Photo-sharing app open its platform to advertisers

folarin okunola

September 11, 2015 4:09 PM

Ads on Instagram were previously only available in 8 countries, but the feature will now be open in more than 20 other countries

Instagram began to allow full size pictures a few weeks ago.

Photo-sharing app, Instagram, has opened up its platform to advertisers around the world so as to make some more money and compete with popular rivals such as Snapchat.

Instagram has over 300 million monthly users, the photo-sharing app has a key advantage over its rivals because its parent company, Facebook’s vast consumer data chest allows it to target audiences more accurately which is a major selling point for advertisers.

READ: New update lets you upload all kinds of pictures without worrying about cropping

"It would have taken us years to build some of this technology without Facebook. We can take advantage of years of experience," said the global head of business and brand development at Instagram, James Quarles, in an interview last week.

Ads on Instagram were previously only available in 8 countries, but the feature will now be open in more than 20 other countries, including Italy, Spain and India, the company said. By September 30, more than 200 countries will have ads.

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