Meta to show more advert on WhatsApp
WhatsApp is rolling out three major advertising features globally, signaling a significant change in its approach to monetization.
On Monday, Meta revealed that businesses now have the ability to run status ads on WhatsApp, which appear exclusively in the “Updates” tab to maintain a separation between ads and personal conversations.
These advertisements encourage users to interact directly through WhatsApp messaging.
Meta will also begin generating revenue from WhatsApp’s Channels feature by introducing search ads and subscription options.
Businesses utilizing channels can promote ads within WhatsApp’s Updates section to attract new followers and provide paid subscriptions for specialized content.
WhatsApp will retain a 10% share of the subscription fees, and additional app store fees may apply based on the business's size.
Companies can now use status updates for advertising that resemble Instagram stories, enabling users to tap and initiate a conversation instantly.
These new capabilities strongly align WhatsApp with Meta’s other platforms, including Facebook and Instagram.
“There’s clearly some overlap,” stated Will Cathcart, head of WhatsApp.
“We have stories available on both Instagram and WhatsApp, and we now offer businesses a means to promote themselves on both platforms, which we believe is beneficial.”
He described this initiative as a “natural extension of messaging services,” akin to offerings from rivals like Snapchat and Telegram.
WhatsApp recently faced backlash for implementing a permanent button for Meta’s AI tool that users cannot disable or remove.
Cathcart highlighted that users will not be compelled to view ads or follow channels if they choose not to.
“I want to emphasize that this will not impact your inbox,” he noted.
“If you only use WhatsApp for messaging, you won’t encounter these ads.”
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