If you felt that Instagram had enough ads, clearly the Facebook-owned company begs to differ. It has confirmed today that ads will soon start appearing on the Explore page. This is the part of the app where users go to discover new content that’s in line with their interests. It’s a popular destination in the app so it’s unsurprising that Instagram has decided to capitalize on it.
The company won’t be putting ads within the Explore grid itself. They will appear when you tap on an Explore post and start scrolling through that discovery feed. The ads will be both photos and videos. The first ad is for IGTV and it’s live starting today.
Instagram is working with select partners in order to bring their ads to the Explore page in the coming weeks. All Instagram users should start seeing ads in Explore in a few months.
“Explore is where people are really open to discovery, and that’s why we’re really excited about this,” director of business product marketing Susan Buckner Rose told The Verge. She pointed out that there was no “particular” reason why the company decided to not place ads in the Explore grid itself. Whether or not this decision is changed in the future remains to be seen.