Meta’s Threads: What You Need to Know

Social media’s continued evolution and specifically the last six months have brought notable change to the digital landscape.

While Facebook and YouTube are the most used social platforms in the world in 2023, TikTok and Instagram Reels continue to be popular, Meta launched Threads, Twitter rebranded as X, and news is now being blocked for Canadian users on Facebook and Instagram because of Bill C-18.

In this post, get caught up on all things Threads, Meta’s newest platform — learn more about it, who should use it, why, and how.

What is Threads?

Threads is described by Instagram as, “a new app, built by the Instagram team, for sharing text updates and joining public conversations.”

Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg adds, “Threads takes the best part of the Instagram experience and creates a whole new app around text, ideas, and sharing what’s on your mind.”

Created to compete with X (formerly Twitter), the new social app was announced on July 5, 2023. Users can create a Threads profile through their Instagram account and bring over their Instagram profile information and the accounts they follow.

Who’s Using Threads?

Threads drew 70 million users in the first few days and 100 million users in under a week, becoming the fastest-growing app in history. But four weeks later, usage plummeted 79%, according to data from Similarweb.

There are several suspected reasons users are not sticking with it. With a more limited experience than X, it lacks certain core features that have characterized X and other networks, and Meta has been slow to roll out promised new features. As users leave, it becomes a less engaging and interesting social platform to use.

But Meta says it has future plans to integrate Threads with ActivityPub, making it compatible with other apps like Mastodon and WordPress. This would allow marketers and creators to take their followers with them to another server or app.

The Harvard Business Review says, “The launch of Threads signals an important shift: it’s the first mainstream glimpse of what social media based on partially or fully open software protocols […] could look like.”

Who should be investing time in Threads?

Despite the potential cultural significance of Threads, who should be investing time in and developing a strategy for the app?

In July 2023, Later’s Social Media Manager Christine Colling advised against having a Threads strategy initially, saying, “The main focus should be about educating and entertaining your audiences in these beginning stages. No one knows what they’re doing yet […]”

Similarly in August 2023, Hubspot said it is too early to predict what content will thrive on the app in the long run. 

What are the pros and cons of using Threads? 

The benefits of using Threads as a business include:

• Brand awareness

• Customer engagement: a more intimate and personal way to connect with your community

• Market research

• Networking and building new partnerships

But these could come with a cost including:

• No current advertising options on Threads meaning businesses have to rely on organic content to reach their audiences. This could also work in your favour if you have little to no advertising budget and are struggling to compete against those that do.

• Management tools are limited

• Declining usage

• The app is mobile-only but Meta recently announced it is available on desktop for some users

Before getting started on Threads, businesses should ask the following questions:

• Does your business already use Instagram and drive business from social media?

• Are you able to keep the content updated?

• Are you looking for X alternatives?

• Will it distract or take away from other core business functions?

How to get started with Threads

If your business wants to give Threads a go, here are some other tips to get started:

• Focus on connections and conversations

• Experiment and explore with your content

• Look at how other notable brands are interacting with Threads, check out: Wendy’s, National Geographic, and Anthropologie

• Connect with your community and continue to build relationships

There’s a lot to keep up with, but you don’t necessarily need to catch every trend! Businesses can harness the power of social media by leveraging the platforms that work for them and that are going to effectively engage their audiences.

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