Only Fools Rush In: What Marketing & Communications Professional Need To Know About Threads

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Now that it looks like the much-anticipated but always-farfetched Elon Musk vs. Mark Zuckerberg cage fight is unlikely to happen, we’ll all have to settle for X vs. Threads.

By now, we all know that Threads is Meta’s answer to Musk’s struggling X (formerly Twitter), which continues to deteriorate amid plunging advertising revenue and rising hate speech. Threads holds the record for fastest-growing consumer app, jumping from zero to 100 million users in less than a week after its launch in early July.

Threads was billed as a kinder and gentler version than X, or “Twitter without the rough edges or news,” as The Guardian phrased it.

As a quick primer, here are some of the basic facts about Threads:

  • Users log in to Threads using their Instagram credentials and can port over their entire profiles. No Instagram? Then no Threads.
  • After creating a Threads account, users are free to delete it. But doing so also deletes the corresponding Instagram account.
  • Threads can be used only via the mobile app, but a desktop version is reportedly on the way at some point.
  • Threads’ feed is algorithmically organized – not chronologically, as X is.
  • Posts can be up to 500 characters and can include photos or videos that last five minutes.
  • Threads has no search functionality, hashtags, or advertising.
  • It is not available in the European Union due to regulatory concerns.

The waiting is the hardest part
Unfortunately for Meta, what appeared to be an early success story has now crashed down to reality. Following its peak in the days after launch, Threads saw its number of daily users plummet 79% globally in just a month, according to Similarweb. Relatedly, the average amount of time users spent on the app dropped precipitously, from 14 minutes per day down to 3 over the course of just a month.

These early returns don’t mean that Threads is doomed to fail; just that it’s having significant growing pains after dreams of its overnight success proved to be wildly optimistic.

So, with the Threads hype, followed by its near-inevitable crash back to Earth, what is a diligent and curious marketing and communications professional to do? In short, watch and wait.

It is advisable to secure desired usernames while they’re available, but business-to-business companies should not feel compelled to rush in at this early stage to “join the conversation,” especially since the conversation seems to be dwindling. Instead, marcomm professionals can prepare today for a possibly-more-relevant Threads tomorrow by seeking out answers to the following three key questions:

  • Is our target audience here? Admittedly, without search functionality, this one is tough to answer. However, for most business-to-business companies, the answer is likely to be “not yet,” and quite possibly, “never.”
  • Is it worth the effort? Evaluate the time and resources that Threads would require and consider whether they would be more efficiently directed elsewhere.
  • What’s the strategy? Due to the differing natures of the two social networks, posts to Threads should not be mirror images of posts to X. Experts advise producing humanizing content that shouldn’t be only brand-focused.

While Threads may hold some promise in the future for marketing and communications, companies should not feel obligated to jump on the platform simply because it’s the latest shiny object to briefly attract public attention. As Amendola Jodi Amendola shared last year, the PR landscape continues to evolve, so it’s best to take a cautious approach, monitor your competitors’ social activities, and keep an open mind. 

While this approach may lack the excitement of a bloody battle between two petty, infantile, and thin-skinned ultra-billionaires, it’s what makes the most sense for public relations professionals as Threads seeks to gain traction with a business audience. 

Navigating The Changing Digital Health Landscape: How PR Can Help

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The media times, they are a-changin’.

With much-needed apologies to Bob Dylan, we are indeed in the midst of a “historic media transformation,” which has created “unprecedented challenges” for leaders and executives across virtually all industries, according to the Harvard Kennedy School.

In an era of political, technological, and social upheaval that has led to disinformation and mistrust, “convincing data and compelling ideas are no longer enough for leaders to prevail in the public square,” according to the Kennedy School.

To cite just one data point that illustrates changing attitudes about media, consider a recent survey from Pew Research Center. The survey found that young adults (aged 18 -29) trust information from social media sites (50%) almost as much as information from national news (56%). This stands in sharp contrast to adults aged 65 and over, with 67% trusting information from national news and just 20% trusting social media.

The healthcare industry is not immune to these seismic changes. For example, digital health companies play a pivotal role in helping transform the industry by making healthcare more efficient and accessible, while improving patient outcomes. Unfortunately, many organizations struggle to rise above a cluttered marketplace to truly make an impact.

However, a comprehensive PR approach can represent the difference between a digital health company getting noticed and falling through the cracks.

 “An effective PR strategy helps organizations get noticed in a packed, multifaceted field like healthcare and find their niche through relevant content and thought leadership,” said Yancey Casey, senior account director. “It also helps address the complex challenges unique to healthcare, such as regulatory and ethical issues, and to communicate the benefits and risks of using healthcare technology.”

“PR helps digital health founders increase their visibility and reach a wider audience, ultimately driving more engagement and adoption of their services and solutions,” added Marcia Rhodes, vice president.

Amendola’s public relations experts bring decades of combined experience and expertise in helping healthcare companies navigate the constantly changing digital media landscape. The following are some best practices shared by our thought leaders.

Stake out a clear position in the market: “Digital health is a crowded media landscape, and having a clear positioning can help a company cut through the clutter,” said Mardi Larson, senior account director. “Be sure to revisit positioning documents regularly – quarterly if possible. Digital health is moving at a rapid pace with new players and new technologies being launched daily, morphing the space at each step, and the fast-paced evolution can impact these foundational communication materials.”

Spread the PR message through multiple channels: “Using a combination of written content, media interviews and social media, PR professionals can showcase the expertise of leaders, their awareness of new trends, their insights on how new trends are impacting the industry, and their predictions for future trends,” said Michelle Noteboom, senior account and content director. “By positioning the organization and its executives as trusted and well-informed industry leaders who are prepared for on-going innovation, PR teams can help build a company’s credibility, attract new partners and clients, and foster customer trust and loyalty.”

Prioritize trust and transparency: “The skepticism surrounding AI has arisen almost as swiftly as the technology itself, compelling stakeholders to navigate through many AI-related claims, some of which may lack precision,” said Janet Mordecai, senior account director. “Drawing from interactions with clients seeking to distinguish themselves amidst the din of AI skepticism, a pivotal strategy has been the creation of lucid and concise messages that address how AI is being used to obtain and integrate patient data in compliance with existing regulations and ultimately transform care. A focused and unwavering public relations strategy is essential to building trust and should center on transparency about a company’s AI technology, processes, and applications.”