X Tests New Feature That Turns Posts Into Product Recommendations!

Social media platforms have long tried to balance conversations with commerce. From sponsored posts to influencer partnerships, companies continue to look for ways to blend advertising into everyday user experiences without making it feel intrusive. Now, X appears to be testing another approach that could turn casual posts into product discovery moments.

 

TL;DR

 

• X is testing product recommendations under posts mentioning brands.
• The feature shows clickable prompts for related products or services.
• X says the goal is ads that don’t feel like ads.

The platform is experimenting with a new ad format that places product recommendations directly under posts mentioning a brand or service. Instead of appearing like a traditional advertisement, the suggestion shows up as a simple prompt users can click if they want to learn more.

The test comes as X expands its creator and advertising tools. Earlier this week, the company rolled out “Paid Partnership” labels that allow creators to disclose sponsored posts without relying on hashtags like #ad.

The early test for this new ad format was spotted by a user in Europe. In the example, a post praising Starlink’s satellite internet service in Portugal displayed a “Get Starlink” suggestion below it. Clicking the prompt redirected users to Starlink’s website.


X’s head of product Nikita Bier confirmed the test and explained the thinking behind it. Responding to a user on the platform, he said the company is “Trying to make an ad product that isn’t an ad.”

Bier also pushed back on a suggestion to allow affiliate links in the same space. “No, then people will lie. I want to trust recommendations on here,” he replied.
 
For now, the feature isn’t widely visible. In some cases, users may only see an empty placeholder box where the recommendation could appear. The test was seen under a March 6 post by X user @levelsio, where the space currently displays another random post unless the ad experiment is active in that region.

Combined with embedded product links, such features could give marketers more ways to connect promotions with organic conversations on the platform. Whether users see it as helpful discovery or subtle advertising, however, remains to be seen.