Reigniting the Threads Hype - How Threads Can Recapture its Early Momentum
Threads • Nov 2023
The fastest app to 100 million downloads, now what?
CONTEXT
I began using Threads the day it was released on July 5, 2023. I experienced firsthand the excitement from day one, only to see the hype drop off in the coming days and weeks. While I continued to use Threads, many of my peers decreased their usage or stopped using the platform altogether.
Meta, the mastermind behind Threads, was initially applauded for its strategic move to create a product that would compete with X (formerly Twitter). More recently, it is unclear how Threads will grow and innovate as X has experienced drastic changes on its own front.
If Threads implemented additional functionality to build community, they would see a sizable jump in engagement.
ORIGINAL HYPOTHESIS
THE MARKET
What can we learn from competitors
X (Formerly Twitter)
Aside from its standard home feed, X has implemented a Communities feature where users can connect and share content within particular topics. This helps users find their niches and engage with topics they’re passionate about.
Not all X users can create a Community. Only users who have upgraded to the Premium membership can create Community groups.
Reddit allows users to generate individual subreddits, which are individual pages on a variety of topics ranging anything from sports to construction.
Redditors have the ability to upvote or downvote posted content, which helps reveal the most popular content within a particular topic.
A few common themes across all of these apps
Many platforms have a general newsfeed accompanied by a community portion where users can find groups that align with their interests.
Users have the ability to form their own groups. They can serve as gatekeepers and moderators to create a safe environment for the group.
THE AUDIENCE
To understand Threads’s audience, it’s also important to understand X’s audience. Understanding the people who actively use X and why helps gain an understanding of where Threads can create a point of differentiation.
Threads Users - Gen Z Focused
Target Audience Summary
Income - $0k-$80k
Interests - sports, gaming, travel
Pain points - can’t find a community of like-minded people
Motivations - be entertained, connect with other like-minded people
Persona - Gen Z gaming and sports fan
Job Type - college student/young professional
Use Cases of Threads
See what my friends are up to
Get inspired by influencers in my areas of interest
Find a community of like-minded people
Engage with and grow my audience
Stay up to date with sporting news
Stay up to date with lifestyle/fashion trends
X Users - Millenial Focused
Target Audience Summary
Income - $100k-$500k
Interests - politics, current events
Motivations - get the news, follow breaking events, engage with politicians
Persona - well read millennial
Job Type - mid-level manager at a Forbes 500 company
Use Cases of X
Stay up to date with current events
Keep up with politicians
Observe how public figures react to events in real-time
See what my friends are up to
Engage with and grow my audience
Audience Takeaways
Both X and Threads cater mainly to males
Threads caters more to Gen Z while X caters more to millennials
X is for news (current events, politics) and Threads is for pop culture (music, sports, gaming)
User Quotes Tell the Story
USER INSIGHTS
“We need hashtags and Trending topics ASAP”
“I’m jumping on Threads first thing in the morning, even before Instagram some days, and catching up on the latest Threaders. Lists would organize this significantly!”
“I’d love the option to create lists of my favorite Threaders by genre”
“Is Threads working on a list-like feature? Would love to organize who I am following for different situations!”
“Hashtags or something that we can use to better categorize posts to help connect with the right audience”
“I have to get through at least ten posts from accounts I don’t follow to get to a post from one that I do follow”
*User quotes are from Threads replies to Adam Mosseri and Apple App Store Reviews
User Pain Points
Difficulty finding content within a particular topic
Users cannot find content relevant to their interests
Users see too much content on things they do not care about
Cannot connect with the right audience
Users are having trouble finding users with similar interests
Users are not seeing a high level of engagement on their content
How does a Threads user attempt to find content relevant to their interests?
USER JOURNEY
BIG TAKEAWAYS
BIG TAKEAWAYS
From this research, we can conclude a couple of things:
It’s common for many social apps to have communities where like-minded people can come together to connect.
Threads, as opposed to X, attracts a younger audience predominately in the Gen-Z generation.
Currently, Threads users are having difficulty finding like-minded communities to engage with.
THE PROBLEM
Threads is lacking a sense of community on its platform where like-minded people can come together and engage.
Increase DAUs on Threads by creating experiences for people with similar interests to come together and connect.
THE GOAL
By helping users find communities to connect with, we’re helping execute on Meta’s mission to give people the power to build community and bring the world closer together.
What should be included in the MVP?
FEATURE PRIORITIZATION & MVP DEFINITION
Creating an entirely new surface area within Threads will be a very big undertaking. In order to ensure it is worth investing resources here, we want to start by testing an MVP to determine if community functionality has an impact on DAUs.
User Stories
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We’ll add a tab on the search screen labeled “Circles.” Tapping on it will take the user to a screen to search from a variety of topics.
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Users have the option of selecting more niched topics within broader categories
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The algorithm will favor content posted by accounts with large followings or with a certified checkmark.
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Users can find people with similar interests who are willing to engage with each other
Circles Tab to Find the Community Right For You
FINAL SOLUTION
When selecting the search tab, you can now either search by People or Circles
Select the Circles tab to search and find the right Circles for you
View a Circle and see what like-minded people are talking about within a particular niche
Find recommended follows and other members within a Circle
Feedback from user interviews drove the final MVP solution
A previous iteration was shown to potential users that included broad categories like “Sports” and “Music.” Users were clear that these categories were too broad to be helpful, which drove the sub-category idea.
While it’s important to niche down, it’s also important to avoid niching too far down. Otherwise, communal groups become too small and groups will lack quality content.
The more groups there are, the harder it is to regulate content.
What risks would Threads open themselves up to by adding the Circles feature?
RISKS & TRADEOFFS
Not enough content in each Circle
Due to the specificity of each Circle, there might not be enough fresh content each time someone views a Circle.
The lack of content could result in poor user experience, resulting in the rejection of the Circles feature altogether resulting in no change to DAUs.
Potential mitigation strategy - only make a Circle visible to larger audiences once a certain amount of people join a waitlist for a Circle group.
Including some Circle categories but not others
For simplicity reasons, there will need to be a limited number of Circles for the initial MVP release.
Users who identify with a niche that is not included in the initial set of Circles could result in user backlash. Accusations of inclusivity could arise.
Potential mitigation strategy - users can request a Circle category if none currently exists.
Time & resources it’ll take to build, launch, and maintain the Circles feature
Adding Circles to the UX adds another layer of complexity to maintaining the Threads app. We have to ensure each Circle is delivering a positive user experience.
Creating some Circles will create the expectation of adding additional Circles over time. The scope of this additional work could be significant.
Committing to the Circles feature means fewer resources can be dedicated to adding other new app features.
MEASURING SUCCESS
A/B Test Metrics
NORTH STAR METRIC
Threads Daily Active Users
If we are solving Thread users’ main pain point (the lack of community), we should see an increase in Threads’ Daily Active Users.
SECONDARY
These secondary metrics will help us determine if there are different areas of the Circles feature we may be able to improve/optimize.
Search Tab → Circles View Rate
What percentage of users see the Circles tab decide to tap on it?
Circles Tab View → Joined a Circle Rate
What percentage of users who select the Circles tab end up joining at least one Circle?
Average # of Circles Joined
What is the average number of Circles a user joins?
Which Circle categories are most popular?
Average Time from Circles Tab View → Joining a Circle
How long does it take a user to identify and join a desired Circle?
Is the UI simple enough for efficient navigation?
Average Posts Per User
With increased app usage time, are we seeing more users post content?
Average Reposts Per User
Due to users seeing more relevant content, is there an increase in the repost rate?
Average Replies Per User
Due to users seeing more relevant content, is there an increase in the replies?
Average Likes Per Post
Due to users seeing more relevant content, is there an increase in the number of likes?
App Store Reviews
Are there fewer negative app store reviews?
What is the change in the overall star rating for the app (0-5 stars.)
COUNTER METRICS
Since the Circles feature will provide more opportunities for users to navigate elsewhere on the app, we want to ensure we are not unintentionally hurting other core metrics. To monitor this, we will track:
Decreased Average Profile Posts
Are users posting less frequently on their own profiles because they are spending more time replying to posts in Circle groups? This is a risk to Threads’ overall success because profile posts are a core use case.
Decreased Average Followers Gained Per Week
Are users following fewer accounts because they are spending more time engaging in Circles?
Users trying to grow a following may feel discouraged with decreased follower growth.
A/B Test Circles
LAUNCH & GTM STRATEGY
To ensure we are definitively increasing DAUs, we will be testing this feature. We will A/B test our MVP with a small group of existing users within our target user segment.
Versions:
Control: Current Threads users without the Circles feature (Start at 90% of audience)
Variant: Threads users with access to the Circles feature (Start at 10% of audience)
Audience: All Users in the United States
Primary Metric: % of Test Cohort that are Daily Active Users on Threads
We will be starting the A/B test variant at 10% of our target audience so that we can iterate without affecting the majority of users in this audience.
If the results of the A/B test are positive (primary measure of success achieved and no negative side effects) we will roll out Circles to all users in the United States. Eventually, we would roll out the MVP to all users internationally.
From there, we will begin improving the Circles experience by executing additional features on the roadmap.
Note: If our A/B test results are negative, we will investigate potential causes, iterate, and consider re-running the experiment.
What could Circles roll out down the road?
FUTURE ITERATIONS
Leverage AI to take all UGC in a Circle to generate a “Trending Right Now” section with sentiment tracking
Leverage AI to take the most mentioned topics in all Circles and create “Top Circles Trends”
Give any user the ability to start their own Circle
Provide a featured “Circle of the Day” when searching for Circles to encourage discoverability
View joined Circles on a user’s profile
Allow Circle moderators to promote their Circle on their own profile
Implement “Circle Mixers” where two circles of similar interests can come together in a chat room
Within a Circle, filter between viewing posts in chronological order and viewing posts in popularity
Final Thoughts
Final Thoughts
SUMMARY
To recap, I recommend that Meta implements a community feature called Circles to allow users of similar interests to come together.
This MVP aims to solve core pain points that users face in lacking community on the platform.
Through this case study, I enjoyed learning about the vital importance of creating a space where people feel connected to those around them. People need to feel they are part of a community. Without it, Threads (or any social platform for that matter) becomes a platform that lacks meaning and belonging.
Thank you for checking out this case study!