Instagram Expanding Branded Content Tools to Threads Amid Rapid User Growth

According to Axios, Meta Platforms’s Instagram is set to introduce its branded content tools to Threads, a text-based social media platform. The move aims to enable marketers to engage in paid partnerships with influencers on Threads, especially during periods when traditional advertising is not available. Meta, the parent company of Facebook, has not yet responded to Reuters’ request for comment on this development.

Threads, considered a competitor to Elon Musk’s Twitter, recently achieved a significant milestone by reaching 100 million users within just five days. Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg has expressed that the monetization of Threads would only be considered once the user base reaches a substantial billion.

Instagram facilitates the transfer of user accounts, credentials, and followers to Threads, granting the text-focused platform access to Instagram’s extensive user base of over 2 billion. Although some companies have begun establishing a presence on Threads for organic content, the absence of features like hashtags and keyword search may limit its appeal to advertisers.

In a separate development, Twitter has accused Meta Platforms of stealing trade secrets to create Threads, setting the stage for a potential legal clash between the two social media giants. Twitter alleges that Meta used its trade secrets in developing Threads and demanded Meta cease using the information. Twitter claims that Meta hired numerous former Twitter employees who allegedly retained confidential devices and documents, assigning them to work on Threads. The likelihood of a lawsuit remains uncertain at this point.