You’ve probably heard that Instagram launched a sister app – Threads – last week.

It’s been a hugely successful launch with more than 100 million users signing up within the first week. Obviously this is reflective of the huge pre-existing IG crowd, but also speaks to the fact that so many social platforms are visually focused these days. Threads offers a genuine alternative to that trend. (Specifically one that hasn’t been overrun by alt-right conspiracy theorists.)

Each time a new social platform is created, you have an opportunity to assess a visibility opportunity for your business.

Personally I definitely don’t recommend jumping on platforms just because they exist or because other people are all over it. I’ve stayed away from a good many platforms in the past, despite the hype that surrounded them. Periscope wasn’t for me. Clubhouse was also a no go. And I’m very happy to leave TikTok to Gen Zs. 

And still, the fear of missing out is a real thing and invites us to exercise discernment in choosing whether to thread or not to thread.

So, let’s take a moment to work through some self reflective questions to help decide if it’s for you. 

Does the thought of another social platform make you feel physically ill?

If so, stay focused on the visibility strategy you already have in play, put your blinkers on and ignore the noise.

Is there room in your week to experiment with another social platform?

If not, stick with what you’re doing now until you create some breathing space to think about your next best visibility step.

If you do have room (or are willing to make room), is a text based public conversation space what you’re looking for? That’s specifically what Threads is.

For some people that sounds like heaven and for others it sounds like hell. There are plenty of options out there, so before charging ahead and taking on yet another visibility related obligation, be sure to determine which ones align with your natural way of being visible.

Have you found yourself wishing for some time that there was a positive text based social media environment you could express yourself on?

If so, Threads might be worth experimenting with.

Are you really loving a particular social platform at the moment?

If so, stay there, keep going.

Alternatively, if you’re really hating a particular social platform at the moment, this might be an ideal time to drop it completely and make the shift (which is always a nice option if you know there’s no more time in your week for something new).

Are you unhappy with your growth on a particular social platform?

The beginnings of a new platform are an interesting time. People who embrace it and commit the time to mastering that platform quickly can see a real boost in their numbers. That kind of opportunism does take commitment though. You need to be there regularly, really understanding how to make the most of the new environment. 

If you’re specifically looking to increase your reach, do you have a clear sense of the pace of engagement and posting needed to grow your numbers there?

Obviously on a new platform this might be hard to gauge and you’ll need to be there a while to ascertain if it’s for you. That’s perfectly fine. It’s good business practice to see a new opportunity, test it for a while to assess its features and benefits, and then determine whether it’s for you.

On the other hand, what is a waste of your previous time and an excellent way to split your attention and focus, is jumping over to the next shiny object simply because others are, not really taking the time to assess the opportunity and understand what’s involved, and then hoping to see some results simply because you showed up.

If that sounds familiar, my recommendation is you give yourself a month of showing up and trying something new – whether that’s Threads or a completely different platform. Think of that time as experimentation time. Commit to understanding the environment and observing what works and what doesn’t.

Then reflect on the time, energy and skills you have to commit to the platform and grow your reach there. If you can make the commitment, keep going. If you can’t, there are plenty of other ways to expand your reach without relying on a platform that’s not a great fit for you.

Are you naturally a video or image based person, or more of a text based person?

In asking this question, I don’t mean which you prefer to look at (although that matters). I’m more interested in which form of expression comes most naturally to you. Most people know intuitively how they best express themselves in the world. Aligning this to the platforms you show up on is critical to being sustainably visible.

So, if that’s videos, think YouTube, TikTok or Instagram.

If it’s audio, think podcasting (which is not a social platform per se, but is certainly a visibility-related platform).

If it’s images, think Instagram or Pinterest.

If it’s text based conversations, think Threads.

If you’re looking for a more generalist social platform, think Facebook (depending on your audience, obviously) and if you’re specifically focused on the business crowd, think LinkedIn. 

Could switching to a new platform actually save you time?

Making videos and creating images takes a long time. Some people are comfortable that because they love creating videos or they know that’s their best communication medium.

Others are doing these things because that’s been the only real option available to them on a specific platform. If that’s you and you prefer writing to speaking, you could well show up 5 times a day on something like Threads in the same amount of time it takes you to make 1 video post for another platform.

To reiterate

Before making any moves, take some time to assess what takes you the most amount of time when it comes to being visible on socials, what brings you the most joy, what’s most effective in terms of what you’re trying to achieve with your visibility efforts, and then focus on the platform that works best for your natural communication style.

Personally I:

1. express myself most naturally through the written word, 
2. use IG primarily to write captions and engage in conversation, and 
3. have already focused my efforts on IG over all other platforms,

so it’s a no brainer for me to transfer some of that effort across to Threads and give it a try. But that’s not going to be true for everyone.

There is no one best visibility strategy for everyone when it comes to social media. As always, it’s imperative that you know your audience, are cognisant of the message you want to share, are realistic about the resources – time, energy, money – you have to commit to being visible, have healthy visibility habits to support your efforts, and have aligned your visibility efforts with your most natural ways of communicating.

If after all that, you decide Threads could be for you, be sure to connect with us @theschoolofvisibility. I look forward to some lovely, longer text based chats with you there!