Two months after announcing that it began testing ads in search results, Instagram said today that it now allows ads in search results through the Instagram Marketing API. These ads appear in the feed that people can scroll through when they tap a post in the search results.
In March, Instagram said it was testing ads in search results to reach people actively searching for businesses, products and content. The launch of the new ad placement is likely to be an unwelcome addition to the app from a consumer point of view, as it brings ads to yet another part of the social network.
With this change, users will see ads related to their searches. For example, if you search for “Skin care”, you will see relevant ads in the search results feed. You can tell the difference between ads and regular posts through the “Sponsored” label under the account name.
“Starting today, we allow ads in Instagram search results through the Instagram Marketing API,” Instagram wrote in a blog post. “This new ad placement is available on all current Marketing API versions and does not require an upgrade. “With this new addition, you can update your app to allow your customers to create and view ads in Instagram search results via API.”
The new ad placement serves as a way to boost Meta’s ability to generate revenue at a time when the company is struggling with weak advertising demand. After reporting declining ad sales for three consecutive quarters, the company’s ad revenue grew approximately 4.1% in the first quarter of 2023.
After Meta reported its first-ever quarterly revenue drop amid declining ad sales in Q2 2022, the company increased its ad load on Instagram with the launch of two new ad slots. Meta launched a new ad format for Facebook Reels and began allowing advertisers to display ads on the Explore homepage and profile feeds.
When Instagram announced ads in search results, the social network also launched Reminder Ads, which are designed to make it easier for businesses to announce, remind, and notify people about future events or launches they might be interested in. The idea behind Reminder Ads is to help advertisers build awareness and anticipation of upcoming events. Users can sign up for reminders and receive three notifications from Instagram: a reminder one day before the event or launch, 15 minutes before and at the time of the event or launch.
