Andrew Hutchinson
Source: www.socialmediatoday.com, October 2024
While I’m not convinced that Meta has the formula right to truly maximize Threads’ growth as yet, the platform is growing, and more users are now looking to build their Threads presence specifically, with a view to broadening their online footprint.
And if that sounds like you, then this might help. Today, Meta has launched a new Threads tips mini-site which provides notes and pointers on how to maximize your Threads approach, based on data-backed best practices.
As per Meta:
“We created Threads because we think everyone has something worth saying, and we want you to be able to create a community around your best ideas and most interesting thoughts. That’s why today, we’re introducing new educational resources to help you learn how to drive conversations on Threads and get discovered by more people.”
The mini-site includes an overview of Threads and its key functions, including safety settings, functionality, and highlights of specific elements.
There’s also a Q and A section, which includes various notes on how to improve your Threads performance.
As well as pointers on how to customize your feed (which also explains, at least partially, what signals Threads is using to showcase content):
Honestly, there’s not a heap of practical insight into how to boost your Threads’ reach, though Meta has also included some extra notes on what’s currently driving Threads performance:
- Replies account for almost half of the views on Threads, so Meta recommends joining in relevant conversations
- Higher post frequency is linked to higher impressions per post. Meta suggests posting at least 2-5 times per week if you’re looking to build your audience
- Funny content receives a higher number of views on Threads
- Video, photo and carousel posts that include text average more views than those without text
- Posting more frequently on weekends can drive higher engagement
- Combining text and video in a single post can help get more views
- Posts that drive conversations are more likely to get recommended
Meta also notes that creators who’ve seen the most replies on Threads have focused on these topics:
- TV & Movies
- Photography
- Books & Literature
- Fashion & Style
- Fitness & Workouts
- Sports
- Music
- Food & Drink
- Beauty
- Technology
- Travel & Leisure
So basically anything but news and/or politics. Keep it to these more light topics, and you’ll do better on Threads, though this very point is also the reason why I’m not sure that Threads has got its approach totally right as yet.
Don’t get me wrong, Threads is already a huge success in relative terms. The Twitter clone app had a meteoric rise, racing to 100 million members in record time, and is now up to 200 million monthly active users, which is a significant achievement in itself.
But at the same time, Threads has been given an on-ramp to success, with people actively seeking an alternative to Elon Musk’s X project, and Meta using its massive reach to cross-promote its real-time social alternative.
And while Threads is, in general, a pretty good user experience, it still feels like Meta’s aversion to certain topics is going to restrict its growth somewhat, and limit what people are shown in the app.
Like, it feels, sometimes, like the algorithm is deliberately showing you light-hearted content, when you know that real discussion is happening elsewhere. Because Meta would prefer to entertain instead of inform. Add to this the fact that Threads continues to show you posts that are days old, and it often lacks a freshness, and feels like you’re being placated with less relevant bloat. Which might well keep people scrolling, but also feels like a waste of time, and not a “finger on the pulse” style stream of global consciousness.
Which is really the key point. Threads feels like a sheltered existence to some degree, like Meta is deliberately restricting you to more light, more positive elements, in order to keep things happy and friendly. Because people are getting sick of divisive conversations in social apps, and Meta’s getting sick of being blamed for all the ills of the world.
It makes sense why Meta has shifted in this direction, which is evident on both Facebook and IG. But in a Threads context, it still feels out of place to me, like you’re being shown re-runs of yesterday’s best jokes, while ignoring more relevant discussions.
Maybe that’s just anecdotal, and maybe Meta’s actually getting it right, and people will end up spending more time on Threads as a result. But it just feels less alive than Twitter did, at peak.
Overall, that could end up being a better approach, but it also means that the way to win on Threads is to focus on light-hearted, less topical content.
Is that a better experience for a real-time social app?
You can check out Meta’s Threads tips guide here.
