Threads for business promotion

Threads, launched by Meta in June 2023, instantly attracted attention, gathering over 100 million users in just a few days.

The social network offers text posts, integration with Instagram, and no ads — all of which make it appealing to users tired of aggressive marketing on other platforms.

Meta saw this as an opportunity to create a platform for those seeking an alternative to Twitter, especially among Instagram users.

At the same time, Facebook and Instagram are actively promoting their new product (Threads), transferring their audience to it.

In this article, we’ll explore the potential of Threads, its key features, and how entrepreneurs and marketers can use this platform to build and promote a personal brand or business. But is it worth investing time and effort in this new platform? Let’s figure it out!

Threads Audience

• Age: The majority of Threads users belong to Generation Z. About 28% of users are in the 15-23 age group, and another 16% are young adults aged 18-25. This makes Threads an attractive platform for brands targeting a young audience. Among users over 45, the share is quite low — about 2-3%.
• Gender: The platform attracts more men than women. 68% of users are men, and 32% are women. This may influence content choices and interaction strategies, especially for brands targeting a male audience.
• Regions: The largest share of Threads users is in countries such as India, Brazil, and the USA. India ranks first with 33% of total downloads, followed by Brazil with 22%, and the USA with 16%. These regions are key markets for brands looking to reach a broad international audience.
• Activity: Despite its explosive initial popularity, user activity on the platform has decreased. Today, users spend an average of about 3 minutes a day on Threads, significantly less than on competing platforms like Twitter (now X), where users spend around 31 minutes a day.

For brands looking to work effectively with this audience, it’s important to consider demographic data and adapt their marketing strategies to meet the interests and needs of young people and users from developing countries.

What Brands Are Already Promoting on Threads

Despite Threads being a young platform, several well-known brands have already started actively using it for promotion. Here are some examples of these brands and their marketing strategies:

1. McDonald’s uses Threads for more informal and friendly communication with its audience. They maintain the brand’s usual style of “witty” posts but make the content more relaxed and adapted to the platform’s format. For example, their posts include short, humorous phrases or memes, which generate active audience reactions. McDonald’s approach on Threads focuses on creating simple and quick content that resonates with their customers’ everyday lives​.
2. Wendy’s is known for its aggressive communication style and sarcasm on social media, and Threads is no exception. The brand continues its strategy of “trolling” competitors and joke-style commentary, which generates strong user engagement. Wendy’s uses Threads as a platform to reinforce their already established image of a “witty” brand, enhancing it through more informal texts and quick reactions to real-time events​.
3. Spotify actively uses Threads to publish content related to music news and trends. They share updates on popular playlists, as well as interact with artists and music fans, creating lively discussions. One of their strategies is to conduct polls and interactive discussions on music topics, allowing Spotify to engage its audience and maintain interest in the platform​.
4. Scrub Daddy. This brand, which produces kitchen sponges, has become one of the most noticeable players on Threads. Scrub Daddy focuses on humorous content that is easy to remember. They actively post funny memes and images related to their products, making their presence bright and memorable. Thanks to this approach, the brand evokes positive emotions from its audience and increases engagement.
5. Carnival Cruise Line uses Threads to interact with its audience, sharing useful information about travel and their offers. Their strategy is built around creating content that encourages users to dream about travel and book cruises. The brand also actively responds to user comments and shares helpful vacation planning tips, which helps build trust in their services.

How Threads Works from the User’s Perspective

1. Profile and Settings
   When registering on Threads, users can import all the main data from their Instagram account. This includes profile pictures, bio, and followers. This process greatly simplifies the creation of a profile, as users don’t have to fill in all the details again. An important point is that Threads and Instagram accounts are closely linked: deleting a Threads account is only possible together with Instagram, which may create inconvenience for users who want to stop using one of the platforms​.
   Settings in Threads are also largely identical to Instagram. Users can manage the visibility of their posts, choose who can comment on them, and adjust notification settings, allowing for more precise control over content interaction.
2. Posting: Threads Editor Functionality vs. Twitter
   Threads offers a post editor similar to Twitter but with some differences. The primary format is text posts, which can be supplemented with images, videos, or links. However, in some aspects, functionality differs:

   Feature	Threads	Twitter
   Post Length	500 characters	280 characters (Twitter Blue users can have up to 25,000)
   Media Attachments	Images, videos, links	Images, videos, polls, links
   Edit Posts	No editing feature	Yes (for Twitter Blue subscribers)
   No Hashtags	Hashtags are not supported	Full support for hashtags and trends
   No Ads	The platform currently does not support ads	There are built-in ads

   Thus, Threads is more focused on text communication and cross-platform integration with Instagram, whereas Twitter focuses on trends, hashtags, and ads.

   

3. Reactions
   Threads offers standard reactions to posts in the form of likes and comments, similar to Instagram and Twitter. Users can reply to messages, participate in discussions, and quote posts, creating dialogue chains that make communication more interactive​.
4. Smart Feed
   Threads uses algorithms to form a “smart feed,” similar to Instagram. This means users see content not in chronological order, but based on their interests, interactions, and previous activity. The algorithm selects posts from those the user interacts with most frequently and also suggests popular posts from users you’re not following​.



5. Searching for Other Accounts
   At launch, the search functionality in Threads was limited. Initially, there was no support for searching by keywords and hashtags, making it difficult to find specific content. But in recent updates, the platform added the ability to search for other accounts by name, making it easier to find people and brands. However, advanced features like topic or trend searches are still missing, limiting potential audience expansion​.

Promotion Strategies in Threads

Strategies for working on Threads vary from lead generation and loyalty building to active small business promotion. Despite limitations in features (no hashtags, limited search tools), the platform continues to evolve and provide new opportunities for marketing.

In this section, we will explore three key strategies that brands can use to promote on Threads: lead generation, customer engagement, and increasing loyalty, as well as small business promotion.

1. Lead Generation
   Threads provides excellent opportunities for lead generation thanks to its direct integration with Instagram and real-time text communication. Here are a few strategies:
   
   Using links in profiles and posts. Businesses can place links to their websites or offer pages directly in their Threads profiles. This allows users to easily navigate to the company’s website for further actions such as purchasing a product or submitting an inquiry. For example, many brands use Threads to promote special offers and discounts by placing links in their posts​.
   
   Interactive posts and polls. Threads supports active audience engagement through comments and polls, allowing businesses to gather information about potential customers. Companies can ask users about their preferences and then use this information for further sales. This is particularly effective for small businesses, which can quickly gather feedback and tailor offers to the target audience.
2. Customer Engagement and Loyalty Building
   Threads focuses on real-time communication, allowing businesses to not only attract new customers but also build stronger relationships with existing ones. A few strategies:
   
   Personalized responses. On Threads, companies can quickly respond to customer questions in the comments, helping to resolve issues faster and maintain a high level of service. This approach improves the customer experience and enhances loyalty through prompt and quality support​.

   Ongoing engagement. Regular posts related to customer interests or the latest brand news help maintain audience engagement. For example, brands can use the platform to create exclusive content — from behind-the-scenes to special offers for followers​.

   Community Building. Threads fosters the formation of loyal audiences through active interaction. Brands can initiate discussions, share opinions, and evoke emotions from users, creating a trusting relationship and strengthening attachment to the brand​.

3. Small Business Promotion
   For small businesses, Threads offers unique opportunities due to its novelty and close integration with Instagram. Here are some strategies that can help small businesses:
   
   Easy start thanks to Instagram integration. Small businesses can quickly get started on Threads, as all followers from Instagram can be transferred, helping to immediately launch campaigns and reach an audience without the need to build a new follower base. This allows small companies to save time and resources in growing their audience​.

   Publishing current offers and promotions. Threads allows small businesses to instantly share news and offers. For example, companies can use the platform to notify their followers about new products, seasonal discounts, or promotions. The advantage of Threads lies in its ad-free environment, allowing businesses to freely engage with users​.

   Testing new products and services. Small businesses can use Threads to quickly gather feedback on new products or services. The platform enables small companies to easily launch test projects, collecting feedback from customers before starting large-scale campaigns​.

How to Succeed on Threads?

For effective social media promotion, brands need to focus on increasing visibility and expanding reach. The more people see a brand’s content, the higher the chances of attracting new audiences and strengthening relationships with current followers.

On Meta’s new Threads platform, this is especially relevant since its algorithms and functionality differ from other social networks. To achieve maximum visibility, brands should use specific strategies tailored to Threads’ unique features.
Below are several key methods to improve a brand’s presence on this platform.

1. Cross-Platform Content
   Since Threads is closely integrated with Instagram, brands can increase visibility by using both platforms simultaneously. Posts published on Threads can easily be shared in Instagram Stories, helping to reach a broader audience. It’s important to use this synergy to create connected content that will interest both Instagram followers and Threads users​.
2. Smart Feed Algorithms
   Threads uses algorithms similar to Instagram’s smart feed. This means users see content not in chronological order but based on their activity and interactions. To improve brand visibility, it’s important to actively engage the audience. Here are several ways to interact with Threads’ algorithms:
   • Regular Posting:
     Threads’ algorithms, like Instagram’s, favor active accounts that regularly publish new content and engage with their audience. To achieve maximum visibility, it’s recommended to post 1-2 times a day. This helps stay top of mind for followers and engage them in dialogue. Both quantity and quality matter: the content should be interesting and relevant to the target audience.
     An example of regular activity can be seen with brands like Spotify, which uses the platform for daily updates related to new playlists and music trends. This maintains constant interest from followers and increases engagement​.
   • User Engagement: The principle of engaging posts is based on creating content that encourages the audience to interact actively with the brand. Threads’ algorithms evaluate not only the number of views but also how users interact with posts: comments, likes, and reposts. The more interactions, the higher the chances that posts will be shown to a larger number of users.
     To stand out and attract attention, it’s important to follow these recommendations:
     Encourage action. At the end of the post, ask a question or encourage users to participate in the discussion. For example:
     “What do you think of our new product?” or “What music are you listening to this season?” This prompts users to leave a comment.

     Use visual content. Even though Threads focuses on text posts, adding quality images or short videos can significantly boost engagement. Studies show that visual content attracts 60% more attention than text posts​.
     The Wendy’s brand uses humor and sarcasm in its posts, which immediately grabs users’ attention. This interaction style provokes an emotional response and encourages the audience to engage in active discussions​.
     An example of an engaging post:
     Imagine a brand that sells sportswear. One of the engaging posts could look like this:

     What’s more important to you when choosing sportswear: comfort or style? Share your thoughts in the comments!
     This post encourages the audience to start a discussion, share opinions, and perhaps even debate, significantly increasing engagement and helping the post spread to a larger audience.

     Post during peak times. It’s important to track when your audience is most active so that posts receive maximum engagement.

3. Profile Optimization
   A brand’s profile plays an important role in visibility on Threads. It’s important to ensure the profile description is concise and contains key words related to the brand. This will help users find your account through search and engage with your content. Additionally, use Instagram’s capabilities, where many users already have an audience that can be transferred to Threads​.
4. Active Interaction with Other Accounts
   Threads’ algorithms reward accounts that actively interact with other users. This means that brands should not only post content but also participate in discussions of other posts, comment, and quote posts from other brands or users. This helps expand reach and attract new followers​.
5. Using Current Topics and Trends
   Threads, like other social networks, actively responds to trends and current events. Brands can improve visibility by posting on hot topics being discussed on the platform. It’s important to monitor current discussions and use them to engage the audience​.

Conclusion

Meta’s Threads is still a very young social platform, and its business potential is still in the process of forming. On the one hand, the platform offers prospects for direct and informal interaction with audiences, which can be useful for strengthening customer loyalty and engagement.

It also offers unique lead generation opportunities, especially thanks to its integration with Instagram.

At the same time, it’s difficult at this stage to give a definitive answer about how successful Threads will be for business promotion in the long term. The platform still doesn’t support paid advertising, and its algorithms are in the process of being developed and fine-tuned. This creates both opportunities and uncertainties: brands that are now adopting Threads may gain a first-mover advantage but should also be ready for possible changes in the future.

Thus, while Threads opens interesting paths for audience interaction, its real value for business will become clear as it continues to evolve and new features are added.