There’s been a lot of buzz around Meta’s latest new social platform Threads, Meta’s version of Twitter. While paid ads are not yet an option, it’s very likely to be one in the future through paid Facebook/Instagram accounts. In the meantime, here are some great points to be aware of from an organic perspective and initial set-up:
- The app has more than 90 million downloads as of midway through 2023.
- An Instagram account is required to set up a Threads account – read on for more implications before doing so.
- If a Threads account is created but then the decision is made to delete the account, the associated Instagram account will be deleted as well.
- Instagram username, contacts and other related information will be pulled from your Instagram account.
- You will be able to automatically follow all the same contacts you follow on Instagram, which means your Instagram followers will also easily find you on Threads.
- Threads’ posts allow:
- Up to 500 characters (Twitter limit is 280)
- Links, photos, and video can be included – video can be up to 5 minutes (Twitter limit is 2 minutes 20 seconds)
- Currently there is limited functionality:
- No direct messages.
- No edit button.
- No open API – currently not able to connect to third-party tools to schedule content.
- No advertising as yet – but we have it on good authority it will be available in the future.
Should your organization have an Instagram account you may want to consider setting up your Threads account to secure your username and be discoverable. I also recommend an initial post. It could simply be a greeting and statement that you are exploring the best ways to use this new platform and encourage folks to follow you on other platforms. Be sure to include links to those platforms. Be sure to only include links to those platforms that you update regularly.
