Meta and Instagram took the social media world by storm last week with the quick launch of their new app called Threads!
Previously rumored as “Barcelona”, Threads is a new app that resembles Twitter pretty closely. Now it’s no secret that Meta has taken ideas from other social media platforms before and ran with it, i.e. Reels, BeReal, etc., but they haven’t quite seen success like they have with the launch of Threads.
To put it into perspective, via The Morning Brew, it took Threads only 1 HOUR to reach 1 million users, in comparison to ChatGPT (5 days), FB (10 months), and Twitter (2 years). In terms of sign-ups, it broke the record of the fastest-growing social media platform and is currently sitting at over 100 million users already!
Now you’re probably wondering, why Threads, and how does it differ from Twitter?
Built by the Instagram team for sharing text updates and joining public conversations, with Threads you’re able to connect with friends, creators, and businesses. You can share posts up to 500 characters long (these posts can include links, videos, and photos). Oh, and you can also share a Thread as a post on Instagram easily since the account is connected to your Instagram profile!
You can see posts from your favorite creators and discover new people too. Threads let you decide who can reply and interact with you so that you’re always in control. With the connection to Instagram, creating your account is simple. You download the app and log in with your Instagram account. This allows you to retain your handle and even import your IG bio if you choose to do so.
Plus, you can even automatically follow everyone you follow on Instagram! This is an important feature as it doesn’t necessarily mean users have to start from scratch like previous platforms. While new social media platforms can deter users because of that “starting over from the beginning” mindset, Threads gives you the opportunity to not only retain your current audience but also reach new ones.
What does this mean for social media managers?
It means yet another platform for us to post to! However, there is a drawback to this…
Because the app is so new and wasn’t launched in a traditional way, there are definitely some limitations to the app.
It does not support 3rd party scheduling. Which unfortunately means, manual posting is the only way to go at the moment. We hope this will change in the future but until that API opens up, if you want to be present on Threads, it will need to be done manually.
It was launched not necessarily in beta, but it is definitely still in its 1.0 version. In simpler terms, the app was launched a bit out of order, meaning some of your favorite features don’t necessarily exist yet and you may run into some glitches. Notable missing features are no hashtags, no alt text, no chronological feed, and no ability to toggle between accounts. Via Mosseri himself, we’ve been assured updates like this are coming but it will take some time.
You currently cannot delete your Threads account without deleting your entire Instagram account. This is important to note! Your Threads account is connected to your IG account, so right now it’s just one account. Don’t accidentally delete your entire Instagram account because you want to delete Threads. They are looking into a way to delete separately but for now, you CAN deactivate Threads, which will hide your profile/content. You can also set the profile to private and delete individual threads, without deleting your entire Instagram account.
The data Threads collects from Users is a heated discussion. When it comes to what type of data is collected, this is always a topic of conversation. Our advice, read the terms and make your own informed decision of course.
Should you consider joining Threads?
Threads stands out to us in the fact that it seems a bit more casual than actually posting to Instagram or Facebook! Right now, with the hype and brand new platform, conversations, and connections are fun and a great way to show off brands/businesses’ personalities!
While it is mainly casual, we can see it evolving as a great spot to tease announcements or new launches that ultimately will lead people over to Instagram for the official announcement/post. This can get the buzz going since the app is meant for conversations to be had! It’ll be a perfect spot to ask questions and get some feedback!
Have a quick update? Fun meme? Quick question? Post it to Threads! (Big emphasis on the memes! People are sharing a ton of them over there and everyone is loving it).
So keep the content simple, fun, and casual! Basically the opposite of an ad and what we see on every other social media platform these days.
The most important thing to take away from this new app is that people are wanting a sense of connection. This isn’t a place for the same things, it’s all about authenticity and fun. Something we’ve heard in the past year especially is that people are missing the casual, fun aspect of social media that we once had.
Threads feels like a way to bring this back! Maybe it’s because it’s just launched but the potential is there! It’s creating that exciting feeling of everything being simple, unplanned, easy to post to, and see what others are posting.
Our advice! There really is nothing to lose, especially as the app is so new! Download the Threads app from either the Google Play Store or the Apple Store and test it out today.
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