Overview: 

• Meta has announced some new ad options at its annual Brand Building Summit
• Reels Trending Ads lets brands appear alongside top Reels content, with tests showing a +20% lift in awareness.
• Threads Ad Options Grow to include carousel ads, plus easier campaign setup for advertisers.
• Value rules feature guides AI-powered ads system toward the audiences that matter most to their brand
• House of Marketers Insights on how this affects marketers.

 

Meta Announces New Reels and Threads Ad Options

Meta has rolled out new ad features across Reels and Threads. The updates were announced at Meta’s Brand Building Summit and focus on three areas: 

• Reels trending ads
• New Threads ad formats
• Smarter AI-powered tools inside Ads Manager.

These updates make it easier for advertisers to place their brands where people spend time, follow culture, and take action.

Meta’s goal is simple: help brands tap into culture as it happens. 

With billions of people on Meta’s apps every day, the opportunity to connect through discovery, trends, and shared interests has never been bigger.

Here’s what advertisers can now use.

Put Your Brand Where Culture Happens with Reels

Reels remain the heartbeat of Instagram, with over half of user time spent in the format and 4.5 billion shares on Instagram every day. Until now, Reels trending ads were in closed beta. Meta is now opening them up more widely. Advertisers can now appear directly next to the most engaging content.
This update offers marketers,

• Wider access: Now available to all advertisers working with a Meta sales rep.
• AI-curated inventory: Instagram ads can be placed next to top-performing Reels in categories like fashion, pets, cars, and sports.
• Proven performance: Early tests show a +20% boost in unaided awareness.

As explained by Meta:

“Reels trending ads use AI to curate the most trending and culturally relevant Reels inventory, delivering advertisers access to highly engaging, brand-safe video content that puts their brand where culture happens. Available lineups include all overall trending content or specific categories like animals & pets, beauty & fashion, cars, sports, with more to come next year.”

Brand tests underline the impact. JCPenney saw 32% higher ad recall and 6x greater favorability. SharkNinja used Reels trending ads to launch new products, achieving 91% incremental reach and 16 million video views.

As attention shifts more and more toward short-form video, Reels trending ads put brands at the center of cultural discovery.

Connecting Brands to Conversations on Threads

But Meta’s is also building momentum on Threads. Three out of four users already follow at least one business on Threads, showing that the platform is becoming a natural space for brand connection.

To tap into that, Meta is adding more ad flexibility on Threads. Advertisers can now use carousel ads, or run 4:5 image and video formats directly in the feed. Even businesses without a Threads profile can participate by using their Instagram or Facebook posts as ad creative.

Looking ahead, Meta plans to roll out Advantage+ catalog ads and app ads campaigns, bringing even more opportunities for conversion.

These updates signal that Threads is no longer just a conversation app instead it’s shaping into a genuine advertising channel.

New Controls for Smarter Campaign Performance

Beyond new surfaces, Meta is also refining how ads perform. The company has expanded “value rules”. This is a feature which guides AI to prioritise certain audience segments. Previously limited to sales, this tool now helps brand advertisers target the audiences that matter most. Tests show campaigns using value rules delivered 2x more high-value conversions.

Meta is also introducing landing page view optimisation, aimed at advertisers who don’t use Meta’s pixel. Instead of stopping at link clicks, this feature ensures ads reach people most likely to click and load a landing page. Brands testing it saw 31% lower cost per landing page view, driving higher-quality site traffic.

In practice, this means advertisers can now set clearer signals, and Meta’s AI will do the heavy lifting to maximise impact.

 

House of Marketers Insights

Meta’s updates home in on the merging of cultural relevance with precision targeting. 

Reels trending ads give brands a direct route into the moments people care about most, ensuring visibility where attention is highest. 

Threads ad formats show Meta’s commitment to turning the platform into more than a conversation space. 

And with value rules and landing page optimisation, Meta is giving marketers stronger levers to reach the right audiences without unnecessary complexity.

At House of Marketers, we see these changes as an opportunity for brands to rethink how they engage audiences across Meta’s ecosystem. Whether it’s weaving Reels ads into cultural tentpoles, testing ad performance on Threads, or fine-tuning campaigns with AI-driven rules, marketers who move early will have a real advantage.

Read more about Meta’s ongoing updates for marketers 

Creative Optimisation in 2025: Meta’s Top Tips for Smarter Ads

Meta’s 2025 Ad Updates: Adding Smarter Tools for Creators, Brands & Video Campaigns

Meta Will Enable Advertisers to Test Experimental AI Features 

 

At House of Marketers, we help brands translate these changes into real-world impact across TikTok, Instagram, and Facebook with  impactful influencer marketing campaigns . Contact House of Marketers today and future-proof your marketing strategy!