Snapchat announced it will be releasing ads

Snapchat has announced that it will be “placing an advertisement in “Recent Updates” for Snapchatters in the United States”.

The ads will be placed in the Recent Updates section, which is where its users can find relevant stories. They are said to be “opt-in”, this essentially means that people will have the option to view the ad only if they want to, the ads will disappear after viewing or go within a day (just like stories do).

According to a blog post by Snapchat:

“It’s the first time we’ve done anything like this because it’s the first time we’ve been paid to put content in that space. It’s going to feel a little weird at first, but we’re taking the plunge.”

Adding that “The best advertisements tell you more about stuff that actually interests you. Some companies spend a lot of time and collect a lot of data about you to figure that out. The product we’re releasing today is a lot simpler. An advertisement will appear in your Recent Updates from time to time, and you can choose if you want to watch it. No biggie. It goes away after you view it or within 24 hours, just like Stories.”

The reason why Snapchat is now placing ads on its app is simple really. It needs to make money.

“Understandably, a lot of folks want to know why we’re introducing advertisements to our service. The answer is probably unsurprising – we need to make money. Advertising allows us to support our service while delivering neat content to Snapchatters. We promise that we’ll use the money we make to continue to surprise the Snapchat community with more terrific products – that’s what we love to do!”