Which Conservation Orgs Are Embracing Threads

Remember when you couldn't enter a room without someone saying, "We should start a podcast"?

Or, "Why aren't we on TikTok?"

Never mind that comms teams are oversubscribed and expected to tailor content to more channels than ever before, while each platform has its own algorithm, trends, and unique audience with particular needs.

Well, buckle up, because Twittergram is here. 

Meta's new app, Threads, launched Wednesday night in the U.S. and had over 30 million signups in the first 16 hours. They hit 70 million signups today.

Instagram users can get set up quickly with the same login credentials and handle and easily import their IG bio and links. Posts can be up to 500 characters long and include links and photos or videos up to five minutes long.

There are also many basic features yet to be added to the platform that many people are used to, like search and a chronological feed.

While there will always be a crowd ready to buy a debut model car the second it hits the lot, the conservation community usually allows others to kick the tires for a while. There is nothing wrong with that, particularly considering the aforementioned capacity challenges of comms teams today.

I can see folks embracing Threads for a few reasons, though:

🏃‍♀️ Members of Congress are rushing to make accounts, says Axios. This crowd is leaning left right now, but notable GOP leaders have also joined. Twitter has long been the place to have your policy-related content seen by lawmakers and congressional staff, so Threads could become an attractive alternative to Twitter if the user base is reasonably non-partisan.

The media is the other high-value group that comms teams have been targeting on Twitter for years. Politico mentioned that many journalists have also joined Threads, but remain frustrated with the lack of control over the news feed. Major media accounts remain inactive, so we'll have to wait and see if this will become a newsmaking platform.

🎲 Risk is pretty low if you already have a Twitter strategy. The same way many brands make a tentative foray into TikTok by repurposing Reels or other existing video, you can start out using Threads as just another place to repost content already tailored to Twitter or even LinkedIn.

I'd put a simple filter on what gets reposted: Is it likely to promote conversation?

💰 It will be very easy for digital teams to set up paid campaigns for Facebook, Instagram, and Threads all in one place once ads are available on the platform. And efficiency is gold for small-but-mighty teams.

So who's the first in conservation to embrace Threads? Looks like Ducks Unlimited, Trout Unlimited, Pheasants Forever, The Nature Conservancy, National Deer Association, and others already have profiles.

Will you be joining them? I'd love to hear what your team is discussing around this.

That's all for this edition on a steamy Friday here in the Northeast. Now, bring on the popsicles and kiddie pools.

Stay cool,
KB

P.S. What would you like to see here next? Send an email to let me know!