Threads: What It Is & Next Steps

Meta’s Threads launches the hottest new social network but what is the opportunity for health brands? CMI Media Group’s experts share their thoughts below.    

UPDATE 8/22/23: HCPs React to Threads’ Limited Engagements and Daily Users, Plus What Does This Mean for Brands 

As advertisers within the healthcare space, it is important to understand the sentiment within the HCP community as it relates to their usage of social media. Recently, Healio hosted a webinar with all influential HCPs to gain additional insights on their views as it relates to Threads – and understandably, Twitter/X was discussed as well. Here’s what you need to know: 

1. Majority of HCPs see a lack of engagements within Threads, leading to hesitation in expanding their digital footprint 

2. HCPs understand there are challenges of a platform within its infancy state versus an already established platform and were willing to be patient (for now) 

3. There are implications of leaving behind a community and starting over again on a new platform, which made some HCPs hesitant to leave Twitter/X for Threads 

4. The power #MedTwitter holds within the HCP and patient communities to engage with one another, raise awareness and share valuable information 

While most of the HCP speakers were aligned with their dissatisfaction of the direction Twitter/X is heading, their decision to expand their presence on Threads remains uncertain, for now.   

As HCPs continue to remain hesitant about Threads, new reports recently published showcasing that engagement levels were down nearly 70% and as of August 15 daily active users have fallen 80%. Does this mean Threads is a big bust? Not necessarily. Despite the lackluster start and still no advertising capabilities on Threads, CMI Media Group recommends the following two actions: 

1. Take the approach of closely observing ongoing changes and taking appropriate action as needed 

2. Brands with an active Instagram community consider exploring an organic presence on Threads 

CMI Media Group will continue to monitor the digital landscape of Threads and Twitter/X throughout the remainder of the year and will update as deemed important. 

The below POV was originally posted on 7/11/23

WHAT IS THREADS?

Threads, Meta’s “Twitter Killer” app has officially arrived, and surpassed 100 million sign ups just a few days after launching. The long-rumored competitor app to Twitter is a companion to Instagram – signing up is seamless if you already have an Instagram account. The platform looks very similar to Twitter, and encourages real-time conversations with text-based posts, along with images and videos.   

Threads is just the latest platform to launch with hopes of taking over Twitter’s spot as the go-to place for real-time conversations, but it has the most significant chance to make a real impact. The connection to Meta gives Threads access to Instagram’s massive user base – it is being reported that Twitter has an estimated active user base of 250 million, where Instagram’s is estimated at 2 billion. Mark Zuckerberg is hopeful that Threads will eventually have 1 billion+ users.  

 Key takeaways about Threads: 

• Threads is now available for all Instagram account types from creators to businesses to personal accounts in more than 100 countries. 
• Currently Threads is not available in the European Union, European Economic Area, or Switzerland as they do not meet the region’s strict data privacy regulations. 
• In the app’s privacy description on the Apple App Store and Google Play Store, Threads lists out what personal data may be collected on users including: health and fitness, financial information, contacts, browsing history, and location.  
• Meta plans to make Threads compatible with the open, interoperable social networks that we believe can shape the future of the internet.  
• Threads is available for iOS and Android. People can download the app from the Apple App Store and Google Play Store. 
• People and businesses log in to Threads using their Instagram account. 
• Usernames on Threads will be the same as the corresponding Instagram account username and cannot be claimed by another profile. 
• As with all of Meta’s products, safety is a priority. Meta will enforce Instagram’s Community Guidelines on content in the app. 

PLATFORM COMPARISON

Threads and Twitter may have a similar UI experience however, there are a few key differences worth highlighting:

Character limits will vary between Threads and Twitter (both paid and unpaid versions) that may impact brands. Threads allow for a max of 500 characters compared to the standard 280 limit for unpaid Twitter users, a 220-character difference.

When users upload multiple photos to a post on both Threads and Twitter, how they render will be significantly different. Threads (which allow a max of 10 images per post) will display in carousel format, allowing users to swipe through to view each image. Twitter (max of 4 images per post) will display all images in one Tweet encouraging users to select each image to view in full size.

Currently if a user wants to delete their Threads profile permanently, they also must delete their Instagram account.

For a full breakdown of platform differences (inclusive of Instagram) reference the table below.

RAPID ADOPTION

While Threads has grown even faster than ChatGPT, it has been largely boosted by those with an existing Instagram presence or quick thinking to take advantage of the algorithm. So far, the platform has been more playful and driving more legacy style community and commentary opportunities.

