Instagram Threads: What Should Brands Know About the App

Capitalizing on Twitter’s problems, Threads finally made its debut on 5 July 2023. Developed by Meta’s Instagram team, Threads is a largely text-based social media app. “Whether you’re a creator or a casual poster, Threads offers a new, separate space for real-time updates and public conversations,” Meta said in a statement. Similar to X, formerly known as Twitter, users on Threads can write posts containing up to 500 characters. These posts can also have photos, links, and up to five-minute-long videos.

How to Use Threads

Users will need an Instagram account to use Threads. Without an Instagram account, users won’t be able to use Threads. It exists as a standalone app available on iOS and Android. After downloading the app, users can log in with their Instagram account. Since Instagram and Threads are connected, users can access some benefits of the photo-sharing app. For instance, if a user is verified on Instagram, their Threads account will be verified too. Additionally, users can cross-post their Threads content on Instagram.

The Threads app interface is similar to Instagram’s, with the same font and icons being used. The basic functions involve liking, replying, or reposting threads. The “For you” feed allows users to see posts of profiles they follow as well as recommended posts. The “Following” feed also exists, wherein users can only see posts from accounts they are following.

Threads and the fediverse

Threads looks to stand apart by being a decentralized platform. This means that users can post their Threads content on other social media platforms too. Meta is currently working on this feature. It says that such interoperability will make it easier for users to “find their community, no matter what app they use.” But that’s not all; through decentralization, Meta plans to make Threads a part of the fediverse. The fediverse can be said to be a collection of multiple decentralized servers. It allows users to communicate with people who are part of other platforms on the fediverse.

“You can have an account on one service and you can post on other services. Other people can read your stuff; they can connect to you. You can have relationships and friendships — family relationships that don’t depend on which actual service you’re using,” Evan Prodromou, a Montreal-based entrepreneur and technologist, told CBC.

Brand management on Threads

Threads’ user base is linked with Instagram, which can be leveraged by brands. In other words, audiences already exist on the app. Brands need to figure out what works and what doesn’t. Looking at what other brands have done can help. In a blog article, HubSpot lists the top brands on Threads and their strategy. The list features brands like Marvel, CNN, Google, and more. Keeping it light and conversational seems to be a common theme for Threads content. While “Marvel posts heartfelt scenes from comics, candid clips of Marvel fans at comic conventions,” Google’s posts rely on a more “conversational tone when engaging with its followers, speaking in short sentences.”

In another article, HubSpot says making your brand more “relatable and human” is the way ahead on Threads. Brands can also post content that’s funny and lighthearted. They should focus on content that helps in bringing out their overall brand personality well.

Another area for brands to focus on is developing their community. Writing for Forbes, Kelly Ehlers says that brands should be “less focused on product promotion and more in tune with community-building efforts.”

Threads is a great platform for brands to actively interact with their target audiences’ posts. Doing so paves the way for communicating with influencers and other important stakeholders. That being said, brands will need a comprehensive strategy so that their messaging and values reflect well on the app.

Looking ahead

The social media landscape is changing quickly. Decentralization, influencer marketing, brand purpose, personalization, and artificial intelligence are just a few buzzwords impacting communications trends. After the initial hype flatlines, it’s difficult to even think about what’s coming up next. Take Threads for example – Within weeks of its launch, reports emerged that the app is losing “active and engaged users.” This could be due to the rise of text-based social media apps, with Threads vying for competition alongside Spill, Bluesky, and Mastodon.

Monetization is another important aspect. Threads does not have ads for now, but that could soon change. Adam Mosseri, Instagram’s head, said that Threads might be monetized via ads, but did not specify when users could see ads on the app.

With changes happening thick and fast, communications professionals need to be ready to experiment. Such changes should be considered as opportunities for growth and an attempt to gain a better understanding of target consumers.