I'm tired, do I really need Threads?

What is Threads?

I would be surprised if you haven't heard some mention of the new social app, Threads, this week. I'd describe it as a Meta-owned version of Twitter, and over 50 million people have signed up in the last 48 hours.

Much like Messenger was launched via your Facebook profile, Threads is only activated via your Instagram profile. So if you would like to join, just jump into your Instagram profile settings and the option should already be waiting for you. It will prompt you to download the Threads app from your app store and will be accessed separately from then on.

CAUTION: The app's current functionality doesn't appear to allow you to delete your Threads account without also deleting the connected Instagram, so that might be cause to wait until you're sure you want to be on Threads long-term.

What does it do?

One cool feature brought across from Instagram is the ability to block posts that contain certain keywords. e.g. "spoiler" "F1" etc.

The content on Threads so far is mostly nostalgic memes from Millennials about the olden days of social media, mixed with a lot of enthusiasm from younger (post-Twitter) generations who think its simplified, ad free feed is revolutionary. As a user, it's not really adding anything more content-wise than what you're receiving on Meta's other platforms yet, especially since it encourages you to copy across your existing Instagram follow list as a starting point.

Should I jump on the band wagon?

If you are an engaged participant on social media, there is a limited window here to have a far superior experience on Threads. The comments bots have already arrived but not in the same numbers as the other platforms.

What this means is that for now, the brands and people you follow are actually engaging with mentions and comments more than they have in a long time. The official Star Wars profile for example has been individually replying to mentions from fans. So if you ever wanted to say hi to your favourite celebrity, this weekend might be your best chance!

What about my work/brand?

As an advertiser, we are predicting that Threads will eventually become available as a placement option in Meta ads and assume that to run the ad, you'll need to link it to a Threads profile, so if you'd like to eventually run ads for your business on Threads, it's worthwhile setting up the account now even if you don't decide to publish much content on it yet. However, keep in mind the connected Instagram delete behaviour mentioned above.

The platform is also not truly global. It only rolled out to about 100 countries this week and there is a big question mark over whether it will end up permitted in the EU at all. So depending on your brand, it might not make sense as a channel with its current reach.

At Tactic Lab, we will also be checking GA4 next week to see if anything additional needs to be done to accurately identify inbound traffic from Threads.

You can read the official product release from Meta here.

If you see anything cool on Threads as it rolls out, let me know! :)

--- Ash.