Source: Forbes

With search capabilities limited to profiles, it’s hard to gauge any relevant industry performance as well as get a read on relevant HCP and patient activity.

While it is currently not possible to pull data from Threads due to their API restrictions for research purposes, anecdotes on Twitter show interest from #MedTwitter including the pole below:  

In addition to the poll above, we have seen HCPs excitedly sharing their move to the Threads platform while others feel it’s not ready for prime time quite yet. Those citing issues with Threads often pointed to the lack of chronological timelines, not limiting timeline to your followers, and the fracturing among other options.

WHAT WE’RE WATCHING

NO AD SUPPORT: No ad support now but expected to eventually tap into Meta’s ecosystem

At this time, there are no ads or monetization features on Threads. The platform’s priority is to build consumer value first and foremost, which will allow them to explore how to build business value on the app in the future. Meta has referenced wanting to reach 1 billion users worldwide before introducing ads. That said, the upside is advantageous as data from the larger ecosystem, like Facebook and Instagram will likely be leveraged. We can anticipate that Threads could eventually supplement Meta’s already robust advertising business and be a natural evolution in strategy for advertisers and brands.  It remains to be seen if brands will be able to serve ads without a profile, like they can on Instagram using a Facebook page. 

Even with the lack of advertising opportunities, advertisers are watching closely as Threads has a real chance at surpassing Twitter as the go-to app for real time conversations given the continued uncertainty and brand safety concerns on Twitter.

RELEVANT DISCUSSIONS: Without hashtags & search, medical discussion will be difficult to group and find

We expect hashtags and search to be a top priority for future releases. Currently, users are seeing posts from popular accounts or those they have followed from Instagram. Medical communities are going to be hard to develop in the meantime, but we’ll be closely watching when these features are added.

AUDIENCE DEVELOPMENT: Most KOLs won’t capitalize on their existing audience, but patient influencers and organizations will

Most KOLs with an HCP following are doing so on Twitter. Medical influencers on Instagram, whether it be an HCP or Patient, are typically appealing to a DTP audience. Until some of the search and discovery features are released, the main means of finding accounts are promotion from other networks like… Twitter. We’ll be watching to see if Threads can shift HCP following or will be another network with more DTP driven content.

When it comes to the overall health of HCPs discussing conferences and other HCP facing events, the latest ASCO has seen not only consistent increases in year over year posts in general, but unique HCP authorship increasing this year from last. We will be monitoring conferences later in the year for the same changes and if Threads has an impact over time.

ASCO Annual Conference Twitter Post Volume YoY  |  Unique Active HCP Authors YoY

LISTENING API: Expect similar data to Instagram but with more text-based posts  As many know, social listening on Facebook can be largely manual but Instagram is much more searchable, using captions and hashtags. With ambitions like the “fediverse,” and a text focused platform, we would expect data to sync well with social data aggregators. Based on Adam Mossieri’s comments about potential auto-archiving, we will proceed with caution with Threads as a data source but remain hopeful.

CONTENT PARAMETERS: Content should be seamless, which would be pharma friendly

With a character count of 500 and multiple link support content should be fairly seamless. Even supporting vertical video without cropping unlike Twitter. Right now, profiles are very minimalistic like Instagram of old, including a short bio, one link and no pinned posts. While many of these features will likely come, brands will have to get creative in the meantime.

NEXT STEPS AND CONSIDERATIONS

Brands with established Instagram audiences should consider an organic strategy for DTP to help build a sense of community, develop a presence on the platform and increase their share of voice. With conversation controls available to all users, pharma brands can help feel a sense of comfort, even without the current ability to sync with a social media management tool. We’d recommend launching with basic privacy and brand safety controls, including the option to mute accounts, hide offensive language, and block profiles. You can even customize your own words to an exclusionary list to mitigate unwanted interaction, harassment, or online abuse. 

Without advertising and discovery features, pharma brands should hold off on creating any brand new programs. While there are no paid advertising opportunities on Threads at this time, we are working with our Meta reps to explore how our pharma and healthcare clients might best partner in the future. Even though Threads is a new player in the social media space, we can appreciate that the parent company understands our highly regulated industry and will be committed to building out policies and processes for pharma.

Brands should watch the considerations above closely before moving forward. CMI Media Group will continue to closely monitor and inform teams of any updates or changes as business value and advertising opportunities evolve.

If you have any questions, please contact your Paid Social and Social Engagement leads.