Threads tests simplified DM connection in-stream

Threads is trying out a new way to encourage DM interactions with a streamlined option to guide users towards messaging in-stream.

The new process, which is currently in testing in the U.S. and Canada, will allow users to type “DM me” or “message me” in a post, which will then activate that term as a quick link into the Threads DM flow.

So if a user wanted to prompt readers to send them a message on a specific topic, they could include these terms in their post, which other users could then click on to immediately kick off a DM chat.

Threads said users can still control who can message them in their settings, so this won’t open people up to unwanted outreach, and users can choose whether to allow requests from people they don’t follow. But it could be a simple means to spark more direct discussion, which leans into the broader shift towards messaging over social platform posting across all social apps.

Over the past few years, the number of people posting to main feeds has steadily declined, while messaging activity has increased. Indeed, Instagram chief Adam Mosseri has repeatedly reiterated that IG users post a lot more to Stories, and send a lot more DMs, than they post to the main feed.

The increased exposure of public posting online, building a permanent database of your past, often misguided opinions, along with the angst and argument that can come with public sharing, has pushed more people to share in more private, enclosed spaces, in the company of trusted friends.

That has sparked a major shift in broader social media behavior, with social platforms now more aligned with entertainment than connection, while users share highlights in their DMs.

Meta initially resisted this with Threads, which didn’t have its own messaging option at launch. But in July, Threads got its own messaging component, which brings it more into line with what Twitter once was, and provides another means to expand discussion in the app.

Now, Threads is moving to drive more messaging use with the recent addition of a DM game to celebrate NBA All-Star weekend, as well as with this new direct connection option to drive more DM discussion.

It could be a good way to expand the value of the app, and make it a more important connective tool. And for brands and social media marketers, it could also provide another means to prompt queries in-stream by making it easy for people to get in touch.