Meta announced significant Threads advertising updates on October 28, 2025, introducing Advantage+ catalog ads and enhanced carousel formats with 4:5 aspect ratio support. These API updates arrive just 10 months after Threads first launched ads in January 2025, giving marketers new ways to reach the platform's 300+ million monthly active users, 75% of whom already follow at least one business account. The Marketing API expansion means third-party tools can now pull Threads ad data alongside Facebook and Instagram metrics for unified reporting.

Threads API Advertising Updates at a Glance

What Changed With Threads Advertising in 2025

The Timeline Every Marketer Should Know

January 2025: Meta started testing ads with select advertisers. Instagram's ad team handled initial placements for quality control.

April 2025: Global expansion hit. Meta added AI-powered inventory filters so advertisers could control content sensitivity next to their ads. Threads feed placement activated by default for new Advantage+ campaigns.

August 15, 2025: Video ads arrived with Placement Asset Customization, allowing different creative for Threads versus Instagram/Facebook.

October 6, 2025: Carousel ads went live, the format that historically drives higher engagement across Meta platforms.

October 28, 2025: Advantage+ catalog ads and 4:5 aspect ratio support launched. This is where we are now.

What the October 28 Updates Mean for Performance

The Advantage+ catalog ads only support static images and image carousels right now. Video, slideshow, and entry cards aren't compatible yet. If you're running dynamic product ads across Meta platforms, you can extend those campaigns to Threads, but only the image versions will show up.

The 4:5 aspect ratio update matters more than it sounds. Instagram shifted its default recommendation from 1:1 to 4:5 specifically because it captures 25% more screen space. Assets taller than 4:5 get cropped and vertically centered, so test your creative before launch.

For more on choosing the right Meta ad formats, check out our complete guide to Meta ad formats in 2025.

How to Access Threads Advertising Data

The Marketing API Integration

The September 2025 Marketing API expansion changed how agencies and brands track Threads performance. Third-party platforms can now access Threads metrics through the same API calls they use for Facebook and Instagram.

Here's what you can pull through the API:
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• Traffic, conversions, and reach by placement (including Threads feed)
• Brand safety metrics governed by Meta's Monetization Policies
• Inventory filter data showing what content types your ads appeared next to
• Placement performance comparing Threads against Instagram Reels, Facebook Feed, etc.

The API doesn't give you Threads-specific engagement metrics like quote posts or thread replies yet. You're tracking standard ad metrics: impressions, clicks, conversions, cost per result.

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What Tracking Currently Looks Like

When you run a multi-placement campaign across Facebook, Instagram, and Threads, the breakdown reporting shows:
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• Impressions by placement: How many times your ad showed on Threads versus other placements
• Click-through rate by placement: Whether Threads users engage more or less than Instagram users
• Cost per conversion by placement: Your actual ROI from Threads traffic
• Frequency by placement: How often the same user sees your Threads ad

For marketers pulling data from multiple ad platforms, you can manually export from Ads Manager, use platform APIs directly, or automate with tools like Dataslayer if you're consolidating Facebook, Google, LinkedIn, and Threads metrics into unified dashboards. Dataslayer's Facebook Ads connector pulls Threads ad data using the publisher platform or placement dimension, letting you identify and analyze Facebook, Instagram, and Threads performance separately.

Threads Ad Specifications That Impact Analytics

Technical Limits You Need to Know

• ‍Primary text: 80-160 characters (not 160-200 like some Meta placements)‍
• Headlines: 40 characters maximum‍
• Image specs: 4:5 aspect ratio (1080 x 1350 pixels recommended)‍
• Video specs: 1.91:1 to 9:16 aspect ratios, introduced August 15‍
• Call-to-action buttons: Not all CTA options available (fewer than Facebook/Instagram)

These constraints affect what you can test. If you're used to running long-form Facebook ad copy, Threads forces tighter messaging. The 80-160 character range is closer to X (formerly Twitter) than Instagram.
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What You Can't Track Yet

• Hashtag performance: Hashtags and URLs aren't supported in primary text
• Thread-specific engagement: No data on quote posts, thread replies, or reshares triggered by your ad
• Creator collaboration metrics: Partnership Ads don't show separate performance for creator audiences
• GIF performance: GIF support launched October 17, but there's no separate reporting for GIF ads versus static images

The 3 Biggest Opportunities for Advertisers Right Now

1. Low Competition, High Visibility

Threads launched ads less than a year ago. Ad volume is still intentionally low while Meta tests formats. That means lower CPMs compared to saturated placements like Instagram Feed or Facebook News Feed.

Industry reports from Q3 2025 show Threads CPMs running at 40-60% of Instagram Reels rates. That gap will close as more advertisers adopt the placement.

2. Organic-Looking Placements

Threads ads appear between organic posts in the home feed. Unlike Instagram Stories or Facebook Watch, there's no separate "ad section", your content sits in the same vertical scroll as regular posts.

This format performs better for brands that invest in creative matching the platform's conversational tone.

3. Cross-Platform Audience Expansion

75% of Threads users follow at least one business account. These users opted into a business relationship, making them warmer prospects than cold audiences on other platforms.

If you're already advertising on Instagram, extending campaigns to Threads reaches users who actively engage with business content but might not see your Instagram ads due to algorithm differences.

FAQ: Threads Advertising API and Analytics

Do I need a separate Threads account to run ads?

Yes. To run Threads ads, you need a Threads profile connected to your Instagram account or Meta Business Portfolio. The setup process is straightforward through Ads Manager, you can create or connect your Threads profile during campaign setup. Having an active Threads presence also helps your ads feel more authentic to the platform's conversational tone.

Can I exclude Threads from Advantage+ campaigns?

Yes, but you have to do it manually. When you create an Advantage+ campaign using Advantage+ Placements, Threads feed activates by default. Open your campaign settings, go to placements, and deselect "Threads feed" if you want to exclude it.

How does Threads ad performance compare to Instagram Reels?

Early data from Q2-Q3 2025 shows Threads delivers lower CPMs (40-60% of Reels rates) but also lower engagement rates on direct response ads. Awareness and consideration campaigns perform better on Threads than conversion-focused campaigns. If you're optimizing for website purchases, test Threads separately before scaling budget there.

What's the minimum budget for Threads advertising?

There's no separate minimum for Threads. You're running Meta ads that include Threads as a placement option. Meta's overall minimum is $1 per day for most campaign objectives. Practically, you want at least $10-15 daily budget to give the algorithm enough data to optimize Threads placement performance.

Can I track Threads ad performance in Google Analytics 4?

Yes, as of October 7, 2025, Google Analytics 4 launched native integrations for Meta cost data import with specific support for Threads source configuration. This lets you import cost data, clicks, and impressions from Threads ads directly into GA4 properties.

Are Threads catalog ads the same as Facebook dynamic ads?

Similar concept, different capabilities. Advantage+ catalog ads on Threads pull from your Meta product catalog (the same one you use for Facebook/Instagram dynamic ads), but they only support static images and image carousels right now. The product matching algorithm works the same way, showing users products they've viewed or related items based on their behavior.

How do I report on Threads ad performance separately from Instagram?

In Ads Manager, use the "Breakdown" menu and select "By Placement." This shows performance data for each placement including Threads feed. You can export this data as a CSV or pull it through the Marketing API. If you're building automated reports that combine Threads data with other advertising platforms, API integration through tools like Dataslayer connects Threads metrics to Google Sheets, Looker Studio, BigQuery, or Power BI alongside your other channels.

What to Test on Threads Right Now

Start with awareness or engagement objectives before pushing conversion campaigns. Test your existing Instagram creative first, specifically the versions that perform in Reels. These short-form, casual posts translate better to Threads than polished Feed ads.

Watch your frequency metrics closely. Because Threads ad volume is intentionally low, users aren't experiencing ad fatigue yet, but high frequency will hurt your performance faster than on mature placements.

Track placement-level cost per result, not just campaign totals. You might find Threads driving cheaper website traffic but lower conversion rates, or vice versa. Make budget decisions based on actual Threads ROI, not blended campaign
performance.

Want to automate this? Try Dataslayer free for 15 days to connect Threads, Facebook, Instagram, Google Ads, and 50+ other platforms to your preferred reporting tools.