Threads is Experimenting with Ad Formats for the App

Yes, Meta said that it would hold off on Threads ads till the app was on “a clear path to a billion users”, and no, nothing has been officially announced as yet.

But it seems that Meta is putting in the groundwork to prepare for Threads monetization, with a new example of how promoted posts in its Twitter-like app will look.

As you can see in this example, posted by app researcher Alessandro Paluzzi, Threads promoted posts, when they are eventually released, will include a “Sponsored” marker up beside the username, disclosing that it is an ad.

The posts will then be promoted to relevant users in-stream, with Threads to be added to your placement options in Meta Ads Manager. But to be clear, they’re not set to be launched any time soon, necessarily.

According to Meta (via TechCrunch), while the Threads team is exploring the back-end processes that will eventually power Threads ads, it’s not live testing ads on Threads at this time.

Meta also said that there’s “no immediate timeline for monetization.” So while there are elements being added to the back-end code, that doesn’t mean that Threads ads are imminent.

Yet.

Eventually, of course, Threads will get ads, but given the prominence of ads in other social media apps, I don’t expect that it’ll have a major impact on usage. Sure, you’ll see a few sponsored posts in your feed, but you’ll just scroll over most of them, as you do in other apps, and Threads’ usage, and growth momentum, will go on as normal.

Which could also be why Threads is moving on ads sooner than anticipated. I mean, if the opportunity’s there to make more money, and cater to ad partners, then Meta may as well push ahead, and at 200 million users, and rising, Threads does present valuable opportunities.

Maybe Meta will look to push Threads ads ahead of the holidays, in order to drive some additional income, or maybe, this is just an early, early test, and Meta will still wait till Threads reaches, say, 500 million users before moving.

Going on its current growth trajectory, that could take another couple of years, though there is also a compounding factor, in that as more communities migrate across from X, the broader momentum behind Threads also gains steam.

So, yes, Meta is exploring ads on Threads, and this is what they’ll probably look like. But whether they become available in weeks, months, or years we don’t know as yet.  

Though at a guess, I doubt that Meta will be able to hold out for another year before bringing the ads.