Will ads appear on Threads in January? This is according to an article from TheInformation.com.
You may have seen the title: “Meta will launch ads on Threads in early 2025”
Since the article itself is paywalled, the headline itself is circulated on social media. But this is misleading.
Article content
The article itself says this:
Meta Platforms plans to introduce advertising into its text app Threads early next year, hoping to cash in on the app’s rapid growth, according to three people with direct knowledge of the company’s plans.
And then some much needed details (emphasis mine)…
A team within Instagram’s advertising unit is leading the effort, but it’s still in its early stages, people familiar with the matter said. Threads plans to kick off this effort by: Let a few advertisers Advertisements were created and posted on the app starting in January, one of the people said.
Letting a handful of advertisers run ads sounds a lot like a test, not a launch. so test Starting in January, but no indication of when the new placements will actually be implemented emission To all advertisers.
Advertisers know that ads will eventually appear on Threads. It’s just a matter of time. But January expectations appear premature.
what yuan said
Meta just said on its third-quarter earnings call:
Specifically, as it relates to monetization, we don’t currently expect Threads to be a meaningful driver of revenue in 2025.
If Meta plans to launch advertising on Threads immediately, its third-quarter earnings call will be the right audience to hear the news. But that statement doesn’t sound like a company preparing to launch ads in January.
This is consistent with my theory that the story itself from TheInformation.com may be accurate, but the title itself is misleading. It’s no surprise that testing could begin soon. But advertisers know that testing can last for months or longer before a feature is officially released.
Mark Zuckerberg once talked about being “on the path to a billion people” before monetization.
Yes, it’s vague. Technically, Threads doesn’t need to reach 1 billion users before an ad reaches them. But the latest number is 275 million. Is this the “path” to $1 billion?
my theory
Rumors about ads appearing on Threads are not new. I’ve covered them here , here , and here . Eventually, this will happen.
The story itself would be more interesting if there was an updated timeline for when the ad would be fully released to Threads, but that didn’t happen. Rather, any prediction based on January testing is pure speculation.
My guess is that testing will begin soon, but full rollout will take a while. Meta’s statement on the Q3 earnings call left the door open to the possibility of testing and a potential launch in late 2025, but my guess is that they don’t have the confidence to make that statement.
So, of course. We may see ads in 2025. But when? We’ll see.
