Instagram began showing advertisements in 2013. The first sponsored image appeared in U.S. users’ feeds on November 1, 2013, featuring a post from fashion brand Michael Kors.
The move followed Instagram’s 2012 acquisition by Facebook and growing pressure to turn the rapidly expanding photo app into a revenue-generating business. Instagram initially introduced advertising cautiously, emphasizing that sponsored posts should resemble ordinary content and fit users’ feeds.
A common mix-up is confusing the introduction of image ads with later advertising milestones. Instagram added video ads in October 2014, while advertising expanded beyond the United States to markets including the United Kingdom, Canada, and Australia during 2014. Business profiles and self-service promotional tools came later, in 2016.