Threads Review: How Meta's Social Network Works and What Marketers Think of It
The Twitter alternative reached 100 million users in five days, then lost 70% of its audience. We look at whether it is worth opening a business account.
Threads is a social network for publishing short posts, much like Twitter. It became popular as soon as its launch was announced: 100 million users signed up within five days.
In this RJL Studio article, we look at what you can do on the new social network and how Threads can be useful for businesses.
- What Threads is
- How Threads works and what you can do on it
- How to promote brands on Threads
What Threads is
Threads is a social network similar to Twitter. You can only publish short posts with photos and videos. Threads was launched by Meta in 2023.
Threads works in a browser and as a mobile app. The browser version has the same features as the mobile one. You can download the apps from Google Play and the App Store.
To sign up, you need an Instagram account; without one, registration is not possible.
After launch, 100 million users signed up to Threads. Then the share of active users dropped by 70%, according to The Wall Street Journal, citing Sensor Tower data. According to Reuters, citing a statement by Mark Zuckerberg, the developers expected the drop in user activity and see no reason for concern.
How Threads works and what you can do on it
Threads has an intuitive interface. It looks like Instagram and works like Twitter. Below we explain where you can import data from, how the feed and replies work, what the post editor can do, how to search for accounts, and what is in the profile and settings.
Importing data from Instagram
Threads lets you import your personal details, profile photo and followed accounts from Instagram. You can also skip the import.
A smart feed
The feed shows posts from friends and recommendations. In the feed settings you can choose which posts take priority by selecting either "For You" or "Following".
At first, the feed worked differently for everyone. Some users saw posts from accounts they follow first and then recommendations, while others saw the opposite. According to Anastasia Makarova, head of SMM at System-Space Group, her feed showed popular posts from accounts she did not follow first.
Replies
The standard features: you can like, reply to and share posts. You can share posts to other apps too. For example, you can turn a Threads post into an Instagram post or story.
Searching for other accounts
On Threads you can search for other profiles by name. To do this, tap the search icon. The network will also suggest recommended accounts. Your search history is in the "Recent" list.
The post editor
The Threads post editor works much like Twitter's, but there are differences:
| Feature | Threads | |
|---|---|---|
| Text | Up to 280 characters | Up to 500 characters |
| Images | Up to 4 images per tweet | Up to 10 images per post |
| Video length | Up to 2 minutes 20 seconds; up to 10 minutes with Twitter Blue | Up to 5 minutes |
| Editing a post | You can edit a post after publishing | You cannot edit a post after publishing |
| Hashtags | Hashtags are supported | Hashtags are not supported |
| Tagging users | You can tag users in the text | You can tag users in the text |
| Limiting replies | You can limit replies to a post | You can allow replies only from followers or selected accounts |
Profile
Your profile shows your follower count, published posts, and "Edit profile" and "Share profile" (to other apps) buttons.
Settings
Account management. The settings button is at the top of the profile next to the Instagram icon. The settings include the following sections:
- Follow and invite friends. You can invite friends via WhatsApp or SMS, or create a link to share in other apps.
- Notifications. You can turn off notifications about replies, follow requests and new sign-ups from your Instagram followers.
- Privacy. Here you can make your profile private, limit mentions, block users and hide like counts on posts. You can also mute posts by keyword. For example, if you add the word "cats" to your keyword list, posts with that word won't appear in your feed.
- Account. Here you can set a time-on-app timer or temporarily deactivate your profile. The timer lets you set reminders to take a break, with notifications every 10, 20 or 30 minutes.
- Help and About. In Help you can contact the developers with a problem or question. About contains the Threads privacy policy.
Which brands should promote themselves on Threads, and how
The network does not yet have paid promotion tools. We asked marketers whether brands should join Threads and which promotion methods they can use right now.
"No social network had an advertising platform in its early days. I think one will be added to Threads soon. The network may well be integrated with Facebook's ad platform.
I expect we will see all kinds of businesses on the platform. First and foremost, B2C companies should consider joining Threads. The goals will be similar to those on other social networks: launching new products and services, building awareness and loyalty, and growing sales."
Anastasia Makarova, head of SMM at System-Space Group
"The platform is new, so it makes sense for brands to try it and grow their audience for free. For example, by replying to ordinary users who mention the brand. Even if the platform doesn't take off, like Clubhouse, someone may still benefit from it. The tweet format may later show up on Instagram too, for example as an alternative way of posting.
What Threads users particularly like is that it is free and has no restrictions, whereas Twitter limits feed views for users without a Twitter Blue subscription.
What content should you create on Threads? Right now there seems to be complete freedom. I think viral brands making viral content may emerge on Threads. That is the secret to success: like Twitter, Threads is all about the moment. There is no time for approvals and sign-offs.
For now, it is just about testing seeded posts and comments on other accounts, as on other networks in a similar situation. But Meta will certainly connect Threads to its ad platform. It is a matter of time and the platform's popularity."
Andrey Likhon, content manager at Sinka Studio
Threads in three key points
- Threads is Meta's alternative to Twitter. Here too, you write short text posts. To sign up, you need an Instagram account.
- Threads is very similar to Twitter, but there are differences. For example, the character limit per post is higher on Threads: 500 characters. Threads also lets you attach 10 images to a single post and edit a post after publishing.
- Threads currently has no advertising platform. Marketers believe businesses can start promoting themselves on Threads right now, for example through organic posts.
Disclaimer: blog content is for general information and learning only and is accurate as of its publication date. It is not professional, legal, financial or business advice, nor a recommendation or call to take any action. Any use of this information is at the reader's own risk, and we accept no liability for any resulting loss. Links to external websites and tools are provided for convenience only. We recommend consulting a qualified professional before making decisions.