Everything You Need To Know About Threads (So Far)

Another month, another social platform has launched. But is Threads going to be a flash in the pan or is it here to stay? Here’s everything you need to know about the new platform from Instagram.

WHAT IS IT?

Threads is a new social media app developed by the Instagram team (part of Meta), designed for “sharing text updates and joining public conversations.” It’s basically Twitter, but by Instagram.

The similarities between the two apps are obvious; with both having news feeds containing short-form text posts, that other users can like, reshare and comment on. But rather than tweets we have ‘threads’, and rather than retweets we have ‘reposts’. Twitter has reportedly threatened legal action against Meta for the copycat – with founder Mark Zuckerberg being no stranger to borrowing ideas from other social media platforms.

Stories now feels like a central part of the Instagram platform, but the feature was essentially a copy of Snapchat’s main image-sharing function, while Reels was noted for its similarity to TikTok upon launch.

Zuck evidently has plans to dominate the entire social sphere, and Threads is the next piece of the puzzle to put Meta at the heart of the globe’s social media use.

WHO’S USING IT?

10 million people joined the platform within the first seven hours of launch, with the number reaching 100 million within the first five days to make it the fastest growing app in history.

For context, it took TikTok nine months to reach 100 million users, and Instagram a sluggish two-and-a-half-years in comparison.

Due to the seamless sign-up process for Instagram users, the majority of that 100 million are likely to be people who use Instagram daily (of which there are 1.4 billion people), so we can expect to see the userbase continue to rise over the coming weeks and months. 

Notable brands and celebrities are already active on the platform, and the active weekly userbase is now one-fifth that of Twitter.

WHAT DOES IT MEAN FOR BRANDS?

It seems like a new social media platform launches every few months, and many shine brightly before fading into darkness just as quickly. Our take is that Threads is here for the long-run though, as the connection to Instagram acts as both an immediate trust builder and a seamless entryway, with Zuckerberg and co. arguably understanding network effects and how to make a platform ‘sticky’ better than anyone else. 

There is always a first-mover advantage with new social platforms, and we expect that to be the case with Threads, so our advice to brands is:

  • Sign up and claim your Threads handle (which will be the same as your Instagram handle), even if you have no immediate plan to post content.

  • Well written copy is key: If Instagram is a beauty pageant, Threads is where personality and wit shines through. Good words are rewarded. The simplest place to start is with some of your brand’s best performing tweets – reworked for the present.

  • Don’t overthink it – everyone is making it up as they go along right now. Try new things but stick to your brand's core principles and TOV.

There are no ads on the platform yet, but Zuckerberg has publicly stated that Meta will work on launching ads on Threads when it reaches 1 billion users. But for now, good luck and have fun with it. 

If you’d like more insights or help managing your brand’s social media presence, contact us here.

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