In case you haven’t heard the recent news, Meta has launched yet another social media platform called Threads. The new social network is a text-based platform that provides users with a digital space to share ideas, information, and have public conversations.
Nicknamed the “Twitter Killer,” Threads came into fruition as Meta’s response to Twitter’s ‘unpredictability’ under Elon Musk’s acquisition of the company. Within a week of its launch, Threads has already seen tremendous success. Meta founder Mark Zuckerberg reported that over 100 million new users joined their new platform within the first week of its launch. This leaves people wondering – will Threads surpass its competitor and become the primary channel for this sort of content?
Nobody knows for sure. However, the launch of this new platform may serve as an opportunity for publishers to reach out to potential new users and grow their audience.
What publishers can gain from joining Threads
As mentioned in a previous blog post, social media doesn’t have the same power to drive referral traffic as it used to. But with Threads, this situation has changed. The brand-new platform achieving this much success in such little time has the internet buzzing. All eyes are on Threads and new users are excited to use this Twitter-alternative.
Publishers now have the chance to ride this wave and build their brand-awareness while the hype of Threads is still high. The opportunity that publishers have to increase their website’s exposure on a social media platform of this caliber in its infancy only happens once in a blue moon. While the app is still in its early stages, publishers can experiment with a variety of different content styles and should take advantage of the chance to show off their creativity.
Additionally, publishers that are already on similar platforms such as Instagram and Twitter can transition into Threads with ease. Since Threads is a subsidiary of Meta, all users must do to create an account is link their Instagram profile. Once that’s done, all the user’s information can be transferred from one platform to the other. This includes the user’s username, profile picture, bio, and following. And for the publishers that are on Twitter, there is no need to reformat the content you have already been putting out as the UX design of Threads is nearly identical to that of Twitter.
Potential downsides of joining Threads
The risk of joining Threads seems very minimal. However, there may be reasons that might deter you from the site. The reason being that it is very unclear what Threads’ success will look like in the future. Even with the number of users that Threads has been able to accumulate thus far, there’s no telling whether it will stand the test of time or fall short once the hype dies down. For some publishers, this type of uncertainty may discourage them from joining the new platform until it proves to be successful.
Another potential wrinkle concerns Threads’ intentions towards publishers who produce certain types of content. In a conversation with The Verge, Instagram executive Adam Mosseri indicated that Threads “will not do anything to encourage” news and political content, and while what Mosseri’s statement means exactly has been left a little vague, it’s clear that the new platform is shying away from topics it deems to be inflammatory or overtly toxic.
The question becomes: does this mean that news and politics websites should stay away from Threads entirely? While the answer is probably no at this stage—such content is still allowed on the platform, after all—the announcement does signal that Threads seeks to differentiate itself from Twitter by evolving into a less contentious and negative space, and as a result it’s probably wise for publishers to pay extra close attention to the way they promote their content on Threads in these early days.
Is Threads the right fit for you?
Now, the question that’s on everyone’s mind – is it worth it for publishers to join Threads? In short, the answer is yes. Even if the app doesn’t reach its long-term goals, publishers might as well use its recent success to their advantage. With Threads being only a couple weeks old, the uses for this platform are limitless and publishers should exercise as much creative freedom as they please.
And although Threads can provide several benefits to publishers, the ultimate goal should be to take users of the platform and redirect them to the publisher’s site. Disqus offers the tools for publishers to take control back from these large social media platforms and keep their audience’s engagement on their site – where they belong.