Instagram is bigger than ever: the company just announced that they've reached over 150 million users. It looks like Facebook's purchase of the company is paying off—and they're ready to make that literal.
On the same day Instagram announced the milestone, Emily White, Instagram's director of business operations, also mentioned that Instagram is gearing up to monetize the app by displaying ads to its users. So, more than likely, you're going to start seeing "sponsored" posts from brands you may not follow within your newsfeed, or they could be placed within the Search or Discover pages of the app. It may essentially be in the same spirit of the sponsored posts you see in your Facebook newsfeed, except these ads would have much more real estate, since Instagram posts can take up more than half of your screen when viewed on your phone. But the company hasn't announced how they'll implement these ads, or when they'll begin rolling out, so it's all speculation—except that they will be coming. Reportedly White met with Ford, Williams-Sonoma, and Coca-Cola just last week. Hopefully you'll like a dose of Coke between everyone's food porn postings.
