The change will take place at the Facebook F8 conference on April 12, with the social network pointing interested publishers toward its documentation to "prepare for open availability."

Facebook has been gradually rolling out Instant Articles, a format that loads publishers' articles within Facebook more quickly than their regular linked brethren. The revenue, then, comes from ads hawked within the stories, of which Facebook will handle the matter — for a fee — or let the publishers deal with it themselves.

Facebook Instant Articles 101: The Basics

The feature was first introduced in May 2015, and it doesn't involve any effort or changes on users' end of things. The articles simply pre-load as one scrolls near them, and the hassle of waiting for them to load when clicking a link is greatly reduced. Instant Articles has proven successful with both publishers and users, and so the expansion makes sense.

"Media organizations and journalists are an integral part of Facebook," said Facebook's Product Manager Josh Roberts, "and we're committed to delivering products that will create the best experience for publishers and their readers. With Instant Articles, publishers have full control over the look of their stories, as well as data and ads."

SOURCE: Facebook