Threads launched ads globally on January 21, 2026. Since then, most of the industry has treated it as a curiosity — a Twitter replacement with a Meta logo, something to monitor but not spend on yet.
That's a mistake.
Current Threads CPMs run $3–$8. Instagram CPMs are $6–$18 for the same audiences. CPCs on Threads are roughly 60% lower than Facebook Feed. And only 0.04% of total Meta ad spend flows to Threads right now, which means you're competing against almost no one for those impressions.
This is what Reels looked like in 2021. Before every brand piled in and CPMs tripled.
You're probably already there
If you run Advantage+ Shopping Campaigns or have Advantage+ placement enabled, Threads is already in your active placement set. Meta added it to the mix in early 2026 without a separate opt-in — it appeared alongside Facebook Feed, Instagram Feed, Stories, and Reels.
Pull a placement breakdown report in Ads Manager for the last 30 days. Check whether Threads is showing impressions. A significant number of brands are already serving there and haven't looked at the placement data once.
If Threads is active in your account, the next question is what creative is running. The answer is almost certainly whatever you uploaded for Instagram. That's the second problem.
The creative format is different
Threads is a text-first platform. Users scroll a feed of short posts, links, and conversations — not Reels. An Instagram video cross-posted to Threads will get clicks. Native Threads creative outperforms it.
What actually works: product copy with a strong written hook, clean single-image ads with minimal visual clutter, and framing that sounds like a post rather than an ad. "Here's what actually makes [product] worth the price" lands better than a production-heavy lifestyle shoot with overlay text.
The targeting data situation on Threads is also better than it has any right to be for a relatively young placement. Because Threads accounts link to Instagram profiles, Meta already has years of interest data and purchase behavior on every Threads user. The audience isn't cold. It's fully profiled before the first impression is served.
The window
Reels CPMs averaged $4–$6 in 2021. By 2023 they were $10–$15. Every new Meta placement follows the same arc: early adopters find it works, budgets flow in, CPMs rise until the placement looks like every other one.
Threads is pre-compression right now. The platform has 400 million monthly active users — more than enough scale for real volume. Competition for those impressions is near zero by Meta standards. The engagement rate on Threads runs around 6.25%, compared to 3.6% on X for comparable content. The platform is working. Other advertisers just haven't caught up yet.
That gap closes the moment a few large brands run meaningful budgets and the CPM floor rises.
Four things to do this week
Run a placement breakdown report in Ads Manager for the last 30 days. See whether Threads is showing impressions and what your CPMs look like there versus Instagram Feed.
If Threads isn't active, add it manually to a test campaign or verify your Advantage+ settings include it. Start with $20–$30 daily on an existing conversion campaign rather than launching something new.
Create at least one native Threads creative — text-forward, conversational hook, product-focused without heavy production. Even a straightforward product callout written as a post rather than a headline will outperform a cross-posted Reel.
Watch frequency more tightly than you would on Instagram. The Threads audience pool is smaller. Creative fatigue arrives faster. Keep frequency under 2 in the first two weeks of a test, then expand.
If you want a clear read on how your current Meta account is structured — including which placements are pulling weight and which are costing you reach — the free ad account audit at gromerce.com/audit does the placement efficiency breakdown in about three minutes.
The early window on a new Meta placement is the only one you get. This one is still open.
Sources: Social Media Today, JumpFly Digital Marketing Blog, Digital Applied, CNBC, ALM Corp, January–June 2026
