In the worst kept and least surprising secret on the internet, it's been revealed Instagram will soon be rolling out ads.

Worth a thousand click-throughs?

Ever since Facebook acquired Instagram last year the web has been abuzz with talk of Instagram being imminently overrun with ads. To Facebook's credit, it has allowed Instagram to organically grow and has successfully implemented new features such as video.

The play has worked, with Instagram now topping 150 million users. Now it's time to cash in. 

A clearer picture

Instagram announced in a recent blog post that ads would soon begin a slow roll out. 

“In the next couple months, you may begin seeing an occasional ad in your Instagram feed if you’re in the United States. Seeing photos and videos from brands you don’t follow will be new, so we’ll start slow.

“We’ll focus on delivering a small number of beautiful, high-quality photos and videos from a handful of brands that are already great members of the Instagram community,” the company wrote.

User control

Instagram explained users would have some control over the ads they see – being able to hide ads and provide feedback, similar to the way ads are served on Facebook.

It also stressed users' photos and videos would not be used for advertisements. 

Will ads ruin the Instagram experience? Our bet is no, but we'll have to wait a few months to know for sure. 

To find out more visit blog.instagram.com. 

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