Meta moves into affiliate commerce, putting link-in-bio platforms on notice

Meta is rolling out affiliate shopping tools across Facebook and Instagram that let creators embed product links directly into their content – a move that removes the need for link-in-bio tools and could cut out third-party platforms like LTK and ShopMy.

Rather than sending audiences to a link-in-bio page or dropping links in comments, creators can now attach products directly to posts and Reels via clickable tags. Creators earn a commission on qualifying purchases through connected affiliate partners, bringing Meta's approach closer to how TikTok Shop works.

The feature works slightly differently across the two platforms. On Facebook, creators can link their affiliate accounts and tag products in Reels and photos, with a clickable affiliate banner appearing on content. On Instagram, according to The Verge, creators can load up to 30 shoppable products into a single Reel and paste affiliate links for individual items directly, as long as the products are registered in Meta's commerce catalogue.

In the US, launch partners are limited to Amazon, with Temu and eBay expected to follow in the coming months. Internationally, Shopee is already supported as an affiliate partner across several Asian markets and Brazil.

Meta is also testing performance insights tied to affiliate activity, giving creators visibility into what content is driving sales.

By embedding affiliate tools directly into its platforms, Meta keeps both user engagement and commerce data inside its own ecosystem – reclaiming ground that third-party platforms had carved out.

For platforms like LTK and ShopMy, which built their businesses around solving the link problem for creators, the update raises an obvious question: what do they offer that Meta, with its three billion users, now cannot?