Getting Started on Threads: A New Way to Engage Your Community in Conversation

In July 2023, Mark Zuckerberg announced the launch of Threads, an app built by the Instagram team for text-based sharing. The vision for Threads is to take what Instagram does best, connecting people via photos and videos, and expand that to text, to create a positive space for public conversation.

Threads is quickly growing and we are working to integrate feedback, build new features, and introduce fun and exciting ways to connect. Some governments and nonprofits have already begun to use Threads to inspire, educate, and build their community.

Threads is available in over 100 countries. You can install the app on iOS or Android to start exploring how it can help you build your community online.

Get started with your Instagram login

It is easy to get started with Threads: simply use your Instagram account to login. Click here for step-by-step instructions for setting up your profile. Your Instagram username and verification will carry over, so there is no need to worry about reserving your handle. When you create your profile, you will have the option to customize your profile specifically for Threads. You can choose to follow the same accounts you do on Instagram, and find more people who care about the same things you do.

• Your feed on Threads includes threads from people you follow, and recommended content from new creators you have not discovered yet.
• To customize your feed, use the search feature to discover new accounts to follow. Click here for instructions on how to search on Threads.
• You can also switch to “Following” to see a chronological feed of threads from only people you are following.

When you first join Threads, consider making a post announcing your arrival. You can let your existing Instagram followers know you joined Threads by sharing this post to your Instagram Story or Feed.

Posting on Threads

Posts on Threads can be up to 500 characters long. You can attach links, photos, videos (up to 5 minutes in length), and carousels (a combination of up to 10 total photos and videos) to your threads. You can also engage your followers using polls, GIFs, and voice threads. Click here for instructions on how to share your first thread.

Threads includes core accessibility features available on Instagram, including screen reader support and AI-generated image descriptions.

• You can easily share a thread to your Instagram story, via Instagram DMs, or share your post as a link on any other platform you choose.
• After you share a thread, you have up to 5 minutes to make changes including fixing typos or adding missing photos.

Start A Conversation on Threads

Threads is all about conversation: to get your followers engaged, create threads that spark a discussion and invite replies. The easiest way to start a conversation is to pose a question. Consider being direct and asking your followers what they want to hear from you on Threads. You can start a conversation, ask for advice, or share a poll.

Let your community inform your content strategy: Make sure your content is relevant and relatable to your followers. You can also interact with other people’s threads by liking or replying to them.

Find your community on Threads: Like and reply to threads posted by your followers, public figures, and other organizations to get your name out there and increase discoverability. You can also expand on a conversation, or add your own take, by reposting or quoting a thread.

Let people know what you are thinking: consider commenting on cultural moments and current events, or create buzz by sharing a big announcement. When posting, consider adding a topic tag (#) to join a wider conversation around the ideas, moments, and trends that are being discussed on Threads

Tune Out the Noise*

Threads has tools to enable positive, productive conversations. You can control who can mention you or reply to you within Threads. Like on Instagram, you can add hidden words to filter out replies to your threads that contain specific words. You can unfollow, block, restrict or report a profile on Threads by tapping the three-dot menu, and any accounts you have blocked on Instagram will automatically be blocked on Threads.

*There may be restrictions on the ability of government or political officials to take these actions pursuant to applicable laws and regulations. Please consult with your ethics or legal counsel if you have questions.

As with all our products, we take safety seriously, and we enforce Instagram’s Community Guidelines on content and interactions in the app. Since 2016 we have invested more than $16 billion in building up the teams and technologies needed to protect our users, and we remain focused on advancing our industry-leading integrity efforts and investments to protect our community.

What’s Next for Threads

Threads is quickly growing, with service expanding to new parts of the world and new users joining the conversation. We’re working to soon make Threads compatible with the open, interoperable social networks that we believe can shape the future of the internet.

To stay up to date on new Threads feature launches, visit our Newsroom and to learn more about how to use product features, visit Instagram’s Help Center.