Advertising execs: Threads’ built-in scale gives it a leg up on Twitter competitors

Meta’s market position and experience have clearly given Threads a huge leg up on every other Twitter replacement app to date – this is immediately evident from its user growth in the first 24 hours. 

I see three main advantages: 1) They have an enormous base of existing users and connections [to other Meta apps], which makes it easy to onboard to Threads with an already-populated audience and home feed. 2) They have a well-tested and familiar UI, which makes the app intuitive and simple for anyone who has used Meta’s other apps. 3) The self-fulfilling prophecy factor: there has been so much hype about this app, and such a strong narrative that Meta should launch a Twitter competitor, that a lot of users seem to take it as a given that they need to jump right in to this moment rather than waiting and watching to see how it unfolds.

[In terms of it being a viable Twitter replacement], that really depends on what you’re trying to replace! For users, there is a little bit of dissonance: for one thing, the accounts you follow on Instagram (friends, family and highly visual sources of inspiration) are not necessarily the accounts whose real-time, short-form prose you’re dying to read. Threads also lacks most elements of discoverability, like hashtags and keyword search, that made Twitter feel like such an open window into the world. Both of those things could evolve in the future, but it has made for some initial eyebrow raises. 

For brands, I can see Threads being a much more straightforward Twitter replacement. Most brands that we work with are already experimenting with it, and using a similar approach [as] Twitter is a common thing to try – though it will be interesting to see how brands begin to notice and leverage aspects of Threads that are actually different from Twitter. Of course, in order to function fully as a Twitter substitute, Threads will need to launch paid media and greatly expand upon the measurement and analytics available.

Peter Chun, SVP, global head of partnerships, VaynerMedia

Instagram has taken its 2.35 billion users and created a new way for them to engage, discover and connect. While Threads appears to look like Twitter, it’s far from it. The interplay of followers, audiences and cross-posting with Instagram has created the fastest consumer app launch we’ve ever seen, and brands, celebrities and users are unhinged in every (good) way.

The real question becomes how long can Zuckerberg and Mosseri wait before ads flood the experience.

Nikki Melless, media director, Dept

Meta's existing audience base gives it a significant advantage in the market; not only do they have an audience that is willing to jump over to Threads just to see what it is about, but the people doing so already have a network and can grow their following almost immediately. This, in conjunction with the seamless sign up experience, means that they have grown rapidly after only a few hours of being live.

The winner of the race to replace Twitter needed to create an alternative that works; they had to do this quickly and they had to grow the user base in a short amount of time. While Meta took a bit longer than the others to launch Threads, the immediate user base and ease of use means that it is now the front runner.

Natalie Silverstein, chief innovation officer, Collectively

Threads is absolutely the most viable Twitter replacement I’ve seen so far. Here’s why:

First, the Instagram social graph. That alone has made Threads instantly interesting in the first 24 hours since launch. Seamlessly and immediately seeing a ton of follower requests and a really active feed is the opposite of what most users have experienced trying to use Bluesky, Mastodon or Post.

Second, the initial community energy. So many of our brand clients and creators feel nostalgic for a time when Twitter felt more fun — and frankly, safer. The vibes are high on Threads, at least for now. 

Finally, Meta’s history of swiping good ideas from smaller competitors and scaling them up with pretty good success. Case in point: Stories quickly became an important part of the Instagram experience and a way for Meta to wrest away millennials from Snapchat. This sort of example gives me hope that they can ride this early momentum and build something great. 

Kris Tait, managing director, Croud U.S.

If you’re going to make a new version of something that already exists, you’ve got to intentionally surpass the thing that you’re trying to emulate—and at first glance, Threads doesn’t do that. What it does have over Mastodon and Bluesky is instant reach, which is notable, of course, as you can import your followers from Instagram, and you’ve got a ready-made feed. 

But what’s the point beyond that? I'm speaking to the same people I have on my Instagram, posting content they already post on Twitter. The calculation I keep doing in my head is that brands can reach the same people—but with added effort and when ads eventually launch, added frequency and cost. Again, same people. We'll see how this plays out.

Ben Jeffries, co-founder and CEO, Influencer

Meta’s dominant position and experience in successfully emulating rival products differentiate Threads from competitors like Bluesky, Mastodon and Post. With a staggering user base of at least 3.02 billion people daily across apps, the Meta brand carries significant weight in the market. Threads leverages this advantage by allowing users to seamlessly transfer their established Instagram following, which they may have been growing for 13 years now, eliminating the need to start anew. The user experience on Threads also closely resembles that of Instagram, ensuring familiarity and increasing user retention.

The strategic timing of Threads’ launch, coinciding with the recent publicity surrounding Twitter’s rate limits, has undoubtedly contributed to the platform’s rapid accumulation of signups and served as a promising indicator for the long-term viability of Threads. While the ultimate success of Threads as a Twitter replacement depends on user adoption and its ability to provide a compelling alternative, the combination of Meta’s dominance, experience and user-friendly approach positions Threads as a strong contender in the text-based social media landscape. And I, for one, am hopeful. 

Ed Gunn, EVP strategy, Mischief @ No Fixed Address

Threads is already a viable competitor to Twitter, Mastodon, Bluesky and Post, for the very same reason that it won't entirely replace them: Threads lets you import friends from Instagram. 

Social media, as its name suggests, is social. Ergo, it’s easier to drive engagement when you have some people you know or care about to talk with, rather than be a tragic Billy-no-mates. Whereas early days on an app like Mastadon or Bluesky can feel overwhelming, like going to a new school in a different district, Threads feels like you're with the same old community while exploring a new-ish environment.

But as much as this social element will allow Threads to scale fast, it won't “kill” any competitors. After all, Meta didn’t kill Snapchat with Instagram Stories. Instead, it will just further drive their competitors to their extremes: Snapchat doubled down on being a space where friends can keep in touch. 

Twitter will be further de-positioned from once being the default ‘town square’ into its modern positioning as a 'free-ish speech' app for grumpy point-scoring pseudo-intellectuals.

It's early days, but Threads will probably own the mainstream version of the ‘town-square.’ It’ll be big. It’ll be fun. It’ll feel more populated and brand safe from day one, which will fuel its growth.

But people naturally crave a bit of spice in their casserole from time to time. The sort of spice that you don’t want the village to know about.

Kieron Leppard, executive creative director, Huge

Twitter managed to outlast Bluesky, Mastodon and Post — but Meta’s success in developing copycat products may deliver a meaningful blow, in part due to Meta’s massive user base. Instagram alone has 1.2 billion active users — meaning Threads will have an active community right from the start — as well as a deep understanding of the experience their users crave. 

Threads’ brand proposition is also enticing, claiming to "foster positive and constructive conversations,” clearly targeting users weary of Twitter’s rampant toxicity. Achieving feature parity with Twitter will take time, but Threads’ brand proposition, design simplicity and user insights are a solid start.