How do Threads algorithms work, and is there any traffic there?

Hello, community! Even before it became widely known that Elon Musk had lost his mind, his “first victims” — the users of the Twitter platform — had already figured it out. 

Under the guise of creating a unique platform where freedom of speech is the top priority, the famous “visionary” turned microblogs into a breeding ground for MAGA populism, where posts from Trump lobbyists always gained more views and reactions than, say, posts raising funds for the Ukrainian army. 

And that’s just one of the fiascos that directly affects us. We don’t even want to mention the promotion of far-right parties around the world — after Musk’s Nazi salutes, it already seems like a given. 

Obviously, everyone saw that the newly created X doesn’t quite measure up to Twitter. Even the plummeting stock prices hinted at this. So the emergence of strong competitors was only a matter of time. And two of them emerged right away: BlueSky, from the creators of Twitter itself, and Threads, from the equally well-known Zuckerberg. 

What is Threads? 

Threads is a relatively new platform for microblogging. It was announced in mid-2023, when META revealed their new product. 

Currently, traffic on Threads is still not matching Twitter’s figures, if we go by Similarweb stats. But ignoring 180–190 million unique users per month would be a mistake. Especially if you’re looking for a decent UBT source. 

And if you consider the fact that registering on Threads takes just a few clicks if you already have an Instagram account, traffic is only expected to grow. What’s more, Instagram is actively promoting Threads, for example via notifications like: “A user shared a Threads chain you might find interesting.” 

The same goes for other META products. And considering how much traffic this corporation covers in general, it becomes clear that Threads today is one of the most promising directions for affiliates to “dig into.” And we’re here to help a bit. 

How is Threads different from X? 

Has the “freedom of speech” situation changed in Threads, or has this platform also turned into a political tool for certain forces? It’s hard to say for now, but considering that META itself is highly negative toward any mention of the war in Ukraine — we’re not seeing much positivity here either. 

But technically, the platform differs from X in a few ways. First and foremost, in its ease of registration. Joining Threads takes just a few clicks if you already have an Instagram account. 

Here are some key differences: 

There are even cross-posting features, which can be useful for promoting multiple UBT sources at once. 

Currently, there are no ads in Threads. None at all. So you can only promote offers here through what is essentially free traffic. And to get that traffic, you need to understand how the platform’s algorithms work. 

How do Threads algorithms work?

No need to lay out tarot cards to understand how Threads works — Meta has already explained it. In short, the algorithm functions like this:

1. Content collection. The system analyzes and gathers all available content: both from accounts the user follows and public posts. 
2. Signal usage. This is handled by artificial intelligence. The neural network predicts which content the user is most likely to engage with, based on behavior patterns and previous interactions. 
3. Content ranking. This is where the user sees posts that the AI deems most relevant. 

So, the Threads recommendation feed is entirely driven by AI. It considers user behavior patterns related to specific content types and then determines:

• which posts are most likely to get interaction;
• which post is most likely to be reposted;
• after which post the user might visit the author’s profile and follow them;
• and so on.

Basically, these algorithms are very typical for META. So if you’ve already worked with traffic on Facebook or Instagram — nothing here will surprise you. In this context, what matters is engagement through content, not targeting. Which should be obvious.

How to get traffic on Threads?

It’s impossible to directly manipulate the AI and make it boost only your content — at least for now, we know of no such cases. However, there are some general rules that can increase your chances of getting featured in more users’ feeds.

1. First — relevant content. Especially if you’re planning to promote in a niche vertical, like through retention. High-quality, relevant content helps attract a quality audience, which may bring solid profit later on. 
2. Next — the number of posts, their consistency, and the timing of publication. There are peak hours when Threads has the highest traffic. You can get this data from Similarweb or similar services. The algorithms give more weight to fresh posts, so you can slightly “abuse” the system in your favor. 
3. Encourage user interaction. Engagement bait — content that provokes discussion — is one of the best tools for growth. If you create something viral, you can find your audience fast. Don’t forget to participate in trending discussions yourself. 
4. Trends. Can’t ignore them. Monitor what topics are resonating most with the broader audience. You can also analyze trending hashtags on Twitter, but keep in mind that the audiences are different — and so are their interests. 

Don’t forget about automation. It’s worth using bots for maximum efficiency. They can not only post your pre-written content, but even generate it on their own. 

There are tons of generative networks out there. So experiment with prompts, train your assistant to analyze current trends, and generate posts based on them. That way, you’ll get a strong flow of followers. How you monetize them later is up to you — we suggest looking at successful Twitter cases to build your funnel before you even register on Threads.

Conclusion

Threads is a new and promising platform that most affiliate marketers still ignore. And it’s understandable: the audience here is mixed and tricky, so why risk your time if it might not pay off? However, we still recommend not ignoring Threads — simply because the potential is obvious: it’s a Meta project, traffic from their other products is being actively funneled into it, so its reach will only grow.

It’s also clear that advertising will eventually appear here — most likely, performance-based. That’s why you should start warming up accounts now — so that later you can either use them for your own profit or just sell them. Even from this perspective, you can stay a step ahead of the competition.

What do you think? Do you already use Threads, or do you prefer X? Share your thoughts in our Telegram community, where we discuss the hottest topics from the world of affiliate marketing!

As always, respectfully yours — Your Geek!

How Threads Algorithms Work FAQs