Twitter has unleashed a new feature called keyword targeting that will give advertisers the ability to show users ads based on the content of their tweets.
The new advertising feature, which Twitter is terming ‘keyword targeting in timelines’, is now available in all languages and markets where Twitter Ads are supported.
In a blog post, Twitter product manager Nipoon Malhotra said the new feature would allow advertisers to reach users based on the keywords that they have used in recent tweets. Advertisers will also be able to target users based on tweets they have recently retweeted, engaged with or favourited, for instance.
“This is an important new capability – especially for those advertisers looking for signals of intent – because it lets marketers reach users at the right moment, in the right context,” wrote Malhotra.
He was keen to point out that the new feature shouldn’t change the experience for the user, however. “We’re not showing ads more frequently in timelines, and users can still dismiss promoted tweets they don’t find relevant,” Malhotra wrote.
Twitter has tested the new ad platform with a group of advertisers and agencies, including Walgreen and Everything Everywhere.
According to Malhotra, users were “significantly more likely” to engage with promoted tweets using keyword targeting in their timelines than other forms of targeting in their timelines.
The new advertising feature will be available in the full Twitter Ads UI and through the Ads API.
