They’re coming. Sponsored posts, or as you and I like to call them, “ads,” are on the way to your Instagram feed. Baby’s gotta monetize, and the Facebook-owned Instagram is finally pulling the trigger.
Today, the company is giving us a sneak peek at what the ads will look like when they finally start hitting your feed. Check it out:
Not bad, really. Not only do the ads resemble everyday Instagram posts, but they have a very large indicator at the top right (where the timestamp should be) that lets users know that they are, in fact, looking at an advertisement.
That “…” button that you see at the bottom right-hand corner of the post allows you to hide the ad, if you so choose, as well as provide feedback to Instagram on why you hid said ad. Instagram says that providing feedback will allow them to show you better, more relevant ads in the future.
“Our focus with every product we build is to make Instagram a place where people come to connect and be inspired. Building Instagram as a business will help us better serve the global—and ever growing—Instagram community, while maintaining the simplicity you know and love. As always, you own your own photos and videos. The introduction of advertising won’t change this,” says Instagram.
As far as that last bit is concerned, it seems like every announcement Instagram makes these days comes with that reminder at the end. Nobody wants a repeat of what happened last year.
You’ll probably see this test ad from Instagram is your feed at some point soon. Following that, expect to see sponsored content from a select group of partners like Ben & Jerry’s, Burberry, Levi’s, Macy’s, PayPal, and Lexus start trickling in.
Images via Instagram Blog, About Ads