Social media company Meta has now decided to expand ads on Threads, its text-based social networking platform, to global advertisers. This development marks a shift for Threads, which was introduced in mid-2023 and has since emerged as a key challenger to Elon Musk’s X (formerly Twitter). The rollout will make Threads accessible to brands and businesses in over 30 markets worldwide, including the US.
“To help people deepen connections with businesses they love, we are expanding ads in Threads to all eligible advertisers globally, as well as access to inventory filter. This new placement—Threads feed—will be on by default for new campaigns using either Advantage+ or Manual Placements. Advertisers have the option to opt out of Threads feed via Manual Placements. These ads will be delivered in select markets at launch and will roll out to additional markets as we continue to test and learn,” the company announced.
Initially launched with a pilot advertising program limited to the US and Japan earlier this year, Threads began showing promotional content to a limited user base through select brand partnerships. According to Instagram chief Adam Mosseri, the pilot phase intended to test the efficacy of ads on the platform. Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Meta, had previously noted that the company aimed to grow Threads to a billion users “over the next several years.” Mosseri had previously spoken on the topic as well, addressing concerns about bringing ads to Threads. “I get why people have concerns, but at the end of the day we’re a business and Threads needs to make enough money to pay for the people and servers that it takes to run the service and provide it to people for free,” he stated.
With over 320 million monthly active users and reportedly more than one million new sign-ups per day, Threads has become one of Meta’s fastest-growing services. The app has benefited from its integration with Instagram as well, and it allows users to create Threads accounts using their existing Instagram credentials. Posts from Threads are also surfaced to Instagram users through recommendation algorithms.
This advertising expansion arrives ahead of Meta’s first-quarter earnings report, scheduled for April 30. Analysts are expected to closely examine the company’s ad business performance amidst broader market volatility and trade tensions caused by the recent tariffs imposed under the Trump administration. Advertising already makes up a majority of Meta’s revenue, and the monetization of Threads can help the social media giant maintain its growth. Ads in Threads will appear within the feed, designated by a “Sponsored” label, and will be automatically enabled for all new campaigns using Meta’s Advantage+ or Manual Placements. While ads will initially be visible only in select countries, Meta plans a phased global rollout to expand reach and refine user experience. Advertisers on the Manual Placement plan retain the option to opt out of Threads-specific ad placements.
Meta’s push to monetize Threads comes as it faces stiff competition from rivals such as X, Bluesky, and Mastodon. Threads has already adopted several popular features from these decentralized or emerging networks. For example, the company is integrating the ActivityPub protocol used by Mastodon, which could one day link Threads to the broader “fediverse” of decentralized social platforms.
