Threads introduces creator profiles and links to lure podcasters away from Rivals

Meta’s competitor to X, Threads, announced on Tuesday that it will now target podcasters to bring more discussions around podcasts to its app and assist creators in promoting their shows.

At first, Threads will introduce a few new features to support this effort. For one, it will provide podcast links in the feed with a striking and more pronounced look, with colorful backgrounds and image thumbnails, making them easier to spot.

Creators will have a dedicated section in their user profiles where they can add a link to their podcasts. According to Threads, these highlighted links are designed to help podcasters promote their shows more effectively and grow their audiences.

In the coming year, additional features aimed at serving podcasters and their listeners will be introduced, as mentioned by a Meta spokesperson to TechCrunch.

Meta has expressed interest in the podcast community because it sees an opportunity to become the primary platform for discussions about shows and engagement with creators. Currently, these conversations are spread across various social media platforms, including Reddit, X, Facebook, and Instagram, as well as on streaming services like YouTube and Spotify, the latter of which added comment support last year.

Threads is also trying to tap into podcasts’ deep cultural ties, which can push discussions and facilitate interactions. The social media app currently has more than 400 million monthly active users and 150 million daily active users, less than its rival X, which claims as many as 600 million monthly active users. Seizing the podcast community, or even a portion of that, could help to close that gap significantly.

According to TechCrunch, Threads is not positioning itself as a podcast distribution platform. Instead, its focus will be on leveraging the discussions generated by podcasts. The company plans to give podcast hosts better analytics and insights into how fan conversations around their shows are performing. Furthermore, Threads aims to develop additional features to help users discover new podcasts and to foster connections between podcasters and listeners through conversation.

This isn’t the first time Threads has pitched creators as a way to differentiate its social network from X, Bluesky, and others in the space.

In May, the company gave creators the authority to add up to five links in their profile, allowing them to boost their broader presence across the web, including on other social media sites, video platforms, blogs, and portfolios. The company has also begun allowing creators to share extended thoughts and views through a text attachment feature.

Users can expect Meta to roll out more features centered on podcast discussions on Threads over the coming months.