Guest Peg Fitzpatrick joins the hosts to discuss the latest updates on Instagram Threads. They explore the features, user experience, and text-first approach of the new social media platform. The chapter also dives into controlling conversations, privacy concerns, advancements in social media networks, challenges in finding new connections, and the issue of unwanted content on Twitter feeds.
Threads offers brands a fresh start to connect with their audience by translating their voice into clever, funny, and witty content.
Engaging with other accounts is crucial in Threads, and genuine engagement is the best way to grow an account.
Deep dives
Threads: A Text-First Platform
Threads is a text-first platform where users can share text, photos, and videos. It serves as a water cooler where people go for conversations and ideas. It offers a fresh start for brands to connect with their audience, particularly for those who want to translate their voice into text. The emphasis is on clever, funny, and witty content, which resonates with the Twitter-like vibe of Threads. The absence of hashtags makes it challenging to find trending topics, but users can still discover popular content by browsing through their feed.
Connecting and Engaging with Others
Engaging with other accounts is crucial in Threads. It is not a platform for posting and ghosting. Users need to actively participate in conversations, respond to others, and contribute their ideas to grow their accounts. The best way to grow an account is through genuine engagement with other accounts. While finding and connecting with specific communities or interest groups is currently challenging, efforts are being made to improve this aspect of the app.
The Difference from Twitter
Threads differentiates itself from Twitter by focusing more on conversations and connections rather than trending topics. While early Twitter had hashtag communities to facilitate connections, Threads currently lacks a similar feature. However, many users who were previously active on Twitter have found each other on Threads and are finding joy in reconnecting. The main challenge lies in finding ways to connect with others as a group and improving notification filters to make it easier to keep track of conversations.
Is Threads Worth Your Time?
The question of whether Threads is worth your time depends on your goals and priorities as a marketer. While it is still early in the app's development, the initial impression suggests that it has potential. Brands can experiment with clever and witty content, aligning it with their voice and values. However, the current lack of a clear promotional model and challenges in finding and connecting with new people might make it a supplementary rather than a primary marketing platform. Overall, the value and worthiness of Threads will vary based on individual strategies and objectives.