Threads for brands: what you need to know.

11.07.23 | By Kimberley Killender | social media

Threads for brands: what you need to know.

POV: you’re a SMM who has just realised they have another social account to run.

No ads. No private messages. No desktop access. No way of knowing what’s going to hit and what’s going to flop. Welcome to Threads.

It’s been a while since we’ve had a new social media on the block, especially one that’s text-first. Whilst you can post videos and images, Threads is mostly about posting snappy, entertaining text posts to your followers (who, if you’re lucky, have automatically migrated over from Instagram). It’s a dopamine-inducing blend of untapped potential and old-internet nostalgia, from the days before every platform was monetised and when chatrooms reigned. Yep, real-time, public conversations are back in fashion.

Isn’t Threads just Twitter 2.0?

Yeah, pretty much. Let’s be honest, Instagram has a knack for borrowing successful features from other platforms. Stories originated from Snapchat, but now you can’t log into Instagram without feeling the need to swipe through the temporary uploads of friends, family, and ex-Hinge dates.

The biggest difference between Threads and Twitter is that Threads is a significantly simpler ecosystem. You can only search accounts and usernames, you cannot message anyone directly, and hashtags have no place there. Posts have very little differentiation from the one above, and by design, this encourages you to connect with people and brands as one and the same. Threads have not created an obvious differentiation between if you’re actually following someone, or if the algorithm has just put their content in your feed. This makes organic engagement flow more naturally and feel more authentic than on any other social media platform. The line between brand and friend has never been harder to spot—or less important to.

How does everyone have so many followers already?

Threads houses a mixture of influencers, celebs, comedians, companies, and people from high school you barely remember. As Threads is connected to Instagram, when you sign up, it offers you the option to follow everyone you already follow on Insta. For the lazy scrollers amongst us (guilty), this made for a smooth and endorphin-filled transition as you quickly gained followers. Now the challenge is keeping them there.

How do I keep followers engaged on Threads?

People want personal, and personality.

Right now, Threads is a brand personality-building channel. The nature of it is more personal and intimate than any other social platform, and people are seeking authentic, quick, clever posts that feel like they could have been pulled from a group chat.

Don’t give in to the temptation of simply reposting what you post on Instagram to Threads. If people are flicking between Threads and Insta, seeing the same content multiple times could lead to unfollowing on one, or both, platforms.

Similarly, trying to use Threads as a sales platform is not the vibe, and will get you noticed for the wrong reasons. Your ‘10% off with code THR3ADS’ post will be jarring and unappealing against the organic, interesting content that surrounds it.

Instead, embrace the chaos of the text-centric medium. Engage in conversations, crack jokes, respond to other brands, meme freely, let your thoughts wander. Don't take Threads too seriously—it's all about entertainment and engagement. Feel free to get a little unhinged and channel your Tumblr-era.

Or, if 'unhinged' doesn't match your brand, build out your brand personality as a real person. Who are they, what are they interested in, what do they sound like, how would they talk to their friends?

How to post when there are no best practice metrics.

Post a lot. Post a little. Post nothing but memes. Post conversation starters. This is the time to see what works for your brand on Threads.

Our fave threads so far.

Need some inspo? Here are some of the best brand Threads from the platform's first weekend live.

Knowing your audience = engagement.

(Ps. We wrote this one.)

Is it in line with the general Mcdonald's TOV? No. Is it perfectly in line with how their Australian customers on Threads talk?

Rogue Social Media Manager is THE brand personality right now.

Name a more iconic intro post. We'll wait.

I'm not like a regular brand, I'm a cool brand.

When your brand personality is strong elsewhere, leverage it for an audience that's already "in" on your jokes and energy, like Duolingo's notorious giant green owl posting this.

Don't be afraid to interact with other brands. Professionalism is basically out the window, apparent friendships are in.

Meme, but don't write on the image. Pair stand-alone pictures with post copy that has been written directly into Threads.

Note: Threads users are loving old meme imagery. Don't be afraid of a throwback.

IYKYK content hits different... you know?

Entirely unrelated to their brand, but super relatable to their audience.

The common threads with these top Threaders? A strong brand voice. Brand personality and tone of voice guides give everyone from CEO to intern the ability to sound like your brand.

Need some help sorting your voice and vibe? It's kind of our speciality.

Loving Threads but don’t have the capacity to write all those posts? We can help with that too.

Will Threads last? Or will the initial rush of dopamine eventually wear off and leave people fatigued with another social media to check in on? Could this mean the real end of Twitter? Will Zuck and Musk actually cage fight? Stay tuned.

And follow us on Threads, obviously. @willowandblake