In just seven hours, Meta’s latest social media app, Threads, managed to surpass 10 million users. With Twitter, now rebranded as ‘X’, in a state of complete flux, the appetite for a new opinion-based social media service is at an all-time high. Capitalising on this unique moment in time, Meta’s app presents individuals and businesses alike with new opportunities to connect, engage and be a part of a new social media movement.

Where it took Twitter much longer to reach the same audience milestone, the ability to transfer over existing Instagram followers makes Threads an extremely appealing prospect for brands. Yet, with the proliferation of social media services already at an all-time high and the hype-cycle moving faster than the speed of light, is Threads a flash in the pan or something to be investing in for the long haul?

In the short time since its launch, it seems as though audiences are already straying. In such an oversaturated social media landscape, Threads may struggle to maintain its pace of growth. With that in mind we ask industry experts if Threads is here to stay and how brands should be engaging.

Whilst it's still unclear what the user retention will be like, brands should definitely be playing around with Threads during its early stages - especially since it has already amassed over 100m users in just 5 days. It's been great to see many brands jump right in and use it as a testing ground alongside their regular marketing strategy. With the expertise and knowledge of Meta, there is undoubtedly huge potential for brands to reach audiences - but they must adopt bespoke strategies that work for this platform, rather than a copy and paste job from Twitter. They will need to wait and see how things play out before knowing exactly what this strategy will be, but getting involved now and testing the waters is the best way to prepare.

Threads is currently a relatively blank slate and so early adopters can provide feedback on the direction of the app, with the opportunity to help shape the platform and the way it develops. By inviting specific influencers to join the platform before it was officially launched, it seems that Threads are treating creators (and their relationship with their communities) as a crucial element of the platform and the way that it develops.

Being an early adopter is an opportunity for creators to tell Meta what they’d like to see and the tools needed to shape the future of the app and be able to further build meaningful relationships with their followers.

I think it’s too early to tell if Threads is here to stay. Although, it does feel like a glimmer of hope for a new quick and on-the-ball platform to emerge, especially for avid Twitter users who are sad to see the platform fall.

It has of course been reported that there’s been a drop in returning users since launch. But, I think it’s important to recognise that many avid Instagram users will have jumped on the trend, and might not stick around. Threads may not be the platform for them. However, once its daily users have settled, those who also use or previously used Twitter regularly will decide to either stay or leave and this is likely to determine its longevity.

If it truly wants to rival Twitter, Threads will need to build up on its own to become a platform which is not just a mixture of Instagram’s audience and Twitter’s platform. It’s also in its infancy, there’s no hashtags, trending topics, or direct messaging features just yet (or ads!) so it will be interesting to see if how it evolves over time extends its user base.

Personally, I’m excited to experiment with Threads. The platform feels like a bigger opportunity for B2B brands especially to build a following, experiment and inject some new energy into their social strategies than any other recent social platform.

Within 5 days of launch Meta’s Threads has grown to over 100 million users due to the simplistic way of utilising Instagram’s userbase. Unlike previous attempts of other ‘Twitter Killer’ platforms like Bluesky and Mastodon, Threads have a large userbase from the get-go making the industry stand up and listen. Twitter, now rebranded as ‘X’, under the new ownership of Elon Musk has undergone multiple changes which has frustrated many users, including Twitter breaking and users having to pay for a blue verification tick.

The timely launch of Threads seems to be specifically targeted to coincide with Twitter’s negative press, but it all appears to be a bit of a rush. Yes, Threads works and seems stable but there is a distinct lack of features including search functionality, trending hashtags or DM’s. Maybe this was intentional to go back to basics, but is this what the users want for engagement and reach?

At SMMS we are testing the waters and soft launching Threads for our clients but watching carefully the developments on how we can increase awareness, engagement and reach. However, we estimate that when features are launched that provide a greater reach to an audience, better search, use of hashtags (or a new system) etc we will then ramp up our usage as the audience is already on the platform, we just need to tap into them.

Is this the end of Twitter/X or a flash in the pan? When Instagram was launched there was talk that Twitter would fail, it didn’t, when TikTok launched was that an Instagram, YouTube or Facebook killer, it wasn’t. I’ve said for the last 5-7 years that a new social media platform is waiting in the wings ready to pounce, Triller, a TikTok alternative and BeReal, an Instagram rethink are gathering pace, but neither have the Threads growth. Is Threads the new social platform that everyone wants, including businesses, not yet in my opinion but these are early days, but will X become something completely different too… watch this space.

Threads seems like an exciting addition to the social media landscape, and the considered UX design is a step up from Twitter in many aspects. One of the most notable features is the ease of getting started, with users leveraging their existing Instagram profiles and connections to set up accounts. This makes building your network straightforward, which helps brands scale up quickly and start getting value out of the platform.

However, this synergy with Instagram can also present a challenge for both individuals and brands looking to build up their presence in Threads: Instagram profiles, from the type of content to followers, often differ from those on other platforms that focus on other mediums, like text. Brands will need to find a way to bridge this gap between the visual focus of Instagram and the more text-based storytelling of Threads if they want to continue to meet follower expectations when it comes to content. Moreover, the lack of some features users associate with Twitter, such as hashtags and the search function, make it difficult to dive into topics outside of your network and may slow down engagement.

Many brands were initially quick to jump on Threads, but as the platform develops, it will remain to be seen how they can leverage the opportunities it offers. The evolution of rival platforms, including Twitter’s change of focus and rebranding to X, are also likely to shape the future development of Threads and user expectations on the platform.