EPISODE 120 OF THE MARKETING SOLUTIONS PODCAST: HOW DID THREADS UNRAVEL SO QUICKLY
Sonya:
When Threads first launched, I told my team to leave a spot in my podcast schedule 6 weeks from that date, so I could spend a bit of time getting to know the platform, testing out the features and observing user behaviour trends.
At the time of recording this episode, Threads has been live for about 8 weeks and the term I’ve heard used to describe it THE MOST has been “a flash in the pan”.
Like Periscope and Telegram, Threads never really made it off the ground.
In today’s episode, I’m going to talk about
WHY Threads was invented in the first place
The gap in the market it aimed to fill
Why I think it didn’t live up to the hype, and
What to do if you want to stay on the platform a little longer, just in case it DOES end up taking off.
Which it could, you know.
In marketing, anything is possible.
We’ve seen it coming for a while now.
Social fatigue is a very real thing.
And even though daily user statistics suggest that we’re as active as ever on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and even LinkedIn, I’d suggest that habit (rather than true engagement) accounts for a good chunk of those numbers.
How many times have you picked up your phone and opened Instagram without even thinking about what you’re doing?
And how much of what you scrolled through can you remember when you put your phone down?
Habits are powerful. They can be hard to break.
But on the flip side, they’re not easy to form, either.
This is EXACTLY why I think many new social media platforms struggle to get off the ground and achieve true longevity.
Our social media behaviour is pretty much solidified by the age of 25, so for a new platform to come in and try and change that behaviour is going to be an uphill battle.
The situation with Threads is a little different, however.
Threads was created as an answer to Twitter, or “X” as Elon Musk has now tried to somewhat unsuccessfully rebrand the platform to.
At the time of the Threads launch, the Twitter rebrand hadn’t happened yet, but active users WERE annoyed with changes to the platform and the controversial actions of its new owner.
Hoping to capitalise on the chaos, Threads - powered by Meta and, by extension, Mark Zuckerberg - promised a kinder, more positive platform.
So that’s the why of it all. Threads wanted to step into Twitter’s shoes and convert those users who felt let down by the changes to Twitter. Not to mention those outraged by the profit-first actions of Elon Musk, who laid off over 6000 employees within weeks of taking over the company.
And we WANTED Threads to succeed. We really did.
Within the first few hours of its launch, Threads had 5 million user registrations.
Within a week, at least 100 million people had signed up for the app.
We’ve learned from the launches of Instagram Reels and TikTok, that early adopters of new platforms and platform features generally do well, long term.
So it wasn’t surprising when, within a few hours of Threads launching, my Instagram “For You” page - which ironically, is usually made up of mostly Twitter-style graphic posts - was replaced almost entirely with screenshots of THREADS posts.
SIDE NOTE: That’s one thing I find really interesting about platforms like Twitter and in more recent years, Reddit. They almost have a second life in the ‘social-sphere’, independently of the platform.
Whether that’s just clever repurposing, or that the content might actually suit other platforms better, we don’t know. But I can’t say I’m a user of Twitter OR Reddit, and I probably see more content from those platforms ON INSTAGRAM than I do any other type of content.
Anyway, back to Threads.
Just THREE WEEKS after launching, the number of active daily users had dropped from 49 million on July 7, to 12 million on July 22.
I personally downloaded Threads, posted a few times about podcast releases, and then… didn’t think about it, except when I needed to post my own stuff.
So… what went wrong?
While the concept of Threads is fine, it’s JUST fine, and the whole launch felt like a rushed, knee-jerk reaction.
Threads is basically the same as Twitter.
(A platform where users post short, insightful content, designed to spark conversation)
But even on its busiest day, Threads had less than HALF the number of users as Twitter. For context, Twitter averages more than 100 million active daily users.
And it’s pretty clear to see how - and why - Threads fell short:
It lacks some of Twitter's key functionalities, such as a desktop option and the ability to search hashtags, phrases, and names;
It's not clear what Threads' unique selling proposition is;
It's not clear who Threads is FOR, and
It FEELS like a Twitter knock off.
There’s nothing original about Threads.
And in a world where we have so much vying for our attention, if a platform isn’t new, novel or noteworthy, we’re not going to spend much time there.
If you DO want to hang out there a little longer, just in case it does take off, here’s how I would use the platform most effectively:
Firstly, don’t reinvent the wheel. I wouldn’t waste time creating new content, just for Threads. Grab a snippet from a social media caption, a blog or a podcast, convert it to text if you need to, and leave it at that.
Secondly, use Threads for vibes - not KPIs. Like TikTok, Threads is not a platform for selling. It’s a place to connect.
Thirdly, speaking of connecting, use the platform to connect.
Engage with other users the way you’d like them to engage with you. Do unto others, as they say!
You wouldn’t BELIEVE how many people will put up a post and expect others to like, share, comment and follow - when they don’t do any of those things themselves!
I’ve said it a million times, and this is a hill I’m prepared to die on:
The point of social media is to be social. If you’re not engaging with anyone, don’t expect them to engage with you.
Only time will tell if Threads can turn things around.
My thinking is, it’s going to depend largely on whether Elon Musk can keep Twitter afloat, and if the Threads team can come up with some decent new features.
The lesson I’m taking away from the whole thing is this:
Imitation may be a form of flattery, but it’s never going to lead to mastery - and it certainly won’t help you become a leader in your industry.
Take note of what your competitors are doing, sure.
But just like a photocopy will never look as good as the original, copying someone else’s strategy, creative work, or entire business model, will never look as good when you do it.
Whether you’re an avid Threads user, or struggle to keep up with your one social media platform of choice, I invite you to join the Boom Your Biz Facebook group, where you can connect with like-minded business owners and get support from other business owners facing the same challenges you do.
I’ve put a link to the group in the show notes, or you can search “Boom Your Biz” on Facebook. We’d love for you to join us.
Don’t forget to subscribe so you never miss an episode. Next week, it’s Episode 121 - When to sell and when to serve - getting the balance right. It’s going to be a good one.