Bluesky, the microblogging alternative to X, has found impressive growth and public interest following the US elections, adding 1 million new users in a single day. However, its murky monetization plans have left its value for marketers unclear.
Bluesky is currently not offering any paid options for advertising. Additionally, its open protocol gives users access to “the fediverse,” a decentralized shared space for users to connect their content across multiple social platforms. While Bluesky CEO Jay Graber said she is open to advertising, this centralization would make implementing in-feed ads complicated.
While Bluesky's advertising future is uncertain, experts argue that marketers should still be paying close attention to what’s happening on the platform, both from a creator and a social listening lens.
“Bluesky has seen impressive growth, but its user base is still significantly smaller than X and Threads,” said our analyst Jasmine Enberg, who stressed that its growth represents a notable fragmentation on the social landscape based on political beliefs. “It can't really be a major investment area for brands yet, but it is something they should be keeping an eye on.”
Social listening and community building
The early days of a social platform can come with more candid and unfiltered conversation by its users. This can be valuable for both creators and brands as a social listening channel.
Teresa Day, chief operating officer at social media management tool Planoly, said many creators make it a point to answer every direct message from their audience—something that is a lot more feasible in a less-congested space like Bluesky.
“Brands and creators are constantly thinking ‘How do I reach my audience and have real conversations with them?” Day said, emphasizing the value of text-heavy social platforms even in the area of video dominance in helping brands find their voice.
This type of community building has grown more important to social platforms, users, and creators.
Waiting on creator success stories
While some experts are comparing Bluesky’s potential to the trajectory of TikTok—a new
platform that gained momentum for its heightened candor—brands should first look out for creator success stories that facilitate platform sustainability and momentum.
From the platforms they spend time on to the business they drive, creators carry a great deal of consumer trust—nearly 50% of US social shoppers have been influenced to buy something by a creator, according to a March 2024 EMARKETER survey—making their endorsements especially relevant.
“TikTok had Charlie D'Amelio and the Music.ly crew to serve as an early example of what was possible to achieve, and YouTube has Mr. Beast,” said Doug Landers, partner at talent management company Greenlight Group. “Bluesky needs new faces to emerge that they can build their brand around.”
Social platform fatigue
While the early days of social media management were defined by constant experimentation, EMARKETER analyst Minda Smiley said brands are now more hesitant to pivot their talent and resources after every industry shift.
“People have fatigue with some of these platforms,” she said, mentioning players like BeReal and Clubhouse having their heyday and then leaving advertisers who invested in those platforms with little return. “People are less inclined to invest time and resources into something unless they have a clear plan that makes sense for their brand.”
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