Threads’ European Expansion, Tags, and Trends

Threads launched in the US and UK in July 2023. The social media app is Meta’s version of Twitter/X, and it had a massive boom in sign-ups — over 100 million users registered during the first week. Sports and entertainment accounts like FIFA World Cup, Khloe Kardashian, Chicago Blackhawks, and MrBeast posted to Threads on its launch day. Blinkfire has been helping teams track and value Threads since its launch, and we’re excited to share some new insights on the platform! 

Europe Launch Boosts Growth  

On December 14, Mark Zuckberg announced that Threads would be available in European countries to roughly half a billion potential users. Teams like FC Barcelona and Juventus could now join Threads, while many US and UK leagues and teams would see an influx of new followers and engagement from European fans. Entry into Europe continues to help Threads become the platform of choice for sports and entertainment — as it challenges Twitter/X.

Follower data across teams in the NBA, MLB, NHL, MLS, NFL, Premier League, NWSL, and WNBA tells a fantastic story of Threads’ network effect over the first week of Threads in Europe. From December 14 – December 20, Threads was the best- performing channel by follower growth compared to Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter, and YouTube. Among the teams in the eight leagues, the WNBA achieved the highest follower growth on Threads at 9.3% followed by the NWSL at 7.8%. NBA teams’ daily Threads follower growth rate increased 204% compared to November 1 – December 13. 

Based on data in Blinkfire for 2023, the average engagement per post on Threads was 716, while Twitter/X was 418. However, sports fans are still more engaged on Twitter/X, as the platform outperforms Threads by total engagement and followers across all major sports leagues in the United States. But with recent developments over the last week, Threads excitement and potential is increasing. 

Threads Tags

Hashtags are used to identify digital content on a specific topic on many social media platforms. People have been using hashtags since 2007, but Threads is changing things up with a twist on hashtags called “tags”. These have the same effect as hashtags, but instead of being limited to just one word, you can type out a whole phrase (with spaces!) and add special characters. Threads has also added a keyword search feature to help people reach the content and communities they want to interact with quicker.

Threads limits users to a single tag per post, an attempt to prevent hashtag spamming which is very prevalent across social media when trying to boost content across many content spaces. Some of the most popular tags so far include: Threads, NBAThreads, Tech Threads, Womensupportingwomen, and TheGameAwards (Digital Information World). Threads is trying to create more concentrated and accurate categorizations of content to help build stronger digital communities. 

Threads’ Influencers and Athletes

Meta Threads has swiftly become a magnet for influencers seeking new/more ways to connect with their audiences. The app’s well-designed integration with Instagram allows fans to instantly follow their favorite influencers on Threads when they sign into the app. In the first six months, influencers such as Jimmy “MrBeast” Donaldson, Selena Gomez, Jennifer Lopez, Shakira, David “TheGrefg” Cánovas, and Kim Kardashian have started building their fan bases on the new social app. Explore some of the top performing content from these influencers on Threads below.

Much like influencers, athletes have taken to Threads to build up their personal brand. Athletes like Lewis Hamilton, Kevin De Bruyne, Sergio Ramos, Giannis Antetokounmpo, and Steph Curry are on the platform connecting with fans and posting quick hitting content that used to be only posting on Twitter/X. Check out some of the posts below from these athletes to see how they are using Threads to engage with fans. 

Track and Value Your Social Media with Blinkfire 

With Blinkfire, teams are able to track and value their social content on Threads and every other social media platform to create more profitable partnerships! Blinkfire can track social media, digital, streaming, and broadcast — all in one, easy to use platform. Check out all our reporting tools, powered by our patented AI and computer-vision.