In the ever-changing world of social media, staying ahead of the curve is not just an advantage for brands, but a necessity. Enter Bluesky – the latest platform turning heads and sparking conversations amongst consumers and industry alike. But what exactly is Bluesky, and why has this platform seen a sudden spark in interest and sign ups unlike other apps before it?
As a specialist PR and social media agency, we’re all over the latest industry news, updates and launches, so we took a dive into the deep blue(sky) to explore why this X-alike app is making quite an impression in the world of social media.
What is Bluesky?
Bluesky is a decentralised social networking platform. This basically means users can host their data on other servers and not ones exclusively owned by Bluesky. It was developed with a vision to giveusers more control over their data and content. Unlike popular social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn, Bluesky operates on the AT Protocol (Authenticated Transfer Protocol), which allows for greater user customisation, and overall privacy.
The platform boasts many similarities of X and it’s not by accident. Bluesky was developed by Jack Dorsey, the former head of Twitter (now X). He stated that he wanted Bluesky to be a decentralised version of Twitter owned by no single person or entity. Dorsey did step down from BlueSky in 2024, and it’s now overseen by CEO Jay Graber – but much of his concepts remain on the platform. What differs is users are in control of their feeds and can choose which topics, subjects, and accounts they want to see and engage with – without interference from sponsored content or manipulated algorithms.
Posting on Bluesky also mimics X’s format. Users can create short-form posts of up to 300 characters which can be supported with images and videos. News type content is popular on the newsfeed, with users sharing insights