Content creators waiting for Meta Threads to throw light on its creator monetisation plan

Reaching 100 million downloads in just five days of launch, Meta’s Threads has created much hype, unlike its Metaverse foray and rebranding to Meta two years ago.

While it’s too soon to talk about brands’ interest in the platform, even content creators/influencers are waiting for more clarity concerning monetisation on the forum.

Currently, they are just exploring, jumping on the bandwagon and figuring out the nature of the platform.

Sagar Pushp

Sagar Pushp, CEO and Co-Founder, ClanConnect, said, “As of now, it is just a place where influencers are having conversations and engaging their audience. Threads will only become a desirable prospect once it introduces a monetisation model. According to Meta, updates are underway; we’ll have to wait and see how it pans out.”

“Threads so far does not have a hashtag feature, nor does it have a trending topics list similar to Twitter.  If it is looking to rival Twitter, these features will be important. It’s a wait-and-watch game for now,” Pushp added.

As per news reports, while advertising is still unavailable, Instagram will be bringing its branded content tools to Threads soon.

After the takeover of Twitter, Elon Musk has been trying to position the micro-blogging platform as very creator-friendly.

He proposed that not just video content, but content creators will also be able to monetise through textual content. In November 2022, Musk said that the platform will beat YouTube when it comes to sharing revenues with creators. Currently, creators are paid a 55% cut of the ads on YouTube.

Historically, Twitter has not been a creator-friendly platform. It’s a micro-blogging site and will have to almost reinvent itself to become one.

Rachit Juneja

According to Rachit Juneja, Co-founder, Sheeko, said, “Twitter feels a little out of place for most of the lifestyle influencers that are most comfortable on Instagram.”

He thinks that while the original generation of Twitter influencers may not fully move to Threads, Threads will give rise to at least 500 million+ Thread users within 2023.

News reports also state that Threads will try to avoid news and politics content creators as the platform wants to remain aloof from scrutinising toxic content, making the platform a safe haven for brands and creators.

“Threads will probably be a more happening place with a parallel set of Instagram influencers, and without the toxic elements of Twitter, and hence a happier place,” Juneja added.

Devdatta Potnis

Devdatta Potnis, CEO, Animeta, said, “If we talk in terms of the democratisation of the creator economy, Twitter has been a snobbish platform. Not just this, Twitter has a limitation in terms of text limits. To write long text, one has to write in multiple threads (laughs and said no pun intended). Given the fact that Threads is directly linked to Instagram, there are more reasons for people to find it more appealing.”

Potnis also pointed out that just the way Youtube benefited from linkage with Google, Threads will benefit from linkage with Instagram and Facebook. “For example, if a creator does a branded collab to sell ABC shoes on Instagram, he/she can just put a textual post of that on Threads like an offshoot for more engagement.”

Juneja seconded, “Threads has already got the perfect recipe. Smooth integration with the Instagram app. Bulk follow your Instagram connects, flaunt your threads profile in your bio, and reshare your threads on story/post. Nothing is stopping a big part of the Instagram audience from becoming active Thread users, even if they never used Twitter.”

Sumit Gupta

Sumit Gupta, Founder, Viral Pitch, said, “While Twitter has its appeal, it can sometimes be perceived as less engaging or entertaining by younger generations who may prefer platforms like Instagram. However, Threads, with its user-friendly interface and integration with Instagram, has the potential to attract a broader youth audience and appeal to content creators. The introduction of Threads is already shifting the perception of micro-blogging platforms among content creators, as it offers a new and dynamic way to share content and engage with followers. By combining the visual appeal of Instagram with the threaded conversation format, Threads is bridging the gap between micro-blogging and content creators, and is also making it more appealing to a wider range of the younger audience."

Chhavi Mittal

Sharing the influencers’ perspective, Chhavi Mittal, Co-founder, Shitty Ideas Trending and an influencer, said that many influencers are just exploring Threads currently and writing unfiltered content. There isn’t any definitive nature of the platform set until now. On Twitter, people talk about slightly more meaningful issues like politics and current issues.

She continued, “The launch of Threads is good in a way where creators can speak their minds authentically. Everybody has their way of thinking which is what makes them different from each other. And hence having the freedom to say whatever you want is something that content creators are enjoying at the moment.”

Aparna Dixit

Aparna Dixit, a TV actor and celebrity having close to 10 lakh Instagram followers shared with BuzzInContent that she hasn’t joined Threads yet.

“Already existing platforms take enough of my time and efforts. But a lot of my friends have already joined it and I am sure in the coming days under pressure of visibility it will be important to be on the platform. These days the work we get is directly linked to how popular we are on these applications so yes sooner or later mostly everyone is going to be a part of it,” Dixit said.

Juneja complimented Dixit’s comment and said that influencers are excited and feeling a FOMO on picking up followers on Threads. “They are posting and replying more often on Threads than they post stories on Instagram or Snapchat,” he said.

Potnis told BuzzInContent that the influencers are eager to know how well the content discovery and promotions pan out on the platform. “How will analytical insights be obtained? What is the kind of collaboration and networking that they are offering? What is the creator support that they are providing?” he commented.

For Shitty Ideas Trending’s Mittal, in its current form, Threads is not perceived as a content platform for content creators. “People are looking at Threads, just the way we used to have status updates on Facebook back in the day. It's primarily that right now with a little bit of content being thrown in here and there. On the other hand, a content creator needs to deploy a pepper strategy to create content for Instagram.”