X's Secret Ads: Trust or Lies? 🤔🚀
Tech
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X is currently testing a novel advertising format, observed initially by a user in Europe. The test involves inserting recommendations directly beneath posts referencing the company or its products. A user’s post about Starlink’s service in Portugal triggered a suggestion to “Get Starlink,” directing users to Starlink’s website. X’s head of product, Nikita Bier, confirmed the experiment, stating a desire to create an advertising product that isn’t an advertisement. The ad appears as a placeholder in certain locations, currently showcasing random X posts. This follows X’s rollout of “Paid Partnership” labels for creators to comply with advertising regulations. The company’s efforts to bolster creator tools, including payouts and subscriptions, aim to attract marketers and potentially compete with platforms like Instagram and TikTok, leveraging features like the integrated chatbot Grok’s ability to read long-form content.
STARLINK AD TEST LAUNCHED ON X
The social media platform, X, is currently conducting a test of a novel advertising format. This new approach involves inserting a direct recommendation beneath posts that reference the company or its products. This initiative was initially observed by a user in Europe who noted a suggestion to “Get Starlink” appearing directly under a post detailing Starlink’s successful operation in Portugal. Clicking this link then directed users to the official Starlink website, marking the beginning of this experimental campaign.
X’S STRATEGIC MOVE: TARGETING CREATOR CONTENT
This advertising test represents a significant strategic move by X, aligning with its ongoing efforts to attract and engage content creators. The company’s pursuit of creator content has been a consistent theme, dating back long before the platform was rebranded as “X” and even before its acquisition by Elon Musk. X has previously introduced various creator products, including payouts for viral content, ad-revenue sharing, creator subscriptions, and more. The current test builds upon these efforts by directly integrating advertising opportunities within the creator ecosystem, potentially attracting more marketers to the platform and boosting creator usage. This mirrors X's attempts to compete with established social networks like Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok, which are heavily favored by creators.
REGULATORY COMPLIANCE AND NEW FEATURES
The launch of this Starlink ad test coincides with X’s broader efforts to comply with evolving social media advertising regulations. Specifically, the company is rolling out “Paid Partnership” labels for creators, allowing them to designate sponsored posts without relying on traditional methods like hashtags. This demonstrates X’s commitment to adapting to regulatory changes. Furthermore, X has recently revamped its Creator Subscription offering, adding features like monetization for individual threads, and introduced Grok, its integrated chatbot, which can now read X’s long-form content (Articles). Despite these advancements, creators frequently opt to publish longer-form text on their own websites or newsletters, highlighting an ongoing challenge for X in capturing and retaining this type of content.
This article is AI-synthesized from public sources and may not reflect original reporting.