Facebook giving brands improved tools for their Instant Articles

Facebook today announced the creation of new tools brands will soon be able to use to help their Instant Articles stand out more. With these additions, branded content will get a little razzle-dazzle in the hopes that it’ll drive readership, because as Facebook points out, “Branded content that is overly promotional is less engaging.”

In April, the social networking company opened up its Instant Articles initiative to all publishers and for the first time, also allowed verified Pages to post sponsored, or branded, content. At the time, Facebook said that publishers could mark their content with customizable byline and kicker and a sponsor logo, and visually distinguish their content using the company’s article styling tools.

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Today Facebook has shared more details about these tools and release dates.

Coming in late June, if a publisher identifies a piece of content as sponsored, that brand’s logo will be taken from its profile photo from its Facebook Page and inserted into the Instant Article’s byline. Facebook said the position will be below the article’s title on the left-hand side of the screen.

What’s more, Facebook will be releasing an update to its article style editor to feature new coloring, text, and spacing features. The tool will also include a real-time preview option so publishers can review their changes before pushing the article live. It’s expected these capabilities will be made available “in the coming weeks.”