An Introduction To Threads: Social Media’s Newest App

The newest social media app, Threads, has taken the internet by storm. With over 100 million users joining in the past week since its launch, Threads has been the hot topic among social media users. If you haven’t heard of Threads, or simply want to learn more about this new app, here is what we know so far.

What Is Threads?

Threads is a new app by Instagram that allows users to share short text updates and respond to conversations others have started. These conversations are appropriately called “threads”. Threads is very similar to Twitter, although many users are announcing that they enjoy the new app more. Threads has big plans to integrate other apps like WordPress into an activity hub in the future, so brands can better interact with their audience and easily share content from other sites.

How Does Threads Work?

Although Threads was created by Instagram, you will need to download a separate app in order to use it. Once you have Threads downloaded, you can easily integrate the information from your Instagram profile into your Threads profile. This includes your bio, profile photo, and people you are following. If you want to change anything later, you can go back to your settings to edit your account. Thread’s default privacy setting is Public, so if you’d like to make your account Private you can do that as well. After your profile is set up, you’re ready to start posting!

Why You Should Join Threads:

One of the best reasons to jump on the bandwagon is because there is a good chance that your audience is already there, and they want to see you join in on the fun! Because the layout is so similar to Twitter, there isn’t much of a learning curve when navigating the app. Threads even boasts a 500 character limit, which is double that of Twitter’s.

Since Threads is so new, there are no rules yet. Everyone is still navigating what tone they should use, how often they should post, and what kind of content users want to see. Many users are taking the chance to be extra silly or start new trends that anyone can participate in. Threads isn’t an app for overthinking what you are going to say- it’s a chance to voice whatever you are thinking (within reason). Be mindful when making posts that you are not typing anything rude or offensive, especially when representing your brand. However, if you want to show off your company’s silly side, this is your chance!

Threads makes it extremely easy to interact with other users. In addition to creating your own threads, they offer several ways you can react to other threads. A heart lets you “like” a post from another user. The quote bubble lets you “quote” the thread by re-posting with whatever comment you want to add. The re-post button simply re-posts the thread without additional commentary from you. The paper airplane (the same one featured on Instagram) allows you to share the post on another platform. Threads makes it especially easy to cross-post to Instagram, which can help build your Threads audience.

While there is still a lot we don’t know about this new app, it looks like Threads is going to continue gaining traction, at least for now. Keep in mind that you do need to have an Instagram account before you’ll be able to use Threads. What features do you hope Threads rolls out in the future? What is your favorite part about the app so far? If you’re already on Threads, give us a follow at @BMTMicro!