Meta Is Testing Skippable Ads on Instagram Reels, Borrowing From YouTube’s Playbook

Instagram is testing skippable ads within Reels, giving users the option to hit skip and move past an ad when scrolling, Meta confirmed to ADWEEK.

In three ad placements spotted by ADWEEK when scrolling through Reels over the last month, Instagram displayed a countdown timer in the top-right corner of the screen to signal an incoming ad. The countdown timer was followed by an ad with a “skip” button that allowed viewers to bypass it, redirecting them to the beginning of the Reel.

The move echoes YouTube’s popular in-stream ad format that lets people skip video ads that appear during content.

A spokesperson for Meta confirmed that the company is testing the ad format, adding that the limited test is designed to assess whether the format helps users discover businesses. The spokesperson added that Meta does not plan to share ad revenue with creators, unlike YouTube’s business.

Social budgets get a boost

The skippable ads mark a notable test of how Meta is attempting to ramp up monetization while balancing the user experience.  

Instagram also sells sponsored posts and ads between Reels, including a non-skippable “ad break” that was introduced last year.

Meta’s move comes as advertisers are allocating bigger budgets to social media.

According to Gartner’s 2025 CMO Spend Survey, marketers are allocating an average of 30.6% of their total budgets to paid media, a 10% year-over-year increase. Social media ranked as the second-largest digital channel by ad spend.

“Instagram has a higher purchase intent as a platform compared to Facebook and YouTube,” said Greg Carlucci, senior director and analyst at Gartner. “Any ad format that attempts to test and learn will benefit from learning how to implement social commerce and ad format types that cater to customer preferences.”

Non-skippable ads have traditionally been priced at a premium because they guarantee advertisers full viewership, Carlucci said. Skippable formats could help Meta gather new engagement signals without overwhelming users, rather than necessarily drive more ad dollars right away.