Magazine publishers including Condé Nast have signed upfor a New York Times tool which links ads to content in social media.

The effect of the Ricochet tool – launched by the NY Times company for its own publications last April – is to allow advertisers to choose and link to a story being distributed on social networks using a unique URL.

After launching the concept with group sites including its Boston.com and BostonGlobe.com, it announced this week that Forbes, Condé Nast, AdAge and, as a pilot, People will start using Ricochet from May.

Research and development vice president Michael Zimbalist (right) says the simple technology can be used “off the shelf”. Benefits are two-way, with the publisher gaining exposure, and brands paying for the use of content.