I Spent 24 Hours on Threads: Here’s What You Need To Know

POV: You just spent the last 24 hours doom-scrolling—like I did. In another exciting week for social media managers and enthusiasts alike, a new platform just dropped with the potential to have major staying power. 

^{Source: Oreo}

Meta officially launched its text-based social media platform, Threads—engineered to be a direct competitor to Twitter. The platform is now available in more than 100 countries as of Wednesday, July 5, and was released ahead of its anticipated launch date. 

The launch of Threads came at a pivotal time, as Twitter has been quite literally hanging on by a thread. If you aren’t up to date on the latest Twitter saga, Elon Musk recently announced new limitations to how many tweets users can consume before hitting a “rate limit”— unless you pay for Twitter Blue, of course.

To address extreme levels of data scraping & system manipulation, we’ve applied the following temporary limits:

- Verified accounts are limited to reading 6000 posts/day
- Unverified accounts to 600 posts/day
- New unverified accounts to 300/day

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) July 1, 2023

This announcement came *after* the app had already implemented these changes, which left users frantically refreshing feeds and wondering if the new “Rate Limit Exceeded” message was a glitch. 

So how does this impact the launch of Threads? 

Alexa, play Mastermind by Taylor Swift. 

Weaving Through Threads 

Wondering how this mysterious new platform works? I jumped on the bandwagon immediately for research. Here’s everything you need to know about Threads after its first 24 hours.
 
Unlike new social giants, like TikTok and BeReal, Threads is surprisingly approachable to join. This may be its most enticing feature and the biggest benefit of Meta starting another social platform.
 
Users are able to log into Threads with their current Instagram account, which will import an existing profile photo, biography and website. All accounts joining Threads are given the option to follow the same accounts as Instagram. This is a massive benefit for users and brands, as you can have a built-in following transfer and don’t have to start building from zero. 

Based on the minimal details released thus far, the platform’s algorithm showcases content from Instagram/Threads accounts you follow, in addition to recommended content from users you do not currently follow. And as seen with new platforms, there is almost always a large growth opportunity for early adopters.

If you’re having a hard time keeping up with all the new jargon, Threads published this dictionary to help weave you through it. 

^{Source: @threadsapp}

Loose Threads 

Signing up for this platform may be a breeze, but it is far from a seamless experience (pun intended). The current version of the app is extremely bare-bones with minimal capabilities.

Hashtags & Keywords? Don’t know her. 
The search tab can only be used to search for users and usernames. Hashtags and keywords are not available to search, which differs from Instagram’s capabilities. Lastly, the main Threads feed is the only type of discovery page on the app, overall making it difficult to search for virtually anything. 

Low Accessibility and Limited Analytics. 
The platform currently does not have key accessibility features, such as alt-text, and has limited safety features that are essential on nearly all other social platforms. 

For marketers and Threadsetters (the newly-coined term for influencers) specifically, it also does not have any in-depth analytics. Right now, the only metrics on Threads are the public count of likes and replies. At the moment, referral traffic from Threads will appear under Instagram, so it will be difficult to measure any form of success from the platform. 

Get Ready to Manually Post. 
Threads also does not have integrations yet with third-party platforms, which adds barriers to actually creating content on the app. For the foreseeable future, all content will have to be manually posted until Threads is supported by scheduling tools, like Sprout Social or Later. 

To add media to a post, users have to click a small paperclip icon, which feels like we are throwing it back to Clippy on Microsoft Word in the early 2000s. There are currently no integrations with GIPHY, so you will need to save any reaction GIFs or memes to your phone to share.

The Good, The Bad, The Updates
In many ways, this extremely simplistic user experience almost feels nostalgic for social platforms of the past. We’re talking AIM, the early days of Twitter and Instagram before Stories and influencers ever existed.
 
There are no ads or overly promotional posts, no spammy comments, Twitter trolls or bots. It seems like people are attempting to be genuinely nice on social media, which is refreshing and almost too good to be true. And we can all finally rejoice in a truly text-based platform that isn’t algorithmically favoring short-form video content… for now.
 
But rest assured, the platform will inevitably undergo massive changes from the version we see now — some that may take away the currently favorable user experience and others that are essential for the longevity of the platform. 

Should I Take Threads for a Spin?

Jumping on a new platform can be daunting. As I mentioned before, joining Threads is as easy as it gets because of the connection to Instagram. And unlike when TikTok was first introduced, this platform has a level of familiarity.
 
Threads is an ideal platform for users with a close-knit Instagram community. Although the platform is similar to Twitter, a majority of users’ initial followers will likely be from your Instagram audience so keep that in mind as you start making content. 
The tone on the platform is very casual, explorative and a little chaotic at the moment. You can never go wrong with a short and sweet introduction, or posting a meme about learning a new social platform — but don’t share anything too promotional while people are figuring out the next layer of the Metaverse.

It’s hard to predict if this platform will become a permanent fixture in the social media industry with so many loose ends, but now is the time to have fun and share a few cheugy puns.

Threads to Get Your Brain Spinning

Here’s some inspiration to encourage you to stitch together your first Threads. 🧵

Complex
As if we expected anything less, Complex began cranking out memes within minutes.

^{Source: Complex}

Wendy's
The fast food giant made a strong first impression on Threads, as one of the most dominant brand voices on Twitter.

^{Source: Wendy’s}

Vogue
Taking a more serious approach, this iconic magazine is already sharing articles and paving the way for cross-posting strategies.

^{Source: Vogue}

Hot Ones
A personal favorite and rising cultural icon, Hot Ones (the show with hot wings and even hotter questions) always knows how to bring the 🔥. Even Zuck is fangirling!

^{Source: Hot Ones}

Apartment Therapy
If memes aren’t your thing, encourage your followers to start a thread of UGC! 

^{Source: Apartment Therapy}