Launched by Facebook, Threads is the newest and most successful Twitter alternative. Nonprofits marketing on Threads may soon be able to take advantage of the fundraising and advertising tools that Facebook already provides.
Since Twitter’s sale in October of last year, it’s become less accessible and advertiser-friendly. Features added under new management, like profiles being able to buy a verification symbol, have allowed individuals to impersonate companies and spread misinformation.
As of February, more than half of Twitter’s top 1,000 advertisers had left the platform.
One of the latest changes of limiting the number of Tweets users can read without paying has annoyed users and advertisers alike and may be the straw that breaks the camel’s back. Not to mention that they just bizarrely changed the app’s name to X, ruining a decade of brand recognition (Note: This blog refers to it as Twitter because we all know it’s Twitter).
The opportunity for a Twitter alternative to surpass Twitter might finally be here. If any app is going to surpass Twitter, it’s probably Threads.
Others have had their moment in the sun. Mastodon for example, peaked at 10 million users in March of 2023, with several celebrities announcing they would be joining the platform. The number of users has shrunk by 30% since.
Threads Has Stormed Out of The Gates, Already Becoming More Successful Than Other Twitter Alternatives
The main difference between Threads and other Twitter alternatives is that its user base has already far surpassed any other.
Threads launched in early July and became the fastest-growing app of all time, reaching 100 million users within days. Its growth has plateaued, but it still has an estimated 118 million users.
Because it’s supported by an already-established, extremely popular social media platform, Threads looks like it isn’t going to be a flash in the pan like other recent Twitter alternatives. Being backed by an already widely used social platform can only help its operation and keeping it advertiser-friendly. Even if there’s a decline in users which has been the trend with others, it’ll likely settle with many more users.
Nonprofits Marketing on Threads Might Be Able to Use Facebook Ad Grants
Facebook already has ad grants for nonprofits where if accepted, nonprofits receive $10,000 worth of Facebook advertising monthly (incredibly similar to Google ad grants).
This may just be speculation, but it’s intuitive that Facebook ad grants will eventually include advertising on Threads and its 118 million users. Facebook ad grants already include marketing on Instagram, while other features are already integrated across these platforms, including Threads.
Under the social impact page on Facebook, there are pages for “Fundraise on Facebook” and “Fundraise on Instagram.” It’s easy to imagine that more details about nonprofits marketing and fundraising on Threads could be coming from its parent company. They may just be waiting to make sure that Threads’ maintains its user base before they start integrating fundraising features. The platform is still less than a month old after all.
You can read in detail how to qualify for Facebook’s ad grants and fundraising tools here, but the main points are:
- Your organization needs to be a 501c3 (if it’s based in the United States)
- The Facebook page follows community standards
- The Facebook page is up to date with a profile picture, cover photo, and at least one post
Nonprofits Marketing on Threads Should Post Regularly, Even if Facebook Ad Grants Don’t Become Available on the Platform
If you’re planning on one day using Facebook ad grants on Threads, it stands to reason that you’ll also need to maintain an up-to-date Threads account. Apart from ad grants, the benefits of regularly posting on Threads could be tremendous.
Of its 118 million users, it’s unclear how many still use Twitter. With Twitter’s user base declining, many of those users are likely only on Threads. If you’re posting on Twitter but not Threads, those people who might believe your mission and want to support you would never find you.
If you already have social copy written specifically for Twitter, you could also create those posts on Threads since the platforms are so similar. Adding a new social platform to your marketing strategy doesn’t have to require a ton of effort, especially since how people use it is far from established.
