By Arianna Crawford, The Social Media Explorer
Platform Watch is a collection of posts that aims to introduce B2B marketers and communicators to new social media platforms that may enable them to generate new, innovative, and uniquely meaningful approaches to reaching and interacting with their audiences. Adopting and maintaining new channels is a long-haul journey and will take time before any return on your investment. If you’d be interested in partnering with Big Valley Marketing, feel free to drop us a line at hireus@bigvalley.co
What is Threads?
Threads is a text-first social media platform from Meta, built by the Instagram team as an alternative to Twitter/X. It launched in July 2023 and integrates tightly with Instagram, using the same handles, verification, and underlying infrastructure.Posts are short (500 characters), visuals are encouraged, and the experience centers on light, fast-moving conversation. It’s still evolving—particularly with its move toward open web protocols—and some functionalities are limited (no trending function, DMs, or post saves). Still, it’s gaining traction among creators, media outlets, and brands seeking a low-pressure Twitter alternative.
What are the features?
- Instagram Integration: Threads uses Instagram accounts for sign-in and sharing. Brands and individuals can sync audiences, share Threads posts to Instagram stories, and toggle activity between the two.
- Feed Design: Threads doesn’t support hashtags or trending topics the way X does. Instead, it emphasizes conversation over discoverability. The main feed is algorithmic and blends people you follow with recommended content.
- Media-Friendly Posts: Posts can include up to 10 images, carousels, video, and polls.
Best Practices
- Think conversational, not promotional – Threads is built for human tone, not press releases. Avoid hard CTAs and formal voice.
- Engage actively – Comment, like, and respond. Threads is more social than broadcast.
- Post 2–3x per week – Enough to build visibility, not so much that you feel the pressure of constant content.
- Experiment with visuals – Use native photos, carousels, or short video clips to add texture to your posts.
Should a company or key executive be on Threads? Ask yourself:
- Do we already have a passionate community that we want to actively engage in an organic manner?
- Are we willing to experiment to find the content and themes that users want from us?
