How to Get More Followers on Threads: 10 Tactics to Help You Grow

Tried and tested strategies for growing your following on Threads, with insider tips from the Threads team.

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 400 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.

If you’re a creator, marketer, or business owner, growing an audience on the platform is well worth it. Especially if you’re interested in having conversations with new audiences — rather than just broadcasting at them.

If that sounds like you, here’s help: both from the pro-Threaders on the Buffer team, and straight from the folks at Threads themselves.

A few months back, I had a fascinating chat with Etienne Blanc, Product Marketing Manager at Threads. It's a must-watch for creators and brands looking to learn more about how to get more followers on Threads.

Buffer users are big fans of the platform, too. Plenty of Bufferoos have become regular users, with my teammates finding success (and building Threads communities) in some niches.

Head of Communications and Content Hailley Griffis has loved connecting with other moms. Staff Product Manager and alt-rock musician Brandon Green gained over 2,000 followers in just a few months Threads. Senior product marketer Michael Eckstein had a Threads post go completely viral, gaining more than 7 million impressions.

This article brings all of that knowledge into one place. Are you ready to build an audience on Threads? Let’s go.

Key takeaways

• Cross-promote: Share your Threads posts to Instagram Stories and other social platforms — it's the fastest way to bring your existing audience over.
• Conversation is everything: Threads rewards posts that spark dialogue. Replying to comments on your own posts can boost engagement by up to 42%, and jumping into other people's threads can be just as effective as posting original content.
• Post often: Successful Threads creators post anywhere from 1 to 3+ times per day, and replies on other people's posts count toward that total.
• Lean into your niche: Use Threads tags to connect with like-minded people and establish authority in a specific topic area.
• Keep it real: Authenticity and vulnerability outperform polished, promotional content. Pin your promotional threads to your profile instead of broadcasting them.
• Watch what's trending: Tap into Threads' trending topics feature (available in Buffer, too) to jump into conversations while they're hot — but only when you have something genuine to add.

1. Tell your existing followers you’re on Threads

Let’s start with the quick win: Tell the audiences you’ve already built exactly where to find you on Threads — and make it effortless for them to hit Follow.

• Add the Threads badge to your Instagram bio.
• Share a post or an Instagram Story with a direct link to your new profile.
• Drop the link on your other active channels (LinkedIn, Facebook, X) so no one misses your posts.

Threads and Instagram integrate really well, which makes crossposting between the two platforms super easy. Tap the paper plane icon below any threads you post to share them 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)

When someone taps on the thread in your Instagram Story, they'll land right on your Threads feed — so if you're looking to drive traffic there, stories are a great place to start.

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.

Your announcement doesn't have to be quite as all-or-nothing. An occasional tweet or LinkedIn post letting people know you're on Threads — and what you'll be sharing there — can help grow your following.

2. Find your niche

Pick one topic (or a tight cluster of topics) you want to be known for, and weave those keywords into nearly every post. Brandon has found particular success from “leaning hard into a niche,” he says. The beauty of Threads is that even the nichest of niches are finding a home and target audience. For Brandon, that's being a “music theory nerd with specific tastes, but also working in tech.”

“Being vulnerable about those things seems to resonate strongly,” he adds. “This shows up not just in likes and follows but also in the types of replies, which are often much more conversational.”

Not sure where to focus? We've got a guide to help you identify your content pillars — it's a great starting point for building out your Threads strategy

Once you've found your niche (or a few) to focus on, it's time to tap into tags.

Threads tags are hashtags — with a twist. Unlike on other platforms, Threads tags function more like topics than just a filtered search. The goal, Instagram CEO Adam Mosseri shared in an update, was to “help us build a space that really fosters healthy conversation.”

And it's working really well. Tags are a great way to find other people in your niches (and grow your following in the process).

“Using tags has helped me connect with like-minded individuals in specific spaces,” Staff Product Manager Amanda Marochko says. “I'm being more intentional about who I'm following on Threads versus how I've approached it on other networks, really looking to follow other individuals in the Product Management space or those who work in social media.”

Hailley agrees. She sees tags as a way to “position a thought to an intended audience.”

“This seems to yield wider reach and engagement,” she says. “I know if I post something with a tag, I'll get folks who also interact with that tag to engage.”

3. Spark conversations

On Threads, comments matter — a lot. Threads is "a real-time conversation app," Emily Dalton Smith, a VP of product management at Meta and the head of Threads, told Business Insider.

Threads posts that "drive conversations are more likely to get recommended," the company says. In my chat with Etienne Blanc, Product Marketing Manager at Threads, this is something that came up a lot.

"Really try sparking conversations by sharing your everyday thoughts," he said. "Ask other people to weigh in, react, and give their opinion."

It’s also crucial to respond to replies you get on your Threads posts. A 2025 study by Buffer’s data scientist, Julian Winternheimer found that replying on your own posts can boost engagement by a whopping 42%. Per post!

Etienne stressed this, too. "Threads is a public conversation app — it's not only about top-level posts but also replies. This might be even more important in terms of building community."

Creating brand-new content isn't always the answer — I've seen this firsthand. I’ve found that jumping into the comments and (thoughtfully!) weighing in on other threads in my niche can be just as effective at growing my following as sharing original content.

For example, while the comment below didn't get much engagement, I woke up to find a flurry of notifications after sharing my thoughts on a thread started by one of my favorite creators. And it took way less time and energy than creating something from scratch.

4. Tap into Trending Topics

Threads moves fast — much like the breaking-news culture on X. People hop on the app to swap takes on whatever’s happening right now.

But how do you figure out what topics are bubbling up in feeds? Well, a recent update from Threads made this even easier: Trending Topics.

You’ll find them at threads.com/search, before you enter any search terms. The feature is currently only available in certain regions, but users from all over the world can also find them right in Buffer.

Just last week, Michael used Trending Topics in Buffer to weigh in on a trending topic, netting him 54K views in a matter of hours.

“I saw ‘Quantum physics’ trending and thought, ‘Well, this could be interesting.’ I'm no physicist, but I've watched enough sci-fi to have opinions. I brainstormed a post that was equal parts curious and tongue-in-cheek, hit send, and went to bed,” he says. “I woke up to 54,000 views and 90+ reposts.”

Phew! A word to the wise, though: don’t force it.

Etienne advised that creators "chime in on cultural moments where discussions are happening to give your own take," so that you're meaningfully contributing to those discussions.

Mike regularly shares tongue-in-cheek posts like this, so it worked for him. Our best advice is to keep an eye on these trending topics and jump in fast when you have something valuable to add.

It’s a great way to boost your content's visibility.

5. Use other popular tags and formats, too

Topics don’t have to be on the trending list to be worth trying. There are loads of tags and text formats that have yielded a flurry of activity on the channel and could help you reach a new audience — but only when done right.

“#Womensupportingwomen has been excellent for me,” Hailley says. “I specifically called out connecting with other moms as I don’t have that on other social networks, and that helped curate the list of folks I followed a little better.”

Hailley also shared an “Algorithm, connect me with people who like...” and it yielded plenty of engagement and new followers. “It’s almost my top-performing post and still gets engagement two weeks later (I have it pinned, though). I’ve seen threads like that do very well.”

Another trend Hailley taps into is #GoodMorning and #GoodNight, which she uses to share thoughts about the goings-on and rituals she has during her day. This offers another opportunity to be authentic and offer up a point of genuine connection for new followers.

6. Be authentic and helpful

You've probably noticed this too: Threads feels different from other social platforms. Your experience will vary based on what the algorithm shows you, but I've found Threads to be a lot more… wholesome? than other platforms.

Designer and Threads user Dannielle Cresp agreed — she shared some valuable insights with me about it in a great chat (you guessed it) on Threads.

“For me, it's about interacting with a sense of community and choosing to be both kind and helpful. It can be a friendly and welcoming space if you curate with that in mind.”

Brandon's seen similar results with vulnerability and authenticity. Here's how he puts it: “Posting things that are thought-provoking and showing (the weirder sides of) my personality. Threads definitely feels like a people-first platform, at least for now.”

7. Post consistently

Consistency is the algorithm’s love language — the more regularly you show up, the more often your posts land in fresh feeds. While posting daily or even a couple of times a week seems to work well when it comes to increasing followers on LinkedIn or growing on Instagram, Threads seems to require a higher volume of posts for growth than other social media platforms.

Threads requires a higher volume of activity than other platforms. Here is what our team recommends based on their growth:

• Faster growth: 3+ posts per day
• Steady growth: 2–3 posts per day.
• Minimum activity: At least 1 post per day to maintain visibility.

Good news: Your replies on other people’s posts count towards that total, too!

8. Don’t be overly promotional

Brands on Threads quickly discovered that marketing-heavy content doesn't perform well on the platform. Brands finding success on the platform are tapping into fun trends (more on this below) more often than posting about their latest offerings.

“Promoting things for the sake of it does not seem to yield engagement or much growth — I've seen this in several fields and topics, not just music,” Brandon says.

Want to drive people to your business? Brandon's found an approach that works well.

To pin a thread to your profile, just click or tap on the three dots on the top right, then choose Pin to profile.

9. Experiment with different formats

Video does tend to dominate other platforms, but there’s room for more variety on Threads. We suggest experimenting to see what works best for your audience.

• Text-only posts: Solid and easiest to produce at high volume.
• Photo posts: Strong engagement for personal or visual storytelling.
• Video/reels: Higher lift and performance can vary, but worth trying if you’re already creating video for other social platforms.

I’ve seen some good engagement on posts that included a photo, as has Hailley.

Brandon is prioritizing text-only posts (they’re certainly easier to create when you’re posting often!), while Hailley and I are adding photos to posts where we can.

10. Post at the right time

Even the most optimal posting time won’t ‘save’ a low-quality post. But good timing might help give solid posts a nice little bump.

In our 2026 data analysis of more than 2.5 million Threads posts, we found that posts shared on weekday mornings between 6 a.m. and 11 a.m. tend to get more engagement than other time slots.

You’ll find the full analysis here, but here’s a quick breakdown of the best times to post on each day of the week:

Weekdays:

• Monday: 12 p.m.
• Tuesday: 10 a.m.
• Wednesday: 12 p.m.
• Thursday: 9 a.m. — 🥇the best time slot for the week!
• Friday: 10 a.m.

Weekends:

• Saturday: 10 a.m.
• Sunday: 11 a.m.

What’s your experience been on Threads? I’d love to hear more about what you’ve learned. Tag @buffer in a post on Threads, or leave a comment below.

More Threads resources

• 📚 We Analyzed 1.7M Posts from X, Threads, and Bluesky: Here's What We Learned
• 📚 I Posted to Threads Consistently for A Month — Here's What Happened
• 📚 7 Creators on Threads to Watch (+Lessons to Learn From Their Content)
• 📚 How These 7 Brands on Threads Are Growing on the Platform

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