Have you been hearing about Threads lately? Curious to see what all the fuss is about?
In this blog, I break down what it is about and explore if it can benefit your business.
What is Threads?
Threads is a new app, built by the Instagram team. On July 5, 2023, Instagram announced that the Threads app is now available for download on both iOS and Android devices. As of this writing, it has gained 30 million users in a day and is available in 100 countries, including Hong Kong.
The launch comes after Twitter angered its users over a temporary limit on the number of tweets they can view in a day and other recent shenanigans.
According to Meta:
“Threads is where communities come together to discuss everything from the topics you care about today to what’ll be trending tomorrow. Whatever it is you’re interested in, you can follow and connect directly with your favorite creators and others who love the same things—or build a loyal following of your own to share your ideas, opinions, and creativity with the world.”
Getting Started
I kinda waited for the release of Threads. Initially, it was supposed to be available on July 6th 7PM ET but was surprised to see it available yesterday morning, July 7th HKT.
I downloaded the app right away and onboarding was easy–talk about user experience. Because it’s integrated with Instagram, you’ll have to create it with your existing account. And if you don't have one, well, you have to create an Instagram account first.
Here's what you'll see when you sign up on Threads.
Threads, which absolutely looks and feels like Twitter to be honest, allows users to share text updates or posts up to 500 characters, which can include links, photos, or videos up to 5 minutes long.
Being there feels like I'm back to when Twitter started and I had a Tweetdeck. Nostalgia hits, yes, but Threads is like a breath of fresh air. No ads, no spam accounts, no bots. Just plain and simple sharing, connecting, and engaging.
What can you do with Threads?
Join public conversations
Direct engagement
Share opinions and thoughts
Share instantly
With the integration with Instagram, you can easily share your Threads directly to your story or feed
Did you know that Threads was already introduced in 2019? Yes! But it had to be shut down in December 2021 as it didn’t gain enough traction and adoption. Read it here.
So do you think Threads is here to stay....for good this time?
If it will, do you think it's good to explore it at this stage? I say why not?! The only way to know if it will work for you and your brand is to try it, explore it, and be there to learn and see what others in your space or industry are doing.
Here are some brands, businesses, personalities that I'm following and checking out what they're doing:
freshbeauty
9gag
Clinique
Gary Vee
Spotify
Netflix
Jay Shetty
MAC Cosmetics
TMS/The Mil Source
Here are some questions to help you decide whether it’s good for your business
Are your competitors there?
Are the big brands there? What are they doing that you can replicate or implement?
Are you adding this platform to your content distribution?
If so, how can you sustainably add it to your content creation workflow?
How will it stand out from your other platforms?
How will you stay on brand with your tone, messaging, and imagery if the app calls for authenticity, rawness, unfiltered-ness (yes, I wrote that!)?
What content will you be creating to engage your audience directly?
Hope this gives you an idea and helps you in navigating this new app. Let me know your thoughts once you've signed up and don't be a stranger - follow me.
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