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Businesses will also be able to remind users about events through a new Reminder ads feature being tested.
It’s official. Meta is bringing more ads to Instagram through the search results feed on the app.
In a blogpost yesterday (21 March), Instagram confirmed that it has begun testing ads in search results to reach people “actively searching for businesses, products and content”.
This means that ads will show up in the feed that people scroll through when they tap on a post in their search results.
“We plan to launch this placement globally in the coming months,” Instagram confirmed.
The Meta-owned social media platform is also testing a new ad format called Reminder ads that will allow businesses to add reminder options to their posts that users can opt into.
If they do so, they will receive three notifications from Instagram: one day before, 15 minutes before and at the time of the event.
“We recently partnered with brands such as Starz to test a new ad format that makes it easier for businesses to announce, remind and notify people of future events or launches that they might be interested in,” Instagram wrote in the blog.
“Reminder ads, rolling out to all advertisers as an option in feed, help advertisers build awareness, anticipation and consideration for upcoming moments.”
While Instagram says the ads in the search results are for people “actively searching for businesses, products and content,” a spokesperson for the company told The Verge that ads will show up for any search terms that “fall within our community and recommendation guidelines”.
The move to bring ads to yet another part of the app is likely to upset many already disappointed by the ubiquitous presence of ads on the platform – a trend that has grown significantly in recent years.
Instagram has also been pushing more Reels on the platform as a way to compete with TikTok, letting down long-time users of the originally image-focused app.
In January, the platform launched a new Quiet mode feature aimed at users, primarily teenagers, who need to focus on other tasks and manage their time better. Quiet mode turns off notifications and sends auto-replies to anyone who texts while the feature is activated.
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