A few weeks ago, Instagram confirmed what we all knew was coming — ads, or "sponsored posts," would soon start appearing in users' timelines. Today, the company is showing exactly what those ads will look like when they roll out. In a blog post on its site, Instagram showed off an example ad, which looks identical to normal Instagram posts — with the exception of a "sponsored" banner in the upper-right corner of the post. The example shows how ads will appear on mobile, so it's not clear exactly how they'll look when you're viewing your timeline through the web interface just yet.

Instagram says that its new example ad will start appearing in timelines sometime this week to give an idea of what to expect. Tapping the "sponsored" badge will bring you to a page that explains how advertising on Instagram works. As we heard earlier, ads will be either photos or video, and Instagram says it'll just start with a "handful" of brands who are already active members of Instagram. And once again, Instagram reiterated the fact that you own your photos and videos — the addition of sponsored posts won't change that. While the example ad will launch sometime in the coming week, there's no word on when the full Instagram advertising onslaught will begin.