Twitter has confirmed it is experimenting with a new ad format which will see ads placed within conversation threads for the first time.
The company’s Revenue Product Lead Bruce Falck made the announcement on Thursday.
“Starting today, we’re trying something different and testing a new ad format in Tweet conversations,” he posted on Twitter.
“If you’re a part of this test (which is global; on iOS & Android only), you’ll see ads after the first, third or eighth reply under a Tweet.”
He also shared a gif of what the new format might look like.
Starting today, we’re trying something different and testing a new ad format in Tweet conversations. If you’re a part of this test (which is global; on iOS & Android only), you’ll see ads after the first, third or eighth reply under a Tweet. 🗣️ pic.twitter.com/kvIGeYt2vp
— bruce falck (@boo) October 13, 2021
Falck explained Twitter believes the new product represents an opportunity for brands to create value.
He also emphasised the current test is exactly that – and Twitter will experiment with different frequencies, layouts, contextually relevant ads, different insertion points to see how it impacts the user experience.
“We’re excited about trying this out for our advertisers and we’re eager to explore how it could open the door for additional opportunities to reward Tweet authors and creators,” he said.
Falck also indicated creators may be able to opt-in to the new product and receive a portion of the ad revenue.
still working through it all but likely yes on this "will creators have to opt-in and they'll get a cut of the ad revenue"
— bruce falck (@boo) October 13, 2021
The latest innovation from Twitter comes at a time where the social media giant is actively looking for new and innovative ways to monetise its audience.
Speaking to B&T last month, Twitter AU’s Acting MD Angus Keene explained the company is developing new ad products “at much faster rate than we were a couple of years ago”.
In July, Twitter announced it had lifted its revenue 74 per cent YoY, with advertising revenue up 87 per cent, total ad engagements increasing by 32 per cent and the cost per engagement (CPE) growing 42 per cent.
