If you’ve been online in the last week, chances are you’ve heard about the new Meta social media platform, Threads. The app allows users to share short text posts, images, and videos, encouraging discussion and debate with a focus on replying to and reposting other users’ content. Parent company Meta summarized the vision for Threads as a way to “take what Instagram does best and expand that to text, creating a positive and creative space to express your ideas”.
It’s no secret that the app bears striking similarity to Twitter - given the present rivalry between Mark Zuckerberg and Elon Musk this is likely not a coincidence. Recent changes to Twitter, including limits on the number of posts users can read each day, and a shift to promoting more controversial, acrimonious content has left many users unhappy with the app. Several alternative conversation-based platforms, such as Mastadon and Spill, have been gaining popularity in recent months. However, Threads’ streamlined sign-up process, allowing users to carry over their Instagram followers and handle, means the app’s userbase has skyrocketed compared to competitors. Tapping in to Meta’s vast, 3-billion strong network, over 100 million users signed up within five days of the launch on the 5th of July.

As the internet rushes to try Threads out, the natural question for any customer-facing brand is on how the platform can be used to generate traffic and engage customers. As the app is still very recent, best practices for utilizing it to reach an audience are yet to be determined, but huge brands are already jumping on the bandwagon, with Netflix gaining over three million followers in just five days post launch. The advantage of being an early adopter to new sites lies in reaching an engaged and organic audience who grow as the app grows, so it’s worth considering how to test into the platform to build a following early (or at least determine if it’s somewhere you’d like to play longer-term).

The close ties across Meta platforms mean existing Instagram followers of your brand see you as a suggested connection on Threads, allowing you to carry across your existing audience easily. To ensure your customers recognize you, you should keep a consistent brand image and voice across the two platforms, but that doesn’t mean you should use them in identical ways. As Threads is a new platform, it’s okay to experiment with tone and content. The conversational nature of the app means you can engage with potential customers in a more informal manner – try encouraging users to share their thoughts on your brand and cultivate debate over which new or special edition products you should release next. An advantage of Threads over Instagram here is that you can share links to products directly, driving up traffic to your site.
Capitalizing on the organic reach of a new platform is a great way to build your brand. The current Threads feed involves a main landing page where an algorithm shows users a mixture of posts from users they already follow, and those they don’t, offering the chance to get your name in front of potential customers who may never have heard of you before. Sharing engaging, authentic content around your brand is a great way to make an impact (there’s always the chance of a witty one-liner going viral!). You can also drum up interest by running a giveaway encouraging users to follow your account and share it with friends in return for the chance to win free products.
Advertising on Threads is currently limited to sharing organic content from your brand page, with paid ads unlikely to be rolled out this year, according to company sources. While the “organic-first” approach may be a breath of fresh air for some, the feed is not without its limitations – currently the app does not support hashtags or filtering, so it could be harder for potential customers to find your content. It’s also yet to be released in the EU, awaiting confirmation over data privacy restrictions, limiting its reach. Additionally, there’s an inherent risk in investing time in any new platform. The future of the app is uncertain so devoting time to developing a presence could be a waste of resources if the user-base doesn’t stick.
For a brand looking for new ways to engage its audience directly, Threads offers a fairly low-risk opportunity to test just that. Getting in early offers a chance to build learnings and community ahead of the majority wave and more major feature releases like paid ads. The user base is large enough to offer some real upside if your efforts are successful, and the barriers of entry low enough to make the effort worth the risk overall. Of course, you’ll know your own brand best – if you’re in a highly regulated space, targeting more users outside the US than in, or just generally not targeting more digitally-engaged customers, now might not be the right time. For the rest? The choice is up to you!