The gist: this post is about how I'm approaching content strategy on threads, but also about how I'd approach content strategy on any new social platform.
I refuse to be a hot take content machine.
One part of my minimalist content marketing values is not forcing myself to be a “hot take machine” for the sake of algorithms and timeliness.
So when Threads first came out, while I started posting right away, I wanted to take my time to think through things before…
- Making any firm decisions about my content strategy
- Publishing any recommendations or advice
And listen, it’s not always easy!
Just because I don’t publish a hot take doesn’t mean that I don’t have it. 🙃
But now that the app has been around for a month-ish, I want to address some common takes I’ve seen about the platform and share a bit about how I’m trying to use it.
Take #1: you have to be on Threads
The reality: This one’s easy…No, you don’t.
I do always recommend a business try to own their handle on as many platforms as possible and set up the bios to direct people to a different communication channel, in case a customer looks for you there.
(Also in case of a username squatter, but Threads’ close integration with Instagram may prevent that from becoming a problem.)
But otherwise, you can have an awesome social strategy with or without Threads.
Personally, I’m excited to try to make it work for my business.
Out of all the social platforms, I was always most at home on Twitter/X (that’s sadly changed).
But as more and more of my business’s community has preferred Instagram to Twitter, I’ve struggled to find a place to hang out with them on social media in a place we both enjoy.
Threads has the opportunity to bring together the best of both Twitter and Instagram for me/my business/my life, so I really do hope it takes off.
But!
By now I know better than to go all-in on an unproven social platform…I was very into Google+. 🫠
So I’m playing around there, but not at the expense of the marketing channels I already know work for my business.
That means posting content there a few times a week at most, and only checking the feed in my spare time, at least until I can better gauge the real opportunity there longer term.
This is how I would approach any new, experimental social channel instead of going all-in right away.
And speaking of posting…
Take #2: you shouldn’t use threads for “marketing” or educational content.
The reality: it depends on what kind of brand you’re building.
One of the most popular hot takes I’ve seen about Threads in the online business space is that it’s not for things like marketing, education, or “value based” content…it’s for being “chaotic” or “unhinged” or other ableist euphemisms.
Now, I’m all for fun, entertainment-based content.
But I pretty much interpret this as, “Threads shouldn’t be for helping your audience, just being authentic and making them relate to you as a person, or networking with other online business owners.”
A lot of online business owners seem to think it should only be for the “personal” side of the “personal brand business” and for leaning into parasocial relationships with our audiences.
But as I talked about in my last email about social media, this is exactly the kind of branding I want to move away from.
The kind that I find draining and exhausting personally, and morally questionable more generally.
I’d rather just do the usual content marketing stuff any kind of business can do.
That includes some silliness and chaos, sure, but also just trying to be helpful.
And speaking of helpfulness…
Take #3: you better not repost your old content from elsewhere.
The reality: this is actually what you should do.
Finally, the last popular take I want to address is the one most within my wheelhouse: that you shouldn’t repurpose content from other platforms to Threads.
NO, NO, NO.
I just want to ask the people saying this, “how much extra time and energy did you/your social team have last month?”
Whether you’re doing your own marketing or outsourcing it, I feel confident saying that whoever manages your accounts, they already have enough work on their plate without adding content creation for a new social platform into the mix.
Repurposing content from other platforms to Threads can let a business experiment with the platform in their strategy without devoting a ton of resources to it before you know how it will pay off.
If Threads seems to work for your business based on that, then you can start giving it more resources and incorporating original content creation if you want.
But more importantly, this advice misses out on one of the best content repurposing opportunities.
You know I’m a huge fan of flaunting the hell out of your “greatest hits,” whether that’s your best blog posts, videos, or social posts.
I believe that when you’re putting yourself in front of new audience, you want to show them your best past content to make the best first impression possible.
The example I usually use is making sure a new email subscriber sees your best content in a welcome sequence, but another great example is a new social profile.
If you’re trying to attract new people there, then posting your best, most engaging messages from other platforms can be extremely strategic and effective.
I think the people saying this take might be talking about simply copy and pasting content without optimizing it to the platform you’re repurposing for, but I’m not sure.
Either way, this is why I like to differentiate between repurposing and remixing.
Remixing the message or essence of your best content elsewhere, but making it fit how people are using Threads, is smart.
And while I haven’t had any clients using Threads yet, I have had clients use this strategy to successfully launch new profiles elsewhere. I’ve even used it myself in my other business, which had a huge content archive by the time I launched any social profiles.
Because as corny as it sounds, your greatest hits make a great first impression.
How I’m approaching Threads strategy
All this brings me to how I personally plan to use Threads.
Like I said earlier, I’m excited, but also skeptical. So I’m approaching the platform with cautious optimism.
One of my personal goals for this year (and last year 🙈) is going from “extremely online” to “just pretty online” lol, and I will probably be on Twitter until it’s fully dead and gone because I can’t help myself (see this meme), so I don’t have much of an interest in using it personally.
But I am interested in it for my businesses.
When Twitter’s usefulness for this business first started declining last year, I started making more of an effort on LinkedIn. That’s still my main priority for the audience & awareness part of my customer journey.
But I can easily see Threads being a better combination of “both fun and effective” for me, if its popularity proves lasting.
So until I can get a better picture of what it will be long-term, I’m just dipping my toe in when I have the time and energy.
And as I do, I’m heavily prioritizing remixing my best social content from elsewhere over creating anything new (or even remixing something more recent but less proven to meet the goals I’m interested in).
Because I’m not going to drain my energy creating content for a platform I’m not even sure will matter in 3 months, even if I’m hoping it will. 🤷🏻♀️
Now I want to hear from you: are you using Threads at all? If so, how are you approaching it?
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