social media

Twitter Expands Conversation Settings to Paid Ads

Conversation settings sound like a useful brand safety tool…in a Pandora’s box kind of way.
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Francis Scialabba

· less than 3 min read

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The tiny blue bird recently announced conversation settings for ads—a tool that lets marketers choose who can respond to promoted tweets.

  • Conversation settings became available for organic tweets in August 2020, but the feature rolled out for paid ads on Monday.
  • Via Tweet Composer or Ads API, advertisers now have the option to allow replies from everyone, accounts the brand follows, or only those mentioned.

Twitter, of course, likes this feature quite a bit: Since the organic launch in August, “brands have experimented with using these settings in a variety of ways, from hosting panel discussions with brand advocates or influencers, to broaching important topics without the distraction of replies,” Twitter’s Senior Product Marketing Manager Lauren Ehrlich told Marketing Brew.

But not everyone is convinced: While Twitter’s new toy might be “a useful tool which brands can use strategically," according to Brian Sheehan, a communications professor at Syracuse University, he ultimately told Marketing Brew “brands should use these tools sparingly.”

My takeaway: Conversation settings sound like a useful brand safety tool…in a Pandora’s box kind of way. Advertisers should treat these settings with caution—once you start limiting replies, you limit the potential of social as a marketing channel.

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Marketing Brew informs marketing pros of the latest on brand strategy, social media, and ad tech via our weekday newsletter, virtual events, marketing conferences, and digital guides.