Instagram Threads 101: Important Things You Need To Know

Within the rapidly evolving world of social media, Instagram Threads has become the latest social media platform to enter the digital marketing landscape. Instagram Threads was designed by the Instagram team in order to compete with Twitter as a leading social media platform to share public conversations and connections through text and media.

The launch of Threads signals a shift towards a more personalised and interactive experience for users as Instagram encourages social media users to engage in conversations and share their opinions on trending topics and events.

A Deep Dive Into Instagram Threads

In this blog, we’ll take you through everything you need to know about Instagram Threads, including how it works and how you can leverage the latest social media platform early to increase your brand awareness.

What Is Instagram Threads?

Instagram Threads is a new social media app that was built to encourage users to engage in public conversations using text updates and media files. In essence, Instagram Threads was created by Instagram to create a space where more personalised connections can be made between different social media users and businesses.

In each post, users can include up to 500 characters as well as images, links, and videos that are up to five minutes long. The look of your posts on Threads appears very similar to posts on Twitter, so if you are familiar with how to post on Twitter, understanding is very easy.

What is Included in Your Feed on Instagram Threads?

Your feed on Instagram Threads includes threads which have been posted by accounts that you follow as well as accounts that you have not discovered yet but may match your interests. This element allows you to remain up to date with accounts that you follow on Threads and discover other accounts that share similar interests and topics.

One of the key reasons why Threads was created was to ensure that conversations online remain positive and inspiring. To help with this, you can add hidden words to filter replies on your threads that contain certain words that you do not want to be associated with your account.

Similar to the Instagram app itself, you can also block, report, and unfollow accounts on Threads to filter out accounts and content that you do not wish to see on your feed. It is important to bear in mind that any account that you may have blocked on your Instagram account will automatically be blocked on your Instagram Threads. This is a very useful feature for businesses and marketers as it saves time when filtering out accounts that you do not wish to see.

If you don’t manage a business account but still want to experiment with Instagram Threads, you have the option to make your Threads account public or private to manage how other users discover your content.

Once you have created your new thread and are ready to click ‘Post’, you will notice some grey text underneath that will allow you to filter who can reply to your content. Your options available include:

• Anyone can reply
• Profiles you follow can reply
• Profiles you mention can reply

This feature gives you the ability to filter who can reply to your threads and decide how much control you would like to give other users when interacting with your Threads account.

How is Threads Connected With Instagram?

Now that we know some important background information about what Instagram Threads is and how it works, let’s take a look at how Threads is connected with Instagram.

• Your Instagram handle: When creating your Threads account, your Instagram handle or username is utilised to set up your account. This means that once your Threads account is set up, users can find your Threads account through a unique link above your Instagram bio. This is very useful for businesses and marketers as it connects your accounts and allows your customers to discover your Threads account more easily.
• Sharing threads on Instagram: Once you have posted a new thread, you can share this on your Instagram Stories for your existing Instagram followers to see. To do this, select the share button below a post on Instagram Threads and you will see multiple sharing options. To share threads to your Instagram Stories, select ‘Add to story’. Sharing your threads on Instagram Stories allows your followers to click on your post and be redirected to the Threads platform. Alternatively, you can also select ‘Post to feed’ to share your thread as an Instagram post.

• Importing your Instagram followers: An extremely useful feature on Instagram Threads is the ability to automatically follow the same accounts that you follow on Instagram. This saves businesses and marketers a lot of time when building their online presence on Instagram Threads and maintaining their online community.
• Deleting your Instagram Threads account: Your Threads and Instagram accounts are connected in terms of your handle and sharing content. However, if you decide to delete your Threads account, this will not delete your Instagram account as well. This is important to note to reassure businesses and marketers when managing and deleting their accounts in the future.

How to Get Started with Instagram Threads

So, now that we know how to use Instagram Threads, let’s deep dive into how to set up your Instagram Threads account.

1. Download the Threads app onto your mobile device. Threads is currently available on both iOS and Android devices.
2. Once you open the app, fill in your Instagram account login details. If you’re already logged into your Instagram account on the same device, you will see a prompt from Threads that will ask you to import your Instagram account details into Threads. Select this to import your login information.
3. Next, Threads will ask you to fill in your bio. This is a short snippet of information about your business below your username that online users can see when they are viewing your profile. Similar to Step 2, you will also have the option to import your Instagram bio into this section by clicking on the ‘Import from Instagram’ button.
4. Similar to Instagram, you can then add a URL link to your Threads to direct users to your website.
5. Next, Instagram Threads will ask whether you want your account to be public or private. A public account means that anyone, whether they use Instagram Threads or not, can see, share, and interact with your content. However, a private account means that only your approved followers can view and interact with your account. If you are a business account, we recommend selecting a public account to receive the largest reach possible.
6. Once you follow the remaining importing prompts, your Threads account is set up and ready to go!

Following Accounts on Instagram Threads

After setting up your Instagram Threads account, a prompt will appear asking you to select any Instagram accounts that you would also like to follow on Threads. At this stage, you can choose a select few from the recommendations provided or search for an account using the search bar. However, you can click the button ‘Follow all’ so that all of the accounts you follow on Instagram that also have a Threads account will be followed on Threads.

We recommend utilising this prompt as this will ensure that your Threads feed will include relevant content from accounts that you currently also follow on Instagram, and will kick start building an online community on Threads. 

If the accounts on Threads are public, your follow request will be automatically accepted. However, if you wish to follow a Threads account that is set as a private account, your follow request will need to be manually accepted by the profile before you can see and interact with their posts. Therefore, the following process is very similar to the process involved when following accounts on Instagram.

The Future of Instagram Threads

So, now that you’ve got your Instagram Threads account activated, what does the future of digital marketing look like with Instagram Threads? Instagram plans to integrate Threads with ActivityPub, which is a technology that connects everything to a single system to share content. This means that Instagram is aiming to utilise Threads to connect users together more than ever. 

For now, Instagram Threads is still a new social media platform, so the main objective is to experiment with posting early and devise marketing strategies that will achieve your business goals and objectives while reaching your target audience.

Instagram Threads Recommendations

The main takeaway from this blog is to ensure that you jump on the Instagram Threads trend early and experiment with posting on the latest social media platforms. Here are some recommendations when devising your posting strategy and navigating Threads:

• Share Threads to Instagram Stories: When you create a new thread, ensure to share it on your Instagram Stories. This is a great way to direct your current Instagram followers to your Threads account to discover your content and build more followers on Threads.
• Outline a clear call to action: Communication and interaction on Instagram Threads is key to growing your following. To encourage your followers to communicate with your account, outline a clear call to action within your post to generate engagement and conversations (e.g. “Which one is your favourite? Let us know below”, “ What are your thoughts? Let’s chat below”, etc.).
• Engage with other accounts: An excellent way to boost your online presence quickly is by replying to other threads created by other business pages or customers. This will increase your brand awareness and ensure that you’re utilising the platform for its main purpose which is to engage in conversations with others.

Want to know more about Instagram Threads? Get in touch with ProfileTree today to find out how you can boost your online presence on the latest social media platforms!