Twitter is testing ads in replies to tweets

Twitter is looking to expand its ad inventory with a new placement option, within tweet reply threads. According to example Posted by the platform’s head of product revenue, Bruce Falk, the new ad option sees promotions displayed within the first few replies to the tweet, where the conversation takes place.

The new format is currently still being tested. So only certain users will see the Promoted Tweets. But even so, you can imagine that there could be a backlash, as platform users generally resist any change. Especially the change that puts more ads and distracts them from the discussion in the app.

But there is an interesting alternative angle to this new experience. As Falk also notes, the option could fundamentally facilitate direct tweet monetization, with the tweeter being able to sign up for those ads, and thus a portion of the revenue generated.

This is in line with the platform’s efforts to monetize content creators, providing more incentive to keep its most popular users tweeting more often. While it might also be interesting to enable retroactive activation for that, on a selective basis.

For example, when a Tweet is going viral right now, you’ll often see the creator of the Tweet add an additional reply to highlight a charitable cause that can draw more attention to it as a result of that Tweet.

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Twitter wants to create new opportunities for brands

The platform seems to be thinking about monetizing all the viral tweets and getting paid for their performance.

Ideally, through this process, you won’t need to sign up to monetize all of your tweet responses. But if you can turn it on for specific Tweets, this might be useful.

The option may be valuable to those posting tweets that have received widespread attention. It also gives more people more reasons to keep trying and stay more active in the app.

The platform states that the test is in its early stages, and that it is trying to experiment with different versions, layouts, and contextual placements over the coming months.

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