How to Grow on Threads: 9 Ways to Gain Followers

There's no doubt about it: Threads is here to stay. After a record-breaking start, Threads is fast proving that it was no fly-by-night fad but a force to be reckoned with among the other social media giants.

Threads by Instagram now has 150 million monthly active users and counting. To put that into perspective, that’s a little over a third of X’s (formerly Twitter) monthly active users of 550 million — and X has a good 16 years on Threads. 

The platform bears a striking resemblance to X, but fans are quick to point out the community-building focus. Introducing a clever tags system — a bit like a marriage between hashtags and subreddits — and a host of handy new Threads features has been a catalyst for growth in recent months, with more to come.

Buffer users are big fans of the platform, too. Plenty of Bufferoos have become regular users of the tool, with a handful of teammates finding success (and community) in some niches.

Head of Communications and Content Hailley Griffis has loved connecting with other moms. Staff Product Manager Amanda Marochko has been growing a following by sharing more about how Buffer builds in public. Staff Product Manager and alt-rock musician Brandon Green has gained over 500 followers in just over a month on Threads — which is particularly impressive, considering he wasn’t active on Instagram and didn’t have a following he could migrate over. 

Successful as it may be, Threads is still in its infancy, so it’s difficult to predict a guaranteed path to growth — though with social media algorithms constantly evolving, we can’t really say that about any social media platform! 

Still, in our time on Threads, we’ve picked up some patterns. Plus, as we’ve seen with platforms like Instagram and, more recently, TikTok, growing a following early, before the space becomes too crowded, is often a little easier — so it’s worth investing in now. 

In this article, I’ll share nine tips for doing exactly that. Here’s how to grow on Threads, with advice from Bufferoos doing just that.

1. Let your other followers know you’re on Threads

The good news: When you first set up your Threads account, you probably won’t be at 0 followers for long. Your Instagram followers who are already on Threads will get a notification when you sign up and prompt to follow you — this is how both Hailley and I built up sizeable chunks of our Threads followings at the outset.  

Unsurprisingly, Threads and Instagram integrate really well, so it’s easy to cross-post from one platform to the other. Tap the paper plane icon below any threads you post to share it to your Instagram Stories or straight to your feed. 

Your content will appear over a Threads background like the one below (but note that any media you add won’t be automatically shared as a regular feed post). 

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Kirsti Lang (@itsmekirsti)

Tapping on the thread in an Instagram Story will send your followers straight to your Threads feed, so if you’re looking to drive traffic there, Stories may be your best bet. 

It’s worth letting your followers on other social platforms know they can find you on Threads, too — especially if you’re leaving those platforms to focus on Threads. Social Media Consultant Matt Navarra, a formerly avid tweeter, ditched X in favor of Threads several months back and ensured his X followers knew how to find him by amending his bio and handle. 

News you’re active on Threads doesn’t have to be quite as all-or-nothing, but the occasional tweet or LinkedIn post reminding people they can find you on Threads — and what you’ll be sharing there — can help grow your following. 

2. Find your niche

Brandon has found particular success from “leaning hard into a niche,” he says. The beauty of Threads is that even the nich-est of niches are finding homes. For Brandon, that’s being a “music theory nerd with specific tastes, but also working in tech.”

“Being vulnerable about thos