Pulling at the Seams: How is Threads Keeping Up?
By Emily Bent
It’s been a month since Threads, Meta’s new social media platform, landed on the scene and caused a stir in the digital sphere. If you’ve been following along, you know we quickly jumped in and shared our opinions on the platform. You can check those out here.
But as the hot takes begin to cool, we thought it would be a good idea to take another look at Threads to see what’s changed in the weeks since it launched, what’s working, and what needs work. In the world of social media, a month can feel like a lifetime. Let’s see if Threads has woven together something beautiful, or if the stitches are starting to come loose.
But First, The Artist Formerly Known As Twitter
X (née Twitter) has undoubtedly had an interesting month since Threads launched. Consider this hypothetical question for a moment: If you owned Twitter and a rival launched an app to compete with your platform directly, what would your first move be?
Some might suggest improving the user experience. Others may offer an innovative new way to use the app. Both are great ideas! Unfortunately, we’re playing checkers while Elon Musk is playing (a bad game) of chess. Yes, he passed on ideas to make the experience better. Instead, he decided to drum up news coverage by rebranding Twitter as X (in a move that wiped out anywhere from 4 to 20 billion dollars in value, according to some analysts).
With Twitt…er, X, in crises, it felt like Threads would have no problem swooping in and delivering a knockout blow to the faltering platform. And yet, that hasn’t quite happened.
Instead, Threads currently finds itself in a position of perhaps striking a little too swiftly with ideas that were only half-baked. And now, it could be racing to catch up to a user base that is quickly growing bored.
Let’s take a closer look.
What Have You Done For Me Lately? What’s New Since Day One?
When Threads was available to download on July 5, 2023, it was fairly barebones. Still, it quickly garnered over 100 million sign-ups, a recording-breaking number. Since its grand entrance, the app-only platform added a chronological ‘Following’ feed to its ‘For You’ feed, so users can toggle between accounts they actively followed and a page to find new-to-them creators. There is a translation option for posts so you can read any content in your chosen language or its original language, and its ‘Activity Feed’ lets you filter between followers, quotes, and reposts. Visually and practically, being on Threads feels like a slightly different version of the very best (read: pre-Musk) edition of Twitter.
Things Have Gotten a Little Threadbare
Since its peak of activity on July 7, Threads has plummeted by 70% in the number of daily users. Now clocking in at about 13 million users daily, the average time spent per user on the app is 4 minutes. According to the latest X reports, 237.8 million users log into their app daily, spending an average of 34 minutes scrolling. However, the number of daily active users has been declining for quite some time. There is still no desktop option for Threads or an API connector for scheduling platforms. While the public opinion of X is declining, it is still the top choice for seeking out the latest information for breaking news.
Who’s posting on Threads and doing it well?
Aside from personal Instagram users, countless businesses leaped to the new platform and are doing it well. Everyone’s favourite red-headed fast food chain, Wendy’s, continued to maintain its caviler and relatable, perhaps immature, persona on Threads, speaking directly to their primary audience of young people and millennials raised on internet culture. Later, a social media scheduling platform smartly ditched its Instagram strategy of promoting its blog and service and pivoted to creating and sharing memes and thought-starters that speak to its user base. While National Geographic’s feed sprinkles in enough timely content and pop-culture references linked to the natural world to stand on its own while staying true to the brand. Besides, who doesn’t love seeing images of baby pandas?
Why are these brands doing well on Threads? Easy. They’re engaging and experimenting, talking in the same slang and tenor as the people on the app. They equally stay true to who they are as a brand while embracing the new medium and its style. While it can be scary to let loose with your brand, it’s imperative on platforms like Threads and TikTok that you do just that. You may not sell a product on Threads, but you can grow a massive follower base and increase your brand awareness. It also doesn’t hurt your brand awareness to be a little silly on certain platforms. It shows you are modern, relatable, welcoming, and in touch with what’s going on in the world. Plus, the people on Facebook who know and love you there aren’t necessarily the ones you will attract on Threads. We believe in you, have fun!
The Big Question: Is Threads Right for You?
If you’re wondering if Threads is right for your organization, we’re still taking a wait-and-see approach to the platform with our partners on case-by-case bases. That said, we’d like to see a few changes and additions before we can give the platform a wholehearted endorsement. Take a look at our dream Threads wishlist:
- An API so we can schedule content
- An interactive desktop webpage for easy scrolling and platform diversity
- A profile manager so we can quickly jump from account to account,
- A worldwide platform rollout (Currently, Threads is not available in the European Union, like it is in Canada, the United States, and the United Kingdom)
What’s on your Threads wishlist?
Does X Mark the Spot, or is Threads the Place to Tread?
Looking at the social landscape today, the future of X is uncertain, and the value of Threads is unproven. If you already have an established audience on X, keep nurturing those relationships, but this is not the time to start a new profile. Threads is great for showing a relaxed, trendy, conversational tone for your existing audience to relate to. Still, as of now, there’s no indication that you should expect curious travelers to run to the platform to find their next vacation destination. Our advice to you: know your audience, know what KPIs matter to you, and talk to your followers through the lens of which platform you connect with them.
We’ll continue to monitor Threads and all evolving social media news, and keep you informed via our social media platforms. You can follow us on Facebook, X, Instagram, LinkedIn, and Threads for the latest news from VERB.
Emily Bent is a Social Media and Content Strategist with VERB Interactive — a leader in digital marketing, specializing in solutions for the travel and hospitality industry. Find out more at www.verbinteractive.com.
