A Meta exec explains what Threads posts get the most engagement, from sports to ‘conversation starters’

• At CreatorIQ Connect, a marketing conference in LA, industry leaders shared tips and best practices.
• Meta exec Jackie Pimentel spoke about the launch of Threads.
• Pimentel broke down what formats have been performing well on the app.

The Meta team has been hard at work recruiting influencers, celebrities, and users to help build communities and subcultures to compete with X, formerly known as Twitter.

The marketing platform hosted panels with industry professionals such as Bridget Dolan, global managing director of YouTube Shopping, and Jackie Pimentel, senior global marketing director at Meta at CreatorIQ Connect, a conference series in Los Angeles.

Pimentel spoke about the Threads strategy and how her team is working to build communities within the app.

According to a screenshot of the app’s homepage viewed by Business Insider in July, Meta onboarded influencers such as Connor Franta and Gary Vaynerchuk to begin testing the platform and creating content for the new app weeks before its official launch.

“Creators really needed to be at the center of the content, from day one,” says Pimentel. “The minute a person opened the app, we wanted content in there.”

Pimentel added that Meta is still actively seeking celebrities, athletes, and influencers to create content and help build communities.

Since its massive launch, the app’s initial buzz has waned. Nonetheless, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg stated in October that Threads had nearly 100 million monthly users. And some prominent X users, such as tech reporter Casey Newton, are switching to posting on Threads.

“The content that’s working is conversation starters,” said Pimentel. “We see a lot more engagement on Threads for content that sparks a conversation.” We’re asking people to respond because we want them to. A collaborative effort, as well.”

Sports content and a photography community are two examples of subcultures that have grown organically on Threads thus far, according to Pimentel.

“We’ve been doing a lot of activities with the NBA, reaching out and trying to bring on more and more sports content because we are seeing it organically grow,” Pimentel told ESPN. “We are working on collaborating with different verticals.” What characteristics distinguish those verticals? “How do we bring in everyone, from superstars to amplifiers to fans?”