Twitter has announced the official launch of the Twitter Ads API after testing it with partners since January. The first five partners include: Adobe, HootSuite, Salesforce, SHIFT and TBG Digital.

“Since we launched Promoted Tweets in April 2010, marketers have come to Twitter to reach new audiences and engage with more than 200 million active Twitter users on the web, on mobile devices, and on tablets,” says Twitter revenue product manager April Underwood. “As interest in Twitter has grown, our focus has been on delivering better ads for users, not more ads. We believe our system is working well because users like the ads experience on Twitter. Our system rewards marketers for being good, not for being loud. And this approach encourages ads that are engaging, relevant and useful.”

“Towards this goal, we’re always working on ways to make it easier to manage campaigns and get more value out of advertising with us,” she adds. “One important step is to enable a diverse group of companies that can integrate seamlessly with our ads platform.”

Twitter says marketers will be able to work with Twitter’s set of partners to manage Twitter Ad campaigns and integrate them into cross-channel advertising strategies.

“Equally important, users will continue to see the most relevant Promoted Tweets from advertisers,” notes Underwood. “With the Ads API, marketers now have more tools in their arsenal to help them deliver the right message, to the right audience, on the desktop and on mobile devices — all at scale.”

You can apply to join the partner program here.

Twitter says that in the coming months it will also start certifying ads products that integrate with the API, and that this is just the start of its efforts in this realm.