Advertising on Threads: a new channel with low competition - is it worth trying

While everyone argues about advertising in AI, another opportunity has quietly opened up - advertising on Threads, Meta's text-based social network (an analog of X/Twitter). In early 2026, Meta opened it to advertisers worldwide, and right now it's a rare case where the channel is already large but competition is still small - which means impressions are cheap. Let's break down what it is, how it works, who it suits, and whether it's worth getting in.

What happened

On January 21, 2026, Meta announced the global launch of ads on Threads - after a year of testing, it became available to advertisers almost everywhere. The scale is already serious: Threads has around 400 million monthly users, and in daily mobile audience the platform has overtaken X (formerly Twitter). At the same time, Threads is a "conversational," text-based environment: people come here to discuss, not just to look at pictures.

How it works and what formats there are

A nice detail: you don't need a separate account. Ads on Threads run through the familiar Meta Ads Manager - the same one where you run Facebook and Instagram. There are two paths: in Advantage+ campaigns the Threads feed is enabled by default in the placements, or you manually select Threads as a specific placement.

The formats are standard and familiar: single images, videos, and carousels. But with an adjustment for the platform's nature - here text and a "conversational" tone matter more than a glossy picture. The copy is short, in the spirit of the feed.

The main advantage - cheap and low competition

This is what makes it worth looking at right now. Ads on Threads still make up a tiny share of all of Meta's ad budgets, meaning almost no one is competing for impressions - and the price is low. By estimates, the CPM (cost per thousand impressions) on Threads is roughly $3-8 versus $6-18 on Instagram and $8-14 on Facebook. Plus the platform has high engagement - people react and discuss actively. For brands that care about reach, awareness, and audience attention, this is a favorable "early entry" window before competitors arrive and drive up the bids.

Downsides and limitations

Honestly about the weak spots. While it's ramping up, impression volume may be small - ads "accelerate" gradually. Delivery is mobile-only - there's no desktop. Conversions into sales, by early estimates, are lower than on Instagram (this is more of a top-of-funnel channel than one for quick sales). The set of call-to-action buttons is still limited, and established "best practices" don't exist yet - the platform is young, and much will have to be tested by yourself.

Who it suits, and for whom it's still early

Threads works well for awareness and engagement goals: personal brand and expert content, B2B and "thinking out loud," media, tech and younger brands, as well as anyone who wants cheap reach on an "early" channel. But if you have e-commerce focused on quick sales "here and now," you're tied to desktop or to heavy visuals - you can hold off on Threads for now.

How to start without risk

Get in as a test, not "all in." A sensible start is to allocate a small share of your budget (a benchmark of 10-15% of your Meta spend) and let the campaign run for at least a month before drawing conclusions. Bet on text and a lively, conversational tone - to fit the platform's character. And use what you already have: the same ad account, pixel, and Meta audiences - nothing needs to be set up from scratch. If you want a clean test of Threads specifically, select it manually as a separate placement.

The key points in brief

Threads opened ads to everyone in early 2026 - and it's a rare combination: the audience is already large (around 400 million a month), while competition is still small, so impressions are cheap (CPM roughly $3-8). Everything runs through the familiar Meta Ads Manager, the formats are standard, but the emphasis is on text and a conversational tone. The downsides: still small impression volume, mobile only, and low conversions into direct sales. The takeaway: if reach, awareness, and engagement matter to you - now is a great moment to grab a spot cheaply; get in as a test with 10-15% of your budget and give it at least a month.