Did you know Engagement Trends Show Threads Growing, X’s Virality Strength, and Bluesky’s Slowdown
BufferApp analyzed 1.7 million posts from X, Threads, and Bluesky and
found that these three platforms have a common median engagement rate,
that is four interactions per post. This may tell us that these
platforms are similar in terms of engagements, but that isn’t the case
because they have different patterns, dynamics, audience behavior, and
consistency when it comes to posts. A data scientist for Buffer analyzed
posts from 56,000 users to see the trends on X, Threads, and Bluesky.
Engagements mean the total number of reactions a post receives, which
can include likes, comments, and reposts.
The study
highlights that posts on Threads have higher engagement, but some data
shows that posts on X have as many engagements as posts on Threads.
Engagement rate means percentage of people who interact with a post
(i.e. like, comment etc.), while total engagements count all the
interactions. It is important to know engagement rate on a post if you
want to see how much a post can engage the audience, while total
engagements can tell the overall interaction on the platform.
Median engagements show how a post performs, but it doesn’t show any viral content. The gap between median and average engagement shows if a post has gone viral. X gets 328 average engagements, Threads get 58, and Bluesky gets 21 average engagements on posts. The standard deviation on X gets more than 5,000, which means that it is highly unpredictable, while Threads and Bluesky have lower engagements, but they are consistent. If a platform has high standard deviation, it means that it has great viral potential, while lower standard deviation means predictable engagements.
Because of all these factors, X is the platform with the most viral potential. Even though posts on X have a median four engagements, a post can go to extreme levels of virality if it takes off. Threads has moderate engagement, but it is stabilizing quickly. The potential to go viral on Threads is random, but it has steadier audience growth. Bluesky has a small engagement spread and it is more community driven than viral reach.