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Instagram's Explore page will now feature ads

They're scheduled to roll out over the next few months.

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abrar-al-heeti2
Abrar Al-Heeti Video producer / CNET
Abrar Al-Heeti is a video host and producer for CNET, with an interest in internet trends, entertainment, pop culture and digital accessibility. Before joining the video team, she was a writer for CNET's culture team. She graduated with bachelor's and master's degrees in journalism from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Though Illinois is home, she now loves San Francisco -- steep inclines and all.
Expertise Abrar has spent her career at CNET breaking down the latest trends on TikTok, Twitter and Instagram, while also reporting on diversity and inclusion initiatives in Hollywood and Silicon Valley. Credentials
  • Named a Tech Media Trailblazer by the Consumer Technology Association in 2019, a winner of SPJ NorCal's Excellence in Journalism Awards in 2022 and has twice been a finalist in the LA Press Club's National Arts & Entertainment Journalism Awards.
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Abrar Al-Heeti
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Instagram will roll out ads on its Explore page.

 James Martin/CNET

Instagram is finding new ways to place ads throughout its platform. The social media site said Wednesday that it'll start putting ads on its Explore page. 

Explore shows users photos and videos that match their interests, to help them find new accounts. More than half of Instagram accounts use Explore each month, the company says. In addition, 80% of Instagram's 1 billion users follow a business.
"Brands are an important part of the Instagram experience for people," Instagram said in a blog post. "Whether it's shopping, catching up on stories or discovering the latest trends, we see people actively looking to connect with brands they like."

That's why the company says it'll roll out ads on Explore over the next few months. After you click on a photo or video in Explore, you may start seeing ads as you continue to browse.

eMarketer principal analyst Debra Aho Williamson says she expects advertisers to quickly adopt the new ad placement. 

"Instagram advertising is very popular, and Explore will open up a pipeline of valuable new ad inventory," she said.

WhatsApp -- which, like Instagram, is owned by Facebook -- said last year that it would start putting ads in its Status feature. Instagram also shows ads in its Stories feature and on its main feed.