App Alert
We interrupt this holiday week with a special App Alert edition of The Spark featuring the latest entry in the competition to overtake Twitter.
Meet Meta’s Threads, a text-based app integrated with Instagram that enables real-time public conversations among users.
After being announced on Monday, July 3, Threads launched at 7 p.m. EDT on Wednesday evening. By Thursday morning the app had already reached nearly 30 million downloads.
If you’ve been anywhere near social media in the last 24 hours, you’ve probably witnessed the mass migration to this new space.
Why Now?
This seemingly sudden (but long planned) debut fortuitously followed a Saturday announcement from Twitter’s Elon Musk introducing daily limits on the number of posts users can read. The move sparked the latest rush of users to alternate apps, with Bluesky temporarily taking the lead. However, with a waitlist still in place, many of those looking for a quick alternative were left hanging. Enter Threads.
Will Meta’s latest app unravel Twitter? Read on to learn more about what it is and what brands should consider as you evaluate this app for your business.
How It Works
Threads is a standalone app (you can download it here) that connects directly to your Instagram account. That means one of two things, depending on if you have an IG account or not:
- If you have an Instagram account: Your Threads handle is being held for you.
- If you don’t have an Instagram account: You’ll first need to create an IG account. This automatically reserves your Threads account of the same name.
This early version of Threads has stitched together features that will be very familiar to Twitter users:
- A 500-character limit
- Reposting
- Threaded posts
- Photo and video sharing
It includes many of its parent app’s capabilities, like filtering out unwanted conversations and terms and carousel images. Users can also choose to automatically follow all of the same accounts they already follow on IG.
The app also features a few UX shortcomings like confusing prompts when a new account follows you, a clunky experience navigating between multiple accounts (shout out to all of the social media managers), and other oddities the app will likely amend in the coming weeks.
What to Consider
As marketers watch this social media phenomenon unfold, it's easy to get swept up in the excitement of a new app. Keep these things in mind as you decide if Threads is the right fit for your brand:
A Clean (but Untested) Canvas: It's hard to top the thrill of a new avenue for creative content. A fresh space offers a slew of opportunities to try fresh strategies. However, be wary of putting too many resources towards this platform too quickly. Identify a resource who can observe the various approaches being tested out by brands and the resulting engagement. Experimenting with content that can be repurposed on your other social profiles will allow you to assess this new space without losing momentum from your existing social program.
Follow these accounts for some inspiration:
Curate a Patchwork of Communities: Because Threads is built on Instagram, users can choose to automatically follow all of the same accounts they already follow on IG. But, many Threads users are also coming to it from Twitter. Be sure to establish an intended purpose for how you plan to use Threads vs your other platforms and curate your Threads follow strategy accordingly.
Don't Be Afraid to Try It On: For brands that have the bandwidth and appetite, being an early adopter of Threads has possible advantages. Being a pioneer on a new platform can set you apart from competitors. And with a tested property like IG behind it, there's less risk than there might be with other lesser-known apps.
Ultimately, it's early days for this new app. While it has the might of Meta behind it, public sentiment can change quickly, so if your brand isn't able to closely monitor the situation you may want to wait and see. If you’re already on Instagram, your handle will be waiting for you. We'll be keeping a close eye in the days and weeks ahead as this social media sensation takes its first steps. Subscribe to The Spark to say up to date with Threads and whatever's next.
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