To stay connected to existing audiences and reach new ones, brands should join Threads. If you have an Instagram account, it’s easy to get started. And if you have a robust social strategy, you’re already ten steps ahead.
Threads joins the ecosystem of Twitter, SPILL, Mastadon, BlueSky, and more to gain the loyalty of text-based social media users. This new app from Meta offers companies a unique opportunity to take brand personification to the next level.
Immediately more casual than Twitter or other leading social platforms, Threads, Instagram’s text-based conversation app, lets brands have a uniquely human brand voice within this digital sphere. Companies can deepen relationships with customers and followers in conversations with existing and new audiences.
If you’ve historically had great results on Twitter but have recently recalibrated its place in your social strategy, this app is built just for you. If you’ve got a strong Instagram presence and you’re looking to reach a larger audience, Threads offers a new space to connect.
Here’s what to know as you hit the ground running.
What Is Threads?
Threads, the long-rumored competitor app to Twitter, has been unveiled by Meta as a companion to Instagram. Here’s a quick run-down: Designed to foster an open and friendly space for communities, Threads is a new app built for text updates and joining public conversations.
Threads is closely integrated with Instagram, having been built by the Instagram team. Users are required to have an Instagram account to sign up for Threads and must use their Instagram handle as their Threads username.
Companies with powerful social strategies are already kicking off on the app to take brand personification to the next level on this new app.
Mark Zuckerberg himself is already calling it with his Threads post the day after launch stating the following in a Threads post.
The platform allows users to set their Threads account as private or public, providing flexibility in how they interact with others on the new platform. Furthermore, Threads ensures that users under the age of 16 (or under 18 in certain countries) default to a private profile.
The app also offers core accessibility features like screen reader support and AI-generated image descriptions. Threads is now available in more than 100 countries for iOS and Android; however, it’s not yet in the European Union. That said, Threads is dedicated to decentralization.
Threads is committed to being part of the fediverse, defined by Instagram as “a social network of different servers operated by third parties that are connected and can communicate with each other.” In the near future, Threads plans to become compatible with ActivityPub, the open social networking protocol established by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C).
This will make Threads interoperable with other apps that support the ActivityPub protocol, such as Mastodon and WordPress, allowing for new types of connections that are not possible on most social apps today.
This decentralized approach will play an important role in the future of online platforms, giving people the freedom to choose spaces that align with their values. As Threads works to gain footing as the next-gen Twitter app, here’s how you can take a step towards that future and sign up for an account.
How to Get Started on Threads
Right now, you’ll need an Instagram app to sign up for Threads. It’s easy to use as it has a similar user experience to Instagram and Twitter. Your Instagram username becomes your Threads username, too. Users can directly import their list of followed accounts from Instagram, and verified users on Instagram will also be verified on Threads.
Here are the simple steps:
- Download the Threads app.
- Login with Instagram.
- Create your profile.
- Choose to have a “public” or “private” profile.
- Instantly follow accounts you already follow on Instagram or manually choose accounts to follow.
- Join the conversation.
Who’s in the Threads Audience?
Threads audiences might differ from those on Twitter and Instagram in some ways. Curated Instagram audiences are able to immediately translate to Threads, bringing an Instagram-specific community of followers onto a text instead of an image and video-based platform.
However, the Instagram vs. Twitter users aren’t a direct 1:1 overlap, with Instagram users generally more passionate about curated aesthetics vs. the quick-witted “hot takes” of Twitter. While there are differences between Twitter and Instagram users, they may share more similarities than those on BeReal or less curated apps.
Twitter has driven a lot of culture, present for many moments in our current American zeitgeist. It has given a loud voice to a smaller group of people.
Yet, while Twitter has always been a huge name, Meta products have historically dominated reach and market penetration.
As Meta’s products lead the pack, Threads is likely to widen the gap among competitors, even if Twitter works to legally fight back.
Which brand and audiences will make Threads their own?
While Threads is emerging, and there’s always room for nuance, marketers can think of Thread’s audiences as two key groups:
- An extension of Instagram audiences with a different content form
- A different audience entirely (if it’s people switching from Twitter to Threads)
As you think through any adaptations to your social strategy, consider who prefers text-only social? Or visuals? Which audiences brand should look to be in front of? And which brands are best suited to which audiences? These differences pave the way to better performance.
– Sarah Gray, Group Director, SEO & Digital Content
Publisher brands, who’ve struggled to get traffic from Instagram, could now have a built-in following with links to text headlines.
Who will dive headfirst into Threads? Many adults still prefer text as social media content, so Millennials and other generations could likely lead the charge. Additionally, other demographic considerations and content interests, media consumption, and more will share who will inhabit this new social ecosystem.
Millennials and older generations can be more likely to hide behind their keyboards vs. adopting Gen Z’s preferred apps offering an unmanicured look-under-the-hood on apps such as BeReal. A consideration when reviewing these generational numbers is the difference between “Gen Z adults” and the Gen Zers who are still relatively young. Like other fringe generations such as Zillenials, it’s important to embrace a full and detailed view of your target audience that isn’t solely based on larger generational patterns.
Unspool Opportunities on Threads
What unique opportunities does Thread offer brands today? Here are just a few:
- Connecting deeper with existing Instagram followers
- Reaching new audiences
- Highly developed brand personification
As the social ecosystem expands, it’s ever more vital to have a detailed, clear picture of your best customers and target audiences. The people that power your brand growth are constantly evolving, adopting new apps, gaining new media preferences, and becoming interested in fresh types of connection.
Brands that adapt ahead of their ideal customers, especially through social app adoption, can communicate, engage, and activate in the authentic digital spaces of their target audience. Instead of assumptions or generalizations, consumer intelligence and deep analysis can streamline your marketing performance.
Threads is the latest iteration of a digital relationship between brands and people, offering an opportunity to forge a more human connection with the audience that matters most.
Exploring the latest social apps is only one part of a data-centric, performance-driven strategy, giving you the power to know and do more. Dig deeper into ByteDance’s discovery-focused social app Lemon8, or let’s talk about how to achieve more for your marketing — and your business.
