Why Threads by Meta is the perfect example of a successful MVP?

February 11, 2024

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Threads is the new cool kid that just got into school, and everyone wants to be friends. It is simple, lean, and easy to understand. Read more here.

Threads is the new cool kid that just got into school, and everyone wants to be friends. It is simple, lean, and easy to understand. Its design is familiar to some extent, and the timing of its launch was perfect. Also, its frictionless sign-up allowed it to reach over 100 million users during its first week.

Let us show you why Threads has all the characteristics to menace the monopoly of Twitter in the microblogging social media industry. We will delve into its frictionless feature and the timing of its release and will show you some exciting accounts.

Frictionless sign up

Eradicating user onboarding friction is a powerful strategy for accruing a vast user base, and Threads by Meta is a prime example of this. Threads lets you enable direct login from your Instagram account.

Internet users cannot handle another waiting list, mailing, newsletter, or subscription. Kudos to Mark Zuckerberg. He and the Meta team understood this, eliminating the necessity to establish an alternate account to sign up on Threads, thus simplifying the process. It received a massive welcome, resulting in over 100 million users on Threads within its inaugural week.

Timing is everything

Have you heard about those massive success cases in which the pandemic boosted a company's growth? That is the point of Pacaso, a marketplace that makes buying, owning, and selling a second home easier. The platform curates listings, provides financing offers, and advises property management to those who want to join a new city, town, or community. There are many such cases. As Pacaso, in Threads' case, timing is pivotal in capturing a market's attention.

Mark Zuckerberg read between the lines, leveraging a moment when Twitter grappled with hidden costs, a 600-tweets-per-day limit imposed on non-paying users, and its 300-tweets-per-day limit to new users. There have been recent frustrations reportedly from Twitter users. Ultimately, this represented an opportunity for Meta to introduce Threads to tear users up from the rival platform.

There is another complaint regarding Twitter usage in which Threads is exempt: the toxicity of its users and the trolls around. Everyone can recall when, last year, Elon Musk had to give a step back with the verification profiles on Twitter. We saw a fake and verified account of Lebron James requesting a transfer from the Lakers, a fake verified account of Eli Lilly pharmacy suddenly was giving insulin for free and military company Lockheed Martin's fake verified account stopped selling guns to Saudi Arabia, Israel, and the USA, “until further investigation into their record of human rights abuses”.

The Lebron joke did not escalate. However, Eli Lilly and Lockheed Martin reported massive losses and slumped in the stock exchange. Threads is planning to monetize its services once reaching one billion users, so this controversy will be around for a while. However, at the rate Threads is acquiring users, we never know. Besides the problems with the trolls, aggression on Threads practically doesn’t exist. Everything is way too perfect, too friendly. It is almost like dissent didn’t exist there.

The real MVP

Threads exemplifies the concept of a minimum viable product (MVP). Its design, characterized by simplicity and user-friendly interfaces, refrains from bombarding users with excessive features. While some users habituated to more comprehensive apps may perceive this as a limitation, many others view it as the embodiment of what a microblogging app should be.

Although it is very soon to chant victory by Threads, its long-term effectiveness is to be proven yet. It is probably not the last version of the app. It should incorporate more features. However, like any social platform, it will endure the challenge of keeping an inclusive community. Let’s enjoy that refreshing face we have not seen in years.

Accounts to follow

Duolingo

The learning language app appeared on Threads to make funny, assertive, and situational comments involving Sesame Street memes and jokes about Ryan Gosling.

https://www.threads.net/@duolingo

Cinnabon

In less than a week, “the world’s most famous cinnamon roll” has promoted a trend on Threads, dared to guess the name of their follower's pets, and posted tempting videos of their products.

https://www.threads.net/@cinnabon

YCombinator

Memes, photos of events with Sam Altman as a speaker, and jokes about being a cereal entrepreneur, what could go wrong? As always, we expect the best from the top accelerator for pre-seed founders.

https://www.threads.net/@doordash

Spotify

The music streaming platform is promoting the official playlist of the Barbie film, the record-breaking milestone by Taylor Swift, and also enabling a feature a few people know: their audiobooks!

https://www.threads.net/@spotify

Pygma

We engage in trends as well, but we want to provide value and speak about the sports practices of some of our members. Let’s meet there and have some fun.

https://www.threads.net/@wearepygma