For many news publishers, Facebook is both an opportunity and a challenge: It is a platform capable of massive audience reach, yet it is not always predictable in its revenue dynamics.

At Legit.ng (Nigeria), YEN.com.gh (Ghana), TUKO.co.ke (Kenya), and Briefly News (South Africa) — all part of the Legit media holding, one of the largest digital publishers in Africa — we have developed a Facebook monetisation strategy balancing editorial integrity, platform alignment, and data-driven optimisation.

Facebook monetisation, at its core, is Facebook’s way of saying, “If your content keeps people engaged, we’ll share a piece of the value it creates.”

The platform bundles several earning tools under one roof now, turning everyday posts — photos, links, text updates — into potential revenue streams when they genuinely hit the mark with audiences.

This article outlines the strategic foundations of our approach and highlights cross-market insights drawn from analysing dozens of thousands of posts across four African countries.

Strategy before tactics: Build something that survives algorithm weather

Our guiding belief is simple: Revenue grows when audience value grows. Everything else is temporary.

This mindset pushed us away from the chase-the-latest-trick approach and toward a more grounded framework. In practice, that means understanding audience behaviour in each market, aligning content with platform integrity expectations, integrating monetisation awareness into daily newsroom workflows, and continuously testing formats to diversify revenue sources.

This strategic base allows us to stay consistent even when algorithms shift.

What works: insights from cross-market analysis

After reviewing performance across Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya, and South Africa, we noticed something reassuring: Patterns repeat, even across very different media environments.

Insight No. 1: Photo posts dominate monetisation across all four countries

This trend is remarkably consistent. Whether in Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya, or South Africa, photo posts are the single strongest and most stable monetisation format. Across markets, photo posts generate the highest total earnings, have the strongest engagement, and perform better regardless of topical focus.

In our experience, strong visuals paired with clear storytelling outperform everything else in long-term monetisation value.

Insight No. 2: Links are a meaningful but market-dependent revenue stream

For a long time, we didn’t really expect links to monetise. They felt like a traffic tool, not a revenue one.

Our analysis proved us wrong; while links rarely top the daily revenue charts, they quietly add predictable income and support the overall health of our Facebook and Web site ecosystem. Across our markets, they tend to generate steady, reliable earnings and drive readers to our Web sites, which strengthens long-term audience engagement.

However, monetisation strength varies by region. In Nigeria and Ghana, links generate modest but steady earnings. In Kenya, they perform significantly better and represent an important revenue layer. In South Africa, low link volume reflects editorial strategy more than performance limitations.

This reinforces a broader principle: Link monetisation depends heavily on audience habits and content mix within each market.

Insight No. 3: Text posts are an underrated contributor to monetisation

Text posts weren’t a format we expected much from, especially given how visual social media has become. But the data kept telling the same story: They generate competitive earnings in multiple markets, and they drive meaningful engagement per impression. They also benefit from their simplicity; the platform distributes them quickly and efficiently.

A well-paced, emotionally grounded text post can punch far above its weight.

Insight No. 4: Diversification is the foundation of revenue stability

One of the strongest cross-market patterns was the importance of not depending on a single format.

When photos, links, text posts, and Stories complement one another, we are able to adapt quickly to algorithm changes, protect overall RPM (revenue per 1,000 pageviews) during fluctuations, support healthy and consistent distribution patterns, and maintain editorial flexibility across teams and markets.

This multi-format approach transforms monetisation from a reactive process into a stable system.

Three principles guiding our monetisation strategy

From our cross-market work, we distilled three guiding principles that shape our strategy across newsrooms.

1. Focus on building systems instead of chasing reactions.

Every person dealing with a content monetisation strategy at least once in their life has the wish of profiting from click- or rage-bait posts. It is very important to ignore that wish. A potential spike in numbers will inevitably be followed by weakened overall performance.

Focusing on building a stable system, grounded in quality and insights, will always outperform reactive, short-term tactics.

2. Think of Facebook as a whole ecosystem.

Content performance depends on how well a newsroom balances storytelling, relevance, user satisfaction, and integrity.

Viewing Facebook as a full-fledged ecosystem and not just a traffic source helps us understand the platform’s incentives better.

3. Make optimisation a part of corporate culture.

In our newsrooms, optimisation isn’t a one-off task or something handled by a single team — it’s woven into daily work.

We treat continuous analysis, quality improvement, and regular feedback as shared responsibilities. Editors, social publishers, desk heads, and managers review performance together, discuss what worked and why, and adjust quickly. This rhythm creates a culture where both revenue and editorial quality grow side-by-side, instead of competing for attention.

Sustainable monetisation is possible — with the right approach

Our experience across four African markets shows Facebook monetisation can be both stable and scalable when approached with an intentional strategy.

By prioritising photo-driven storytelling, diversifying formats, understanding regional audience behaviour, and embedding optimisation into daily routines, news publishers can build a resilient model that adapts to change.

Sustainable monetisation isn’t about hacks. It’s about discipline, insight, and systems that respect both the audience and the platform.

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