Meta just launched Threads to go along their current social platforms, Facebook and Instagram. The new social platform may not be so “new” to some, though as it’s Meta’s version of Twitter. If you’re a woman in sports wondering how to use Threads for your personal brand, business, or to connect with others, here’s how Threads can work for you!
I know, I know, there’s another social media platform to learn and create content for BUT here’s the good news: If you’ve used Twitter before, you’ll have no problem using Threads. And there’s even more good news: If you’re already on Instagram, the setup work is already done for you as Threads will import your bio, profile photo, and even follow the same people you are on Instagram. This makes the setup a total breeze and helps you get started with a following from your Instagram community.
That being said, if you don’t have the time or energy for another social platform, don’t feel like you have to jump on board just because others are. I hope this helps you with some ideas if you want to get started on Threads but your boundaries and capacity is always the priority!
PRO TIP: A key note I want to touch on is that Meta launched Threads without it being perfect. There’s still issues with it and missing features and capabilities but they launched it, got people excited, and are listening to feedback while they improve the platform. If Meta can take their shot and launch something without it being perfect, then so can you!
Let this be a reminder that the things you want to offer the world don’t have to be perfect or at their end point to launch them. Stop waiting for everything to be perfect and start sharing your value with the world while you listen to feedback and improve as you go! If you keep waiting for perfection first, you’ll never take your shot.
THREADS SETUP:
- Download the Threads app on your phone
- Login via your Instagram
- Select “Import from Instagram” and everything will be transferred from your Instagram
- Choose to follow your following list on Instagram or start fresh
- Start sharing Threads with the tips below
HOW WOMEN IN SPORTS CAN USE THREADS
If you’re wondering if Threads is worth spending time on or how you can use it for your personal or business use, here’s some ideas specifically for women in sports.
PRO TIP: Work smarter, not harder – repurpose some of your content from Instagram graphics and captions on Threads!
1) BUILDING COMMUNITY
Sports is all about community and your social media should be too. If you’re a business or personal brand in the women’s sports space, Threads is a new opportunity for you to find like-minded people and to build and engage with your community!
While you can include photos and videos, Threads is majorly about words, so use it to create and engage in conversations. This will help your audience be more engaged and also help grow your audience as you engage in conversations in your niche. Make sure to reciprocate engagement by responding to people, asking further questions, etc.
PRO TIPS:
- Ask open-ended questions to your audience
- Ask people for recommendations of people to follow, sports leagues for women, women-owned businesses, etc.
- Encourage people to share something about themselves (their fav sports, photos of them in sports, the first sport they played, etc.)
- Ask people to tag others (this will alert more people to your brand while giving people the opportunity to shoutout their fav people) in posts like “Tag your fav woman in sports”, “Tag your fav apparel for female athletes”, etc.
2) SHOW WHO YOU ARE
Like Instagram stories, Threads content is less polished and more of an opportunity to share raw content. You don’t need to spend hours creating reels or coming up with graphics and captions for posts. You’ve only got 500 characters to work with (though you can make longer “threads” and add on 500 characters at a time), so sharing on Threads is less strategic and more about showing people who you are.
PRO TIPS:
- Share stories about yourself, your experiences, your clients, etc. to help your audience connect with you on a deeper level
- Share more about yourself or your brand beyond what you do and offer so your audience can connect with you as the person or people behind the brand
- Express your passions, thoughts, and values so your audience understands who you are beyond the business or brand
- Share your knowledge to build trust with your audience
3) CONNECT WITH YOUR AUDIENCE
Doing all of the suggestions on this list will help you connect with your audience, but it’s important to remember how crucial it is to connect with the people who support you or who will potentially support you. Remember: people don’t buy from businesses, they buy from people. Show your audience who they’re supporting and why they should support you.
PRO TIPS:
- Q&As are the optimal way to connect with your audience and directly answer the questions they have
- Invite your audience to share more information about themselves so you can better understand who your audience is (ask where your audience is from, how old they are, how they’re involved in sports, etc.)
- Offer exclusive deals or educational content to your audience as a thank you for them being there
4) AUDIENCE FEEDBACK
Without your audience, your business or brand wouldn’t be able to survive, so it’s important to hear their feedback so you can learn how to better support them. Asking for audience feedback also helps you understand how you can better serve your audience – you can test out new ideas to make sure they resonate with your audience before pouring your time and energy into them and having it not work out.
Involving your audience in the growth of your business will make them feel valued and heard, which means they’ll be more likely to support you.
PRO TIPS:
- Pitch new ideas/products/services to gauge how people respond. This can help you create products, services, content, etc. that your audience actually needs and wants.
- Ask what people are struggling with the most in your space so you can better serve them
- Share different options for new merch to see what your audience likes best
- Ask for feedback on how your brand/business can improve
Remember: Asking for feedback is only one piece of this, the more important piece is using that feedback to learn and grow with your audience in mind.
5) USER GENERATED CONTENT
Threads allows users to easily repost or quote repost content from other people. This is a great way to not only involve your audience directly in your brand by reposting them to your feed, but also allows you to gather UGC (user generated content) to share on other platforms.
NOTE: ALWAYS ASK FOR PERMISSION BEFORE SHARING ANYONE’S CONTENT
Using the repost option on Threads is totally fine, but if you’re going to share it as a post on your feed or another social media platform, you need to ask for permission and give credit.
PRO TIPS:
- Ask your audience to share their favourite sports photos of themselves or their first sports photo. Repost some of them to your feed and share (with permission) the best ones to your other social platforms
- Ask your audience to share photos of them using your products and repost them
- Launch a contest to encourage people to share content aligned with your brand
