What’s the story with Threads?
While the news cycle around the world of digital is in flux during the summer months, I’m going to take a moment to look at some of the more ‘alternative’ social and digital channels around. First up, it’s Meta’s rival to X/Twitter, Threads.
We all know the story behind Threads (in short; launched in opposition to Elon Musk’s X; a wildly successful first few days thanks to an Instagram tie-in, apparently diminishing returns ever since).
Threads has over 320 million monthly active users, with around 115.1 million daily active users. For context, X has 245 million DAUs, so Threads is still under 50% of the force X is on this front.
In the last two years, Threads has steadily closed the gap on X - less through its own rise than through X’s (relative) decline. It’s desktop-light, but relatively strong on mobile. It has very strong integration with Instagram (if you’re a user of the Gram, then you’ve probably seen the ‘for you’ posts linking to Threads), whereas something like Bluesky for example requires a lot more active effort.
Despite this growth, it’s hard to see Threads as a full substitute for X’s longevity and reach.
Which brands are using Threads?
Sprout social have cited all of ClickUp, Duolingo, Wendy’s, Microsoft, Gymshark, Zillow, American Red Cross, Mayo Clinic and the University of Cambridge as having good strategies on Threads.
If I’m being honest, having looked through these and others, nothing I’ve seen has really been a departure from the type of content a lot of these brands would have pulled together for X/Twitter.
It’s hard to say that any of these brands are really benefitting from a “first mover” advantage by being on the platform; or that users expect to find them on there.
If you do want to succeed, it looks like the core tenets are the same as they ever were on X/Twitter; being bold, joining in the conversation, and not being afraid to try something that might not work.
All of which begs the question; who potentially benefits from using Threads?
Well, brands with strong Instagram followings can repurpose audience and align tone seamlessly - though it might be fair to say that by doing so, you’re only really adding on to IG, rather than doing anything new.
Otherwise, its the same brands who 4-5 years ago would have been prioritising Twitter - community-driven or conversational brands (lifestyle, fitness, or niche interest communities).
There are a few reasons to use it; unfortunately, there are far more not to. The ads infrastructure is juvenile at best, with very new tech and nothing really strong in the way of case studies demonstrating ROI.
The lack of desktop usage is also offputting for B2B brands who often (not always, but often) see more website engagement from desktop users rather than mobile.
Threads itself lacks an identity, and while DAUs are increasing, isn’t really part of the public discourse in the same way as X, Instagram, TikTok or even LinkedIn is now.
The future is by no means dark for Threads, with continued DM and feature rollouts, new ad features and units being introduced, and as ever a lot of talk around AI and personalisation; but right now, it feels like a “nice-to-have”.
It might be more interesting for brands with strong Instagram DNA. But until it finds a clearer identity and proves its ROI, it’s unlikely to replace what Twitter once was for real-time relevance.
TL;DR:
Threads is growing, but still lacks cultural or strategic weight.
Big brands are present, but not innovating.
It makes most sense for IG-native, community-first brands.
For B2B or performance-focused marketers, it’s still mostly a wait-and-see.
That’s it! If you found this interesting, I would appreciate it if you shared it with your friends and colleagues.
If you’re feeling particularly generous and enjoyed this edition, I won’t stop you from buying me a coffee. Otherwise, I’ll see you next week 🫶