Meta Begins Testing Ads on Threads

Highlights

• Meta has begun testing ads on Threads,
• It started with image-based ads that will appear between posts for some users in the US and Japan.
• The initial test phase involves collaboration with a few brands.
• Businesses can extend their Meta ad campaigns to Threads easily.

Threads has always stood out from Meta’s other platforms such as Facebook and Instagram because it didn’t have ads cluttering the user experience. However, a few months ago, the company shared its plans to change that and start monetising the platform. The change is finally here.

Instagram Head Adam Mosseri recently announced that Meta is starting a small test of ads on Threads as the company moves toward monetising the service.

 

View on Threads

 

The test will feature image-based ads appearing between posts in users’ feeds. For now, it will only include “a small percentage of people” in the US and Japan. Meta is collaborating with “a handful of brands” for this initial phase. Mosseri reassured users, saying, “We know there will be plenty of feedback about how we should approach ads, and we are making sure they feel like Threads posts you’d find relevant and interesting.”

He added, “We’ll closely monitor this test before scaling it more broadly, with the goal of getting ads on Threads to a place where they are as interesting as organic content.”

Meta is utilising its existing advertising system to roll out ads on Threads.

According to a company blog post, businesses can “extend their existing Meta ad campaigns to Threads—without the need for bespoke creative or additional resourcing—by simply checking a box in Ads Manager.” The company is also testing an “inventory filter” on Threads. This tool allows advertisers to control the sensitivity of the content of the ads that appear alongside them, which could be crucial as Meta eases its content moderation policies and reintroduces more political content in user recommendations.

While the test is currently small, Meta’s established ad tools could enable rapid scaling to more advertisers and Threads’ 300 million users. CEO Mark Zuckerberg previously emphasised a long-term approach to monetising the platform.

“All these new products, we ship them, and then there’s a multi-year time horizon between scaling them and then scaling them into not just consumer experiences but very large businesses,” he said last year.

For now, users will have to wait and see how ads shape the experience on Threads.

FAQs

Q1. Why has Meta begun testing ads on Threads?

Answer. Meta is starting to test ads on Threads as the company moves toward monetizing the platform.

Q2. Where and how are the ads being tested on Threads?

Answer. The ads are being tested in the US and Japan, featuring image-based ads appearing between posts in users’ feeds.

Q3. How can businesses extend their ad campaigns to Threads?

Answer. Businesses can extend their existing Meta ad campaigns to Threads by simply checking a box in Ads Manager without the need for bespoke creative or additional resourcing.

Read More: Oakley Smart Glasses for Athletes Launches TikTok Creator Incentives

Read More: Meta to Let Users Link WhatsApp to Main Accounts Center with Instagram and Facebook

Read More: Meta Announces 3600 Layoffs at Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp; Zuckerberg Pushes for Performance-Based Cuts