Threads by Instagram – What You Need To Know

Threads has taken the internet by storm, taking advantage of the downward trend of interest and engagement with Twitter to raise excitement for their new platform. While it’s unclear whether Threads will be around for the long-haul, the massive number of users who have signed up so far points to it being a major player in the conversational social media space. 

We’ve created a breakdown of the current state of Threads and what you need to know to best leverage this new social media platform. 

What exactly is Threads? 

Threads is a sister app to Instagram that is primarily focused on text content. While it’s lacking some capabilities, Threads includes some of the key features you might remember from the early days of Twitter: 

• Post text, images, and videos to your account 
• Reply to any post to create a thread 
• View your feed in chronological order 
• Block any users whose content you don’t want to see 
   

What features are missing? 

Threads is in the very early stages of development, so there are some glaring things missing to users familiar with Twitter and Instagram: 

• No hashtag support 
• No trending topics 
• No direct messaging 
• No editing once you post 
• No management through the Meta Business Suite 
• No feed for only accounts you follow 

How does Threads work with Instagram? 

Threads makes it easy to login and create an account by syncing directly with Instagram. You can pull in your profile image, bio, and follower list with a few simple clicks. 

If you are viewing a post on Threads, you can easily share it to Instagram as Story or Feed post with a simple click of the Share button. 

Currently, you need to post your content to Instagram or Threads independently, but we do expect the doors to open for integration with third-party social media tools in the future. 

What are businesses using Threads for? 

Threads has some major “first day of school” vibes. Everyone is logging in, seeing how it works, and having a good time. It’s more focused on entertainment than information or education; however, we anticipate this changing over time. 

Brands that have a lighter and playful tone are engaging pretty heavily on the platform, with most other companies taking a step back to see where the platform is going. You should think of Threads as a conversational social network—more focused on having dialogue back-and-forth rather than a one-way broadcast. 

At launch, there are currently no features to advertise on Threads—and we don’t anticipate seeing that within the first six months. Mark Zuckerberg has stated that they will “see if we can get [Threads] on a clear path to 1 billion people, and only then think about monetization at that point.” 
 

What should I do about Threads right now? 

We’d recommend if you have an existing Instagram account to download Threads and set up your profile. Now is a great time to observe how the platform evolves and get prepared to engage when it makes sense for your business. 

While Threads is like Twitter, there is no guarantee that it will be used the same way. Most of Threads’ users come from Instagram and may not have been Twitter users at all. Threads is being built with future support for federated networks, meaning deeper integration with other social platforms to allow you to carry your account with you to different platforms. 

As the platform begins to settle, better visibility into what content is receiving engagement and how businesses are using the platform will help you establish your own strategy.  

What’s Next? 

We’ll be providing regular updates on how Threads is evolving and what you may need to know, so follow us on Threads and LinkedIn.