Instagram Direct Messaging: What's In It for Brands

Whenever Facebook or Instagram introduce a product these days, there is an assumption that the monetization scheme can't be too far behind. But for Instagram Direct, a new set of private and group messaging features unveiled at a press event Thursday morning, making money off the feature may not be the ultimate goal.

A source familiar with Instagram's thinking told Mashable that the company isn't considering or even discussing the idea of bringing ads to Instagram Direct. Instead, Instagram is focused on testing and rolling out the sponsored posts that it debuted early last month.