Unless you have been living under a rock the past few weeks, you will have heard of Threads, the new app from Meta that rivals Twitter. Threads offers a new space for real-time post updates and public conversations. According to Meta, the text-based conversation app is “where communities come together to discuss everything from the topics you care about today to what’ll be trending tomorrow.”
It is no surprise that Threads, launched earlier this month, has become the fastest growing consumer app ever with over 100 million sign ups in the first 5 days – knocking AI tool ChatGPT off top spot. The recent turbulent situation with Twitter, along with the tendency of digital-savvy audiences to jump on the bandwagon of “the next best thing, has likely contributed to this. Since its launch, our team of digital marketing experts have been exploring the app. Here are their thoughts on the good, the bad, and the possibility of Threads.
It has a smooth set up process thanks to its link with Instagram.
But you can only get Threads if you have Instagram, and you can only delete Threads if you delete Instagram.
It has a sleek and simple view.
But its data analytics are non-existent.
It has a rapidly expanding audience.
But it’s not available in Europe, and not accessible via desktop… yet.
It allows you to easily transfer over existing Instagram followers.
But there’s no ‘following-only feed’ as a result of its algorithm, so you still see Thread-recommended accounts.
It is new, fresh, and evolving.
But this means there’s a lot of features still to be added, including using multiple accounts on a single device.
It doesn’t have any ads.
But this may still be added once it’s hits 1 billion users according to Mark Zuckerberg.
It allows you to post updates of 500 characters.
But you can’t edit your post once live.
It is clear that this is version 1.0 of Threads. And for an initial launch, the many features and its rapid success is impressive. As users continue to explore the platform, there are already calls for new features to be added and we’re sure that Meta developers will be keeping a close eye on these requests, along with the general functionality and interoperability of the Threads app. Can the app development remain at the same speed of its ever-increasing audience numbers?
Quality vs. Quantity
There is no doubt that acting as an extension to Instagram has done Thread wonders in terms of its high adoption rate, but this link also begs the question as to the type of audience between the two platforms. Yes, Threads is more a text-based app (although still with the capability to post images, videos and GIFs) compared to the visual-post-focussed Instagram, but if Threads sign up is limited by Instagram sign up, does this mean it is effectively limited to the same audience?
As we say to our clients –being present in the right places to attract the right audience is a more beneficial approach to being on all social media platforms for the sake of it. It is all about targeting your efforts on the top performing methods for you and your brand. Timing is also key. Early adoption could be best in many cases, but when we’ve witnessed the rise and fall of many new platforms in recent years, is this a bandwagon we should all be jumping on for both personal and professional use?
Threads is certainly new and tempting, but it is early days. While there is immense potential, it all depends on the development of the platform as to where this will sit within the digital marketing universe. It is too early to predict whether this platform will continue to go from strength to strength, but at Proactive PR, we are certainly excited by its potential. As we add Threads social media management to our existing digital marketing offering, we will be monitoring the platform closely to understand which brands and clients will benefit from the addition of it as a marketing tool.
For more information on how Proactive PR can support you in defining and delivering your social media and digital marketing strategies, book a meeting with our Marketing Director Jade Hush here. And of course, follow us on threads @Proactive_PR as well as on LinkedIn here.