You’ve probably heard about the new Meta platform “Threads” which launched last week and has reportedly had more than 97 million sign ups to date (world wide). Linked directly to your Instagram account, it’s super easy to set up a Threads account (both business and private) and to pull across your bio from Instagram.

We’ve had a few clients reach out to ask if they should have Threads accounts so we thought we’d make a special Hos Goss to look at what we know – and what we don’t.

10 Things We Know

  1. Threads is primarily designed as an alternative to Twitter.
  2. Each post can be a max of 500 characters (so, longer than Twitter but still restricted).
  3. YouΒ  can include photos, gifs and video with each post (up to 10 items).
  4. Video content is capped at 5 minutes.
  5. The platform doesn’t have the facility for DM or PM (yet).
  6. Take up so far has been mainly those celebrities, politicians, and big brands who were already using Twitter but have become disillusioned with the platform.
  7. When you set up an account you can choose to pull across your Instagram bio directly to your Threads account.
  8. You have the option to auto-follow anyone you already follow on Instagram – you’ll be notified when they set up a Threads account.
  9. There is no facility to run any targeted advertising on the platform (yet).
  10. Hashtags aren’t a searchable element on this platform (yet).

What We Don’t Know

It’s very early days so we don’t have access to any audience data (age, location, etc…) or user data (engagement rate etc…).

Although the initial sign up numbers can look impressive, we don’t have a breakdown of data country-by-country. And this number might be skewed by how easy it is (literally the click of one button) to set up an account. The number of active users might be much lower as the initial interest drops off.

The big “yet”s from the column above will probably change the landscape hugely. We’d be surprised if Meta doesn’t find a way to monetise a successful platform so be prepared for sponsored posts in your future.

Traditionally Twitter was only relevant for big brands, celebrities and influencers so it’s a unknown if Threads will be able to maintain a wider appeal in the long term.

Our Verdict

We’re adopting a “wait and see approach”. A number of our team have signed up for accounts so we can make sure we understand how it works and can gain more insight into the back end.

Until more data is available we’re not recommending that any clients “need” an account for their business. Basically – if you weren’t on Twitter because it wasn’t relevant for your business then you probably don’t need to be on Threads.

There is no time limit to set up an account so, if it becomes a viable platform to add to your business activity it can be set up at a later date.

So, watch this space!