Update 19 December 2022: Within hours of announcing the new Twitter policy, Twitter appears to have reversed its decision, removing all references to “pursuing an alternative social platform policy.” The situation is very fluid and Twitter may change this policy again.
Original article dated 18 December 2022:
On December 18, 2022, during the World Cup Finals, Twitter announced that it was “advancing an alternative social platform policy” (link removed from Twitter). That’s a big one and can have a huge impact on other social networks and creators who use links on their bio pages, also known as social media link aggregators, to promote their products.
First, Twitter now bans “free promotion on banned third-party social media platforms.” What this means is that you cannot post links to Facebook, Instagram, Mastodon, Truth Social, Tribel, Post and Nostr pages or use your username in tweets or account bios.
Example provided by Twitter:
- “Follow @username on Instagram”
- “[email protected]”
- “Check out my profile on Facebook – facebook.com/username”
But the ban doesn’t just apply to social networks…
Links to bios or microsites banned from Twitter
Twitter now prohibits links from bio sites (e.g. microsites or social media link aggregators such as: Linktr.ee And Lnk. bioBoth are specifically mentioned in the policy.
Why are links in bio important? Social media platforms like Instagram allow users to share photos and videos, interact with others through likes and comments, and build communities. But one thing Instagram doesn’t allow, for example, is for users to include clickable links in their posts. Links on the bio page allow creators to have a single mobile-optimized page listing their different social networks, websites and products. On Twitter, you often see creators adding a bio page to their profile website link.
If Twitter determines that you have violated this policy, we may delete your Tweet and temporarily lock your account, resulting in permanent suspension.
This can have lasting repercussions for creators who rely on bio pages to run their businesses.
Link to Ayrshare’s bio page
Ayrshare is also affected by this policy change, specifically a bio page API called Ayrlink that allows businesses to create bio pages for their users. The company now encourages users not to post the Ayrlink bio page on Twitter. However, Instagram, LinkedIn, TikTok, and Facebook are still great social destinations to post a link to in your bio.
However, our Social Media API You are completely unaffected by this policy change.