After the July 4th holiday, our marketing team returned to work buzzing about the arrival of Threads, Meta’s highly-anticipated alternative to Twitter. Within seven hours of hitting the app store, it had over 10 million sign-ups. By July 10, the app saw over 100 million members, taking the lead over ChatGPT as the fastest-growing app ever.
So what exactly is Threads? The app lets users share real-time text updates of up to 500 characters and have public conversations. Users can share photos and videos, though tagging capabilities within the assets aren’t yet available. Hashtags are not yet functional, but Meta has big plans ahead, including multiple feeds, an edit button, enhanced search, and more.
SHOULD YOU CREATE AN ACCOUNT?
Yes. We’ve traditionally seen that algorithms reward early adapters, both of new platforms and new platform products. Even if you’re not planning to post actively yet, you should claim your account to start building a following, which can grow rapidly since your Threads and Instagram accounts are already linked. Upon sign up you’ll be asked if you’d like to follow those accounts you’re currently following on Instagram and conversely, when your Instagram followers join, they’ll be prompted to auto-follow you.
ARE BRANDS USING THREADS?
Yes, we’ve seen a number of brands hop onto the platform to claim their accounts and start posting original content. The content tone is casual yet entertaining—very “social media manager to social media manager”—and we’re seeing more and more brands break the fourth wall and communicate in first person.
So far, brands are seeing good engagement on the app. According to Social Media Today, “the vast majority of brands that are active on Threads are generating more likes per post in the app than they’re seeing on Twitter, with the overall average sitting at around 8x their normal tweet engagement.” But that could change: Threads still has fewer than 50% of Twitter’s user base, so there’s less competition for attention. Reports show that Threads engagement has dropped slightly since its debut, signaling that despite the strong momentum from its launch, the app still has a ways to go to retain that high engagement.
ARE THERE ADVERTISING CAPABILITIES?
There are currently no advertising or monetization capabilities on the app. However, branded content tools, which include in-stream partner tags, are coming soon.
DO WE THINK THREADS WILL SUCCEED?
Yes. On one hand, because it’s connected to Instagram, it’s easy to quickly create your account and grow a following. The reason most new social networks fail is that they can’t scale quickly enough. For context: Twitter currently has around 250 million daily active users, while Instagram has over a billion. If all of Instagram’s user base was to start using Threads, it would easily overtake Twitter.
On the other hand, people love Twitter but are ready to leave because of recent policy shifts. Threads allows for the same type of quick-hit content, but with less friction—and early data suggests that Twitter usage has already taken a hit because of Threads.
For now, we recommend claiming your Threads account at the very least. Play around with evergreen content and say “hi” to that social media manager from that brand you admire. It’s still early on, here’s your chance to make a splash!
Streetsense’s Creative Agency brings brands to life, with a focus on creating meaningful connections between people and places. Learn more about how this team builds brands from the inside out, helping clients connect with their audiences, inspire engagement, and drive conversion.
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