Instagram will show ads in more parts of the app

Meta's quarterly revenue fell for the first time ever in the second quarter. He's looking to push those numbers up and keep a smile on investors' faces. One of the strategies he uses to achieve this is to try to make more money from Instagram. As such, it will show ads in other areas of the app, namely the Explore feed as well as a user's profile posts feed.

Brands can now place ads in the Explore feed, but profile feed ads are still in testing. The company will also offer select creators the opportunity to earn a portion of the revenue from ads displayed in their profile feeds.

Meta has announced a series of other updates for its advertising products. Some of them will impact Instagram. For one, the company will test augmented reality ads in feed and stories. Meta suggests brands could use them to let people test out virtual furniture in their home or get a closer look at a car.

Meta

In addition, the company is experimenting with new formats for ads on Facebook and Instagram Reels. These include a "post-loop" format - skippable commercials lasting between four and 10 seconds that play after a reel. Once the announcement is over, the reel will play again. The company is also testing image carousel ads, which you can start seeing at the bottom of Facebook Reels starting today. Additionally, brands will have access to a free music library to use in Reels ads.

As for the number of ads you will actually see, it may be different for each person. You may or may not see more of them, but they will at least appear in places where they weren't before. “The number of ads on the platform varies depending on how people use Instagram,” an Instagram spokesperson told Engadget. "We closely monitor user opinion, both for ads and for overall marketing."

It doesn't seem that Meta takes into account the feeling that some people don't want to see ads at all. The company quickly took action against an unofficial, ad-free Instagram client that surfaced last week.

Update, 5:00 PM ET: This post originally stated that ads would show in a profile's grid view. They don't show up here, but they may show up in the profile feed.

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