After Elon Musk warned that “advertisers who post ads that are ugly, shrill, strident or overstate claims about their product will be barred from advertising” on X earlier this month, the platform now appears to be using a jarring animated arm that reaches across the screen to draw attention to the “promote” button while users are composing a post.
Many X users have seen and shared images of the unsettling promotional tool, including The Verge’s Tom Warren, but it doesn’t appear for everyone on the platform. The arm seems limited to verified users, or those with a paid subscription to X Premium. Reactions, unsurprisingly, have been less than positive. “I’ve never promoted a post and HATE this screen takeover,” said Sheel Mohnot, while Jesse Middleton likened it to a Halloween prank. “I wish I could explain how jarring this hand and animation was in the @X app. It was truly shocking, almost like a Halloween gag, but I’m pretty sure it was real.”
Using the paid promote feature extends the reach of an X post to a larger audience based on their location, interests, or demographics, including those not currently following a user’s account. Posts that have been promoted look like other posts on X but are branded with a “promoted” or “ad” label.