Meta’s Threads is finally getting ads

Threads, Meta’s X and Bluesky rival, is testing ads with certain brands in the United States and Japan, the company said Friday.

“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,” Instagram head Adam Mosseri said in a post. He added that the team will be monitoring the test “before scaling it more broadly.”

The ads will show a “Sponsored” label as they appear in users’ feeds.

Meta launched Threads in 2023 and has been focusing on growing its user base and keeping people logged on. Now that it has more than 300 million monthly active users (with more than 100 million of those using it daily), better monetization efforts appear to be the next step. After all, social media is just one big way to turn eyeballs into revenue.

Meta Platforms, parent company of Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp, is likely to share an update about Threads when it reports fourth-quarter 2024 earnings next week. Its stock on Friday afternoon was trading at near record highs.

Responses to Mosseri’s post announcing the test revealed frustration from some users. “You put in ads, there will be no reason to stay….” One user wrote. “I’ll leave the minute the ads start rolling by. Guaranteed.”

https://www.fastcompany.com/91266924/meta-threads-getting-ads-growing-user-base?partner=rss&utm_source=rss&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=rss+fastcompany&utm_content=rss