Social platforms have set their sights on monetizing messaging

Brands can’t run ads within DMs, but they’re getting close. In September, Snapchat said it would begin testing Sponsored Snaps—sponsored messages that appear within its main chat tab. That’s the biggest indication yet that platforms are serious about turning messaging into a monetizable space. Snapchat’s first Sponsored Snap was for the movie Wicked. Users receive a limited number of these Snaps, which eventually disappear if left unopened.

TikTok is experimenting with conversational ads. Similar to Meta’s click-to-message ads—which let users chat with a brand on Instagram, Messenger, or WhatsApp—TikTok is testing ads that let users start conversations with businesses in the US. It’s also testing ads that direct users to Facebook Messenger or WhatsApp to have those conversations.

Brands are putting a small portion of budgets toward messaging-related ads. They’re still considered experimental, and brands are dedicating no more than 5% to 10% of social budgets to things like paid messaging on WhatsApp and click-to-message ads, according to experts we interviewed. For now, these formats complement in-feed ads, Stories ads, and other more established formats.

The customer service potential that messaging offers social sellers is obvious. US retail social commerce sales increased 26.0% YoY in 2024, per our forecast. Brands selling goods via social channels will want to answer customer questions and send them AI-aided paid or organic marketing messages within platforms.

And consumers are open to customer service interactions happening on social media. Nearly a third of consumers globally said they preferred brands to send post-purchase follow-up messages via social media, per a November 2023 survey by Vonage Research.

Read the full report, Social Messaging Marketing 2025