We've heard rumblings that Facebook was testing a system called Highlight that would allow people to pay to promote a post, and now obnoxiously enough, it's starting to show up.
Chris Cantalini, who runs a music blog called Gorilla vs. Bear, tweeted that he was posting a track by Holy Balm when he was presented with the above prompt. It asked him if he wanted to pay as much as $100 so that just one post, one song, could reach an estimated 39,000 people. For the record, only 37,000 people already Like Gorilla vs. Bear on Facebook.
This is just one instance, and the feature is supposedly not just for brands, but individuals as well, so it means we might be seeing Highlight in more places soon. Now that Facebook's IPO has tanked, perhaps it's looking for some fresh cash. [@GorillavsBear]
Update: Facebook sent us the following statement:
These are actually two different products. Highlighting posts is currently just a test while the Promoted Posts feature (only available to Page admins) is a way to make it easier for small and medium-sized businesses to promote their content on Facebook. Page admins will be able to promote posts via a new button on the Page composer. Promoting a post will create a sponsored story or ad that enables the post to reach more of the Page's fans. We want to make it as simple as possible for businesses to reach fans and their friends through their Page.