X is testing a new ad format that links posts to products

X is testing a new ad format that inserts a recommendation directly below a post mentioning the company or its products. initial test, spotted By User When they click on the link, users are directed to the Starlink website.

X head of product Nikita Beer confirmed the testing, Response“Trying to make an advertising product that isn’t an ad.”

The Starlink ad is not visible to all users at this time, but the placeholder where the ad is located is there.

If you visit Share X user @levelsio As of March 6 (screenshot below in case of deletion), you’ll see a checked box below the text of his post. This box currently shows a random X engagement, unless you are in the market where ad testing is being conducted.

In the places where the ad is shown, Many commenters noticed the new additionWith one he asks“Oh my God, did you add that Starlink button?”

In the thread, Bier also responded to a suggestion that X should allow affiliate links in this ad slot by saying: “No, then people will lie. I want to trust the recommendations here.”

X could not immediately be reached for comment. TechCrunch will update the article if the company responds.

The test comes after news earlier this week that the company Introducing “paid partnership” labels. For creative people. Labels can be applied to posts to comply with regulations around social media advertising, rather than requiring creators to use a hashtag such as “ad” or “paid partnership.”

If creators’ sponsored posts were combined with an embedded link to an advertiser like the one being tested, it would likely attract X more marketers to the platform. This could boost creators’ use of the app, allowing it to better compete with the larger social networks that creators prefer, such as Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok.

X has been chasing creator content for some time – Even before that It was called “X” and was previously owned by Elon Musk. However, the application has not found its footing in this field. To date, the company has launched a number of creator products, including Payments For viral content, Advertising revenue sharing, Creator subscriptionsAnd more.

Company this week as well Creator subscriptions renewed It introduces a number of new features, including the ability to monetize individual topics.

In addition, X announced on Friday The built-in chatbot Grok is now able to read X long content, known as articles. This feature is also underutilized, as content creators who publish lengthy written text tend to prefer to do so through their websites or newsletters.