Meta’s Reportedly Exploring Latest Options to Reignite Interest in Threads

While Meta has repeatedly stated that it’s completely happy with the progress of Threads, its Twitter-like real-time social network, recent reports have suggested that Meta management is growing more concerned about Threads’ slowing growth, which has seen account sign-ups slow significantly after its initial, record-setting growth spurt.

After reaching 100 million users in only five days after launch, Threads has gained only 32 million more profiles within the proceeding three months. At the identical time, third-party evaluation has also suggested that Threads usage is in steep decline, falling from a peak of 21 minutes per user, per day back in July, to only 6 minutes per session now. For context, in May this 12 months, Elon Musk reported that X users were spending around 31 minutes per day within the app.  

Threads remains to be in development, so fluctuation and churn was at all times likely, but apparently, Meta is now investigating recent ways to recapture its early buzz, and drive more people to the app.

As reported by The Information, Meta’s currently trying to get more high-profile creators posting more often to the app, in a bid to encourage more engagement.

As per The Information:

“This month, Instagram, which created Threads, will hold multiple focus groups with creators in an effort to learn what would make it more appealing, said an individual with direct knowledge of the situation. Instagram’s partnerships department, which handles non-advertising deals with media corporations and creators, has targets set around getting recent creators onto Threads and retaining existing ones, the person said.”

That’s according to Meta’s initial growth strategy for Threads, which saw it recruit a variety of high-profile identities to spark interest in the brand new app.

Evidently, those early adopters, which included Oprah and the Dalai Lama, have drifted from the app since, so Meta’s trying to launch a brand new push to get more influential people more lively again.

Though the indisputable fact that it’s asking creators may not bode well. It has appeared like Meta had an outlined growth strategy in place for the app, but possibly, it doesn’t have the scope of ideas that it had initially seemed.

Meta’s also been trying to use Instagram’s reach as a method to spice up Threads interest, with in-feed alerts for trending Threads discussions, and prompts to get users to sign-up to register their Threads account.

It’s also now testing a brand new display, which might show a users’ latest thread right on their IG profile page.

As you possibly can see in this instance, shared by @ec_wife on X, the brand new listing would highlight your latest Threads update directly beneath your IG profile, which might be one other strategy to spark interest.

On one other front, Threads can be now testing recent “first Threads” notifications inside the app itself, to get more people engaging with recent users from the feed.

Meta still has a variety of levers like this, which it could pull to spice up Threads exposure. Though to date, plainly not a lot of them are driving more activity within the app, which could prompt Meta to make more drastic changes in approach, as a way to capitalize on the chance that exists for a real X rival.

Because clearly, with 100 million early sign-ups, there’s a chance there. A few of that, after all, is tied into Meta linking Threads to your IG account, and its simplified Threads profile creation. But each time that Elon Musk makes a divisive comment, or X makes a less-than-popular change, sign-ups to alternative platforms surge, and Threads, at once, looks like probably the most lively, most viable option, which could still see Meta profit.

Threads still has a variety of other improvements to make as well. Instagram chief Adam Mosseri has noted that post editing is coming, together with an API, which might enable scheduling and expanded Threads activity from publishers, while the Threads algorithm also must be more specifically attuned to Threads engagement, versus using your IG graph as a proxy for interest.

Since the people and profiles that users will follow in each app are likely very different, and at once, Threads isn’t showing users probably the most engaging suggestions in-stream.

All of those improvements are coming, however the signs, at once at the very least, aren’t trending upward in the way in which that Meta would love.

Really, while a variety of individuals are searching for an X alternative, it still stays one of the best app for following breaking news and real-time events, while discussion around sports, TV shows, etc., all still see way more activity in the previous bird app.

Threads does have a chance for disruption, but its path will not be easy, and it’ll be interesting to see if the Meta team can crack the code, and maximize user engagement. Or if Meta will eventually lose interest, in favor of the metaverse, or AI, or whatever the subsequent big project of focus could also be.

Personally, I remain confident that Threads can discover a place inside the broader social media landscape, but I’m less confident of that place being an outright Twitter alternative. X, for all its flaws, has such a well-established hold, in lots of respects, that it’s still Elon’s position to lose. Which, based on a few of his decisions for the app, he should still do, and possibly, that’s what Meta’s actually waiting for as the actual migration trigger for its app.