Meta has made two moves that open up new, cheaper testing ground for advertisers.
Threads ads without Instagram
Brands can now run Threads advertising directly, with no Instagram presence required. Threads has 500 million monthly active users, and CPMs are currently running 30 to 50% lower than Instagram. For clients with a smaller test budget, this is worth a look before committing more spend to more expensive, more saturated placements.
Instagram Live video ads
From 29 September, brands can pay to amplify creator livestreams on Instagram as Partnership Ads. Early data suggests conversion rates well ahead of standard ecommerce ad formats. This is a strong fit for retail, events and launch moments where a live audience already exists.
Meta is also joining up its creator tools
Meta has merged its Creator Marketplace and Partnership Ads Hub into a single Creator Marketing Hub, with AI powered creator discovery and one click ad creation straight from a creator's existing posts. And its Muse AI is now built into Meta's AI glasses, letting someone point at a product and buy it hands free through Shop Pay. Every Shopify store is automatically accessible to it, though Amazon has blocked access. If a client sells through Shopify, this is a reason to make sure product titles and images are clear and accurately described, since AI agents are now reading them too.
What this means for your marketing
Test a small Threads budget for lead generation or awareness clients before scaling Instagram spend further. Brief a livestream moment, a product demo, a Q&A, worth amplifying as a Partnership Ad now that the format exists. And for ecommerce clients, treat product listings as something AI shopping tools read, not just people.
