Meta leverages Instagram to boost Threads growth

On Thursday, Meta announced a new feature that allows Threads users to share posts directly to Instagram Stories without leaving the Threads app. Instagram Stories is a feature on Instagram that allows users to share photos and videos that disappear after 24 hours. Previously, sharing a Threads post to an Instagram Story required a process similar to resharing an Instagram post, but the new update enables users to preview how the post will look on their Story directly within the Threads app itself. The update builds on existing cross-platform sharing tools, which already allowed users to share Threads posts to their Instagram Feed or direct messages. By allowing users to complete the entire sharing process within a single interface, Meta is reducing the friction associated with cross-platform posting.

The new feature could capitalize on Instagram’s larger user base to bring more people to Threads, which serves as Meta’s competitor to X, the platform owned by Elon Musk and formerly known as Twitter. Since its launch in July 2023, Threads has benefited from its close ties with Instagram to grow its user base. Initially, users signed up by authenticating with their Instagram credentials, which populated their Threads profiles with existing account details and followers. By streamlining how content moves between the two apps, the update makes it easier for users to cross-post content, allowing Meta to funnel Instagram’s audience into Threads and directly challenge X’s position in the text-based social media space.

The feature launch follows a period of growth for Threads. The platform has expanded its user base, doubling its usage from 200 million monthly active users in August 2024 to over 400 million monthly users as of August 2025. Additionally, in October, Meta announced that Threads had reached 150 million daily active users. This growth is reflected in recent market data comparing the platform to its competitor. According to data from market intelligence provider Similarweb, Threads is now seeing more daily usage than X on mobile devices. However, Similarweb reported that X still dominates on the web.

Why it matters

Meta is doubling down on cross-platform integration to funnel Instagram’s audience into Threads, directly challenging X’s dominance in the text-based social media space. This strategy leverages Meta’s existing ecosystem to drive user acquisition for its text-first platform.