Threads, Meta’s Newest Social Venture

With already 30 million users on its first day, Threads is set to become another channel to foster brand engagement and community conversations. 

What is it?

Meta’s answer to Twitter. The feed feels familiar, with text-only posts being the common denominator but it’s got Instagram’s signature brand vibe of bubbly icons and familiar fonts. It’s a companion app to Instagram, meaning that your Instagram and Threads profiles will be linked from the start. You can learn more here, but key details are below:

• 500-character count posts
• Posts can contain links, photos, 5-minute videos, and gifs 
• Followers can include friends, businesses, and celebrities
• Ability to like, comment, share, repost, and quote threads

How is this different from other platforms?

Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok are less focused on real-time conversation, which is why Threads is a direct competitor to Twitter. The shelf-life of a post will be much shorter than it might be across the other big social players, meaning that timeliness is even more important in this space.

Meta is intending to create a more positive experience than users have seen on Twitter, which has been previously dubbed the meanest place on the internet. They’ve said “The vision for Threads is to create an option and friendly public space for conversation,” and plan to guide this through enhanced community guidelines and safety features. 

What’s the likelihood of this taking off?

Highly likely, due to the integrated nature of Instagram and Threads – but long-term success remains to be seen. Since both share the same login information, all of your friends and followers can immediately sync across both networks. This removes the heavy lifting of launching on a new platform off of the brand itself, making it easier to get started. Keep in mind that Meta currently does not have an option to delete your Threads account since it is tied to Instagram, but you can deactivate it or make it private.

How can my brand use it? Can I advertise on it?

If you previously had a Twitter strategy, your brand should definitely adopt this new platform. It’s best served if you have the ability to be real-time and conversational with your content. 

Advertising is not available yet, but with Meta’s history of monetization, it’s only a matter of time before it becomes an option – and having a strong organic foundation typically helps with reach, impact, and effectiveness when advertising does become available. 

Where should I start?

An immediate step would be to sync your Instagram and Threads accounts. Being an early adopter of these platforms has proven successful for brands in the past. From there:

• Post a welcome message that’s short, fun, and announces your brand has joined the platform
• Spend some time exploring the app and get to know its quirks
• Ask yourself a few key questions like:
  • What information would our brand followers want to know?
  • What do our followers look like on Instagram, and how will they use Threads?
  • What’s working for you on Instagram or Twitter that you could carry over to Threads?
  • How will your brand engage in community dialogue?
  • What trends make sense for your brand to join?
• Continue posting, based on your answers to the questions above:
  • Bake evergreen posts into your ongoing content calendar, but leave room for spontaneity and trending topics
  • Determine your desired impact and test against it – post at variety of different times, use different types of post structures, and see what sticks with your audience
  • Engage in community management, interacting with comments on your own post and proactively find opportunities to join conversations 

Still have questions?

Our team is here to help, let’s chat.