Meta, the company formerly known as Facebook, has launched a new app called Threads, which aims to rival Twitter as the go-to platform for text-based updates and public conversations.
As a standalone companion to Instagram, Threads aims to facilitate intimate, quick, and quirky sharing among close friends.
Within its first two days of release, Threads amassed over 100 million users, making it one of history’s fastest-growing social media platforms. While growth has cooled more recently, its explosive entrance on the scene is still worth noting.
What is Threads?
Threads is an ingenious attempt by Meta to harness the potential of private messaging, photo sharing, and status updates into a single, user-friendly platform. It encourages sharing and interaction within your chosen circle of close Instagram friends, promoting a sense of community and authenticity.
Unlike Instagram, which focuses on photos and videos, Threads aims to take what Instagram does best and expand that to text, creating a positive and creative space to express your ideas.
Threads allows users to share text, photos, video messages, and interactive Stories. Posts can be up to 500 characters long and include links, photos, and videos up to 5 minutes. What sets Threads apart is its “auto status” feature — an option that, when enabled, automatically shares little context about where you are or what you’re up to without compromising on privacy. This feature has brought a new dimension to online interaction, taking it beyond mere passive consumption.
Threads is also working towards compatibility with open, interoperable social networks, a move that Meta believes can shape the future of the internet. Users can log in using their Instagram account and share their posts to other platforms like Twitter or Mastodon. Zuckerberg said he hopes Threads will “help more people find their voice and participate in the public conversation.”
Use Cases and Features of Threads
Text-Based Conversations
Threads is a text-based conversation app that allows users to share real-time updates and public conversations. Users can follow and connect with friends and creators who share their interests, including those they follow on Instagram and beyond. Threads aims to be a positive and creative space to express ideas and connect with others.
Safety and User Controls
Threads includes a suite of safety and user controls already available on Instagram. These controls allow users to manage their privacy, who can see their posts, and report anything that violates the platform’s community guidelines.
Compatibility with Open, Interoperable Social Networks
Meta is working towards making Threads compatible with open, interoperable social networks that they believe can shape the future of the internet. This means Threads will be able to interact with other social media platforms, allowing users to share content across different networks.
Linking to Instagram
Threads is linked to users’ Instagram accounts, making it easy to follow and connect with the same accounts on both platforms. Users can easily switch between Instagram and Threads to stay up-to-date with all the latest content from their favorite creators.
Intimate Usage
Threads is designed to be a more personal and personalized social media experience. It’s perfect for sharing real-time updates and public conversations with friends and family with similar interests. Threads is used to share photos, videos, and text-based posts, making it a versatile platform for personal use.
Business Usage
Threads can also be used for business purposes, such as promoting products or services, building brand awareness, and engaging with customers. The platform’s focus on real-time updates and public conversations makes it an ideal platform for businesses that want to connect with their audience more intimately and personally.
When Will Ads Ruin It? (😏)
Without a clear-cut monetization plan, it’s too early to determine the long-term threat Threads poses. However, engagement is a crucial metric that can eventually lure advertisers.
Mark Zuckerberg, the CEO of Meta, has declared that the firm will only consider monetizing Threads once the platform has achieved one billion users. By allowing Instagram users to carry over their accounts, credentials, and followers to Threads, the text-based social media app can access the extensive user base of over two billion on the photo-sharing platform.
Even though the matter of how Threads will make money is still uncertain, ads are Meta’s primary source of income, and logic would dictate they’ll be a force in the future.
Subscriptions and paywalled content could be another potential source of revenue for the creator-focused application.
At the very least, advertisers will be eyeing Threads as a less-risky alternative to Twitter.
How can Threads help your brand?
Build an intimate community
Threads provides a perfect opportunity to build a close-knit community around your brand. Brands can use this platform to engage with loyal customers, offering exclusive content and behind-the-scenes sneak peeks. The smaller interaction scale can lead to higher engagement rates and stronger relationships with your consumers.
Offering a personalized experience
With Threads, brands can offer their followers a more personalized and intimate experience. From personal greetings to exclusive deals, the sky’s the limit regarding personalized interaction on Threads.
Exploit the “auto status” feature
By cleverly using the auto status feature, your brand can give followers real-time behind-the-scenes content. This can create a sense of participation and inclusiveness among your followers. Remember to use the auto status feature creatively; it’s one of the unique selling points of Threads. Share snippets of your brand’s day-to-day activities, tease upcoming launches, or just share something fun and offbeat.
Getting Started with Threads
Meta made using threads incredibly intuitive. By using your Instagram account and your username, verification will carry over. You can choose to follow the same accounts you do on Instagram and find more people who share your interests, and your feed on Threads includes threads posted by people you follow and recommended content from new creators you haven’t discovered yet.
If you already have an Instagram account for your brand, you’re halfway there. Install the Threads app, and you can choose your close friends list from Instagram or create a new one directly on Threads.
You can join the conversation by liking, reposting, replying, or quoting a thread. You can easily share a Threads post to your Instagram story or share your post as a link on any other platform you choose.
Threads also has tools to enable positive, productive conversations. You can control who can mention you or reply to you within Threads. You can add hidden words to filter out replies to your threads that contain specific words. You can unfollow, block, restrict, or report a profile on Threads by tapping the three-dot menu, and any accounts you’ve blocked on Instagram will automatically be blocked on Threads.
Start sharing content that aligns with your brand identity, but remember: the idea is to offer an intimate, behind-the-scenes perspective. Engage with your followers by responding to their messages, asking for feedback, and showing them that you value their input.
Possible Challenges
Threads is not without its challenges. The app faces scrutiny from U.S. lawmakers over possible censorship and content moderation issues. The House Judiciary Committee has asked Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg to hand over documents about Threads in response to an earlier subpoena related to the panel’s ongoing investigation of tech platforms’ policies and contact with the Biden administration.
The committee said it has received reports of “inconsistent enforcement of community standards” on Threads and is concerned about “the potential for political interference or bias in content moderation decisions.” The committee also wants to examine how Meta handles user data and privacy on Threads.
Threads also faces competition from other text-sharing platforms, such as Twitter, which has a loyal user base and a more extensive global reach. Twitter has also added new features, such as Spaces, Fleets, Super Follows, and Tip Jar, to attract and retain users. Whether Threads can carve out its niche and appeal to users looking for a different way to share their thoughts online remains to be seen.
The Takeaway
Threads offers a promising new channel for brands to foster stronger, more personal relationships with their audience. While it may require a shift in content strategy, the potential rewards for brand loyalty and engagement are worth the effort.
Stay ahead of the curve, embrace the new, and let Threads weave a unique narrative for your brand.
As always, we’re here to help you navigate these new waters. If you want to learn how to incorporate Threads into your social media strategy, don’t hesitate to get in touch.
