What You Need to Know
Meta, the company behind Facebook and Instagram, is shaking things up with its latest move—they’re testing ads in Threads, their new app for public conversations. If you’re wondering what this means for users and businesses alike, here’s a breakdown of all the essential details.
What’s New?
Starting January 24, 2025, Meta is running a small-scale test by introducing ads in Threads. Think of it as a soft launch—only a limited number of businesses will participate, and just a fraction of Threads’ massive 300 million active users will encounter ads during this phase. The goal? To help users discover new brands they might love while giving businesses a fresh way to connect with their audience.
How Will Ads Work in Threads?
Good news for businesses: adding ads to Threads won’t require creating brand-new content. Using Meta’s Ads Manager, businesses can simply check a box to run their existing Facebook or Instagram ad campaigns on Threads as well.
As for users, ads will appear as image ads between posts in the Threads feed. Picture scrolling through posts and spotting an ad for something like sleek headphones or a cozy coffee subscription. It’s a familiar setup if you’ve ever browsed Facebook or Instagram. For more details, check out the official announcement on Introducing Ads in Threads.
Why Ads Are Being Added
Why introduce ads in Threads? For two big reasons:
- To help users discover businesses they may love.
- To offer businesses a new way to connect with people.
For example, while you’re scrolling, you might come across an ad for a local bakery, fall in love with their signature treats, and decide to follow their page or visit their location. What makes this easier is that three out of four Threads users already follow at least one business, showing that the community is open to connecting with brands.
Maintaining Balance for a Better Experience
Meta understands that ads can sometimes disrupt the user experience, so they’re approaching this cautiously. Here’s how they’re ensuring ads don’t overwhelm:
- Users can skip, hide, or report ads they dislike.
- There are options to adjust what kinds of ads you see, giving users more control over their experience.
For a deeper dive into this, you can check out the section on Helping People Discover Businesses They Love.
Ensuring Brand Safety and Suitability
Meta is also making sure ads appear in appropriate places. They’re using existing safety controls—like their inventory filter—to ensure ads don’t show up next to content that could harm a brand’s reputation.
This system, already trusted on Facebook and Instagram, will extend to Threads. On top of that, Meta’s Monetization Policies prevent ads from displaying near content that breaks community rules. In the future, Meta plans to enhance these tools with third-party verification and support for more languages.
For more information on this, take a look at the section about Brand Safety and Suitability on Threads.
What’s Next?
This is just the beginning. Ads in Threads are starting small, but Meta plans to use insights from this test to fine-tune and expand the feature. If all goes well, this could become a seamless way for brands to connect with Threads’ vibrant community while keeping the overall user experience enjoyable and relevant.
To sum up, Meta’s addition of ads to Threads is all about striking a balance—helping businesses grow while introducing new, personalized opportunities for users to engage with brands. Keep an eye on this space as it evolves!