Adding a new social network to your current social media landscape isn’t always a good idea. You are probably already feeling overwhelmed by the social networks you currently manage to market your business. Adding another platform will inevitably mean more time spent monitoring and updating it. Is it worth the extra effort?

In many cases, it may not be a sound business decision to add a new social network to your marketing mix. Consider your capacity and the time it will take to customize creative assets to fit the new platform’s format not to mention attracting people to it to build a following.

Enter the social network called Threads. Threads was launched by Meta, the parent company of Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp. Threads was Meta’s response to the exodus from Twitter when it was taken over by new ownership and became X. While Threads looked like it would be a Twitter clone, with a similar interface, it has ended up being more of a longer-form, conversational forum, using threaded posts to augment the 500-character limit (about 80-100 words).

Here are 5 reasons you should consider using Threads:

1. Activating your Threads account is easy.

You may not know this but, if you already use Instagram, your Threads account is automatically reserved for you and linked to your Instagram account. You don’t need to create a new profile, just download and log into the Threads app using your existing Instagram credentials. You now have a Threads account.

2. You can update Threads from your Meta Business Suite.

If you are using Meta Business Suite to update your Facebook Page and Instagram account, you can connect your Threads account directly to your Meta business portfolio and update all three accounts from one place. Note that you can start a post that will go to each network, then opt to customize each one individually, as needed. You can also run ads on Threads from the same place you manage ads for Facebook and Instagram. There is one limitation to Threads on Meta Business Suite: you cannot manage comments and messages you receive there. Those will need to be managed through the Threads app or on the Threads website.

3. Your Instagram account helps build your Threads account.

As soon as you activate your Threads account, a link to it is automatically placed below your Instagram bio and can be access by anyone who lands on your Instagram home page. Note that a link to Threads is not automatically added to your Facebook Page but you can add it manually the same way you’d add any other link. Threads was built on Instagram’s infrastructure so it is more seamlessly integrated with Instagram. You can also port over your Instagram followers to Threads, giving you an instant following on your account.

4. You can add up to 10,000 additional characters to your post.

A newer feature lets you bypass the 500-character count limit on Threads by providing a way to attach a text file with up to 10,000 characters (about 1500 words) to your post. Most of the text in the attachment will not appear in your post but can be accessed in its entirety when someone clicks on and opens the text file. Think of this like a blog post attached to your Threads post. Click the notepad icon to either draft your longer text or copy and paste it from another document. Keep in mind that if you post to Threads directly, by default, those posts will automatically cross post to your Instagram and Facebook Page, but you can disable this in the Privacy area within the Threads app settings if you prefer.

5. You don’t need to use graphics to attract attention.

As a communications platform, Threads emphasizes text posts over posts with graphics and video. The key to success on Threads is to start and engage in conversations. If you’re looking for a way to build stronger relationships with your customers and prospects, Threads is a place where you can connect and converse with ease.

Communicating on Threads can feel a bit more casual and less pressured than other platforms. You don’t have to labor over being aesthetically pleasing like you might for Instagram or to produce viral posts like you may be attempting to do on Facebook. Being yourself, real and authentic, is encouraged and often rewarded with higher organic engagement.

Because of the strong integration with Instagram and the functional integration within Meta Business Suite, adding a Threads account should be less daunting and demand less resources from you than other social networks.