Pocket is toying with sponsored content in your account.
Rather than feed you ads, Pocket will forcibly place sponsored content in your reading list, which act a bit like articles you can suggest to friends. The content isn’t banner advertising, but is nonetheless content you may otherwise not pick up on.
On the surface, it appears to be much like print advertisements that span multiple pages; they look and feel like real articles, but are clearly skewed in one direction. They even have a tidy ‘sponsored by’ tag, much like the subdued ‘advertisement’ tag you’d find in a magazine.
Like any advertising initiative, it’s all about monetization. Pocket is free to download and use (there’s also a paid Premium tier), so it will begin selling sponsored content at $50 per 1,000 impressions. It will use data on what you read to feed sponsored content you’re more likely to be interested in, too.
The 💜 of EU tech
The latest rumblings from the EU tech scene, a story from our wise ol' founder Boris, and some questionable AI art. It's free, every week, in your inbox. Sign up now!
It’s an expected move from Pocket, but also a pretty slick one. Sponsored content doesn’t look out of place, and using your saved articles to find better content makes it less intrusive.
➤ Pocket Wants You To Read Ads Later Too [TechCrunch]
Get the TNW newsletter
Get the most important tech news in your inbox each week.