X is testing a new ad format that links posts to products

X is testing a new ad format that inserts a recommendation directly below a post mentioning the company or its products. The initial test, spotted by User When they click on the link, users are directed to the Starlink website.

Head of Product

The Starlink ad is not visible to all users at this time, but the placeholder where the ad is located is there.

If you visit X user @levelsio’s post from March 6 (screenshot below in deleted state), you’ll see a checked box below the text of his post. This box currently shows a random X engagement, unless you are in the market where ad testing is being conducted.

Where the ad appears, several commenters have noticed the new addition, with one asking: “Oh my god, did you add that Starlink button?”

In the thread, Bier also responded to a suggestion that X should allow affiliate links in this ad slot by saying: “No, then people will lie. I want to trust the recommendations here.”

X could not immediately be reached for comment. TechCrunch will update the article if the company responds.

The test comes after news earlier this week that the company was rolling out “paid partnership” ratings for creators. Labels can be applied to posts to comply with regulations around social media advertising, rather than requiring creators to use a hashtag such as “ad” or “paid partnership.”

If creators’ sponsored posts were combined with an embedded link to an advertiser like the one being tested, it would likely attract X more marketers to the platform. This could boost creators’ use of the app, allowing it to better compete with the larger social networks that creators prefer, such as Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok.

X has been chasing creator content for some time — even before it was called “X” and before Elon Musk owned it. However, the application has not found its footing in this field. So far, the company has rolled out a number of creator products, including viral content payments, ad revenue sharing, creator subscriptions, and more.

This week, the company also revamped its creator subscription offerings with a number of new features, including the ability to monetize individual topics.

Additionally, X announced on Friday that its integrated chatbot Grok is now able to read X’s long-form content, known as articles. This feature is also underutilized, as content creators who publish lengthy written text tend to prefer to do so through their websites or newsletters.