Threads for Business: Should Your Brand Be on Meta’s Twitter Alternative?
With 150M+ active users (Meta Q1 2024), Threads is growing rapidly—but is it actually valuable for businesses? Unlike Twitter/X, Threads integrates directly with Instagram’s 2B+ user base, offering unique advantages (and challenges).
In this guide, you’ll learn:
- Current Threads user demographics & engagement rates
- 3 types of businesses seeing the most success
- Real ROl examples from early-adopter brands
- When to skip Threads (and where to focus instead)
Threads vs. Twitter/X: Key Differences for Brands
Factor
User Base
Algorithm
Brand Safety
Ad Options
Threads
Instagram-linked, younger
Chronological & engagement mix
Stricter content moderation
None yet (organic only)
Twitter/X
More B2B/political
Controversy-driven
Higher spam/scam risk
Paid ads available
Biggest Advantage : Threads’ lower competition means easier visibility vs. saturated platforms.
3 Types of Businesses Winning on Threads Right Now
1. Lifestyle & Consumer Brands
- Why it works: Visual-friendly audience from Instagram
- Example: @Glossier’s conversational product updates
2. B2C SaaS & Creators
- Why it works: Early-adopter tech crowd
- Example: @ConvertKit’s founder-led engagement
3. Media & Publishers
- Why it works: News snippets perform well
- Example: @TheVerge’s threaded explainers
When Threads Isn’t Worth It for Your Business
Skip Threads if:
- Your audience is mostly 40+ professionals (Still Twitter/LinkedIn-heavy)
- You rely on paid social ads (No Threads ads yet)
- You lack Instagram presence (Cross-posting is key)
4 Threads Strategies That Actually Work
1. Cross-Pollinate Instagram Content
- Share Reels captions as Threads posts
- Use “Tap my IG for demo” CTAs
2. Leverage “Close Friends” Vibes
- Behind-the-scenes employee takeovers
- Raw “Day in the Life” stories
3. Jump on Trending Topics Early
- Monitor /Threads & Instagram Search
- Add value to viral threads (Not just promo)
4. Build in Public
- Share real-time business lessons
- Example: “Why we killed our top product feature”
Threads ROI: What Brands Are Reporting
- DTC brands: 2-5% engagement rates (vs. 0.5% on Twitter)
- B2B SaaS: 3x more profile clicks than LinkedIn posts
- Publishers: 15-20% of web traffic from Threads links
