Dive Brief:

• Very soon this year, Facebook will be allowing advertisers to send ads within its Messenger app, according to a leaked document seen by TechCrunch.

• The ads would be limited to those who themselves initiated chat threads with the advertising company. The document suggests that advertisers encourage users to begin threads with businesses so the feature can be available to them.

• Facebook wouldn’t comment on the details, according to TechCrunch, but said that its “aim with Messenger is to create a high quality, engaging experience for 800 million people around the world, and that includes ensuring people do not experience unwanted messages of any type.”

Dive Insight:

Facebook’s non-denial denial makes nothing clear, but it sounds like what TechCrunch is describing could be coming soon—Q2 this year, according to the report.

Any time a social media site adds in advertising to a previously ad-free experience, the site risks alienating users, who these days have other options. Indeed, social media users have proven themselves over and over to be fairly fickle. 

Still, nothing ventured, nothing gained. Facebook may very well find that limiting ads only to those who’ve taken it upon themselves to initiate conversations with a brand is acceptable to Messenger users. And reaching out to such a self-selected group could present a good opportunity to personalize marketing and communication.

Then again, users may feel hoodwinked if they find that reaching out to brands gets them a string of unwanted ads—a phenomenon that has been found to be particularly annoying, especially on mobile. To mitigate that, advertisers will likely have to sweeten the pot somehow, or use the service judiciously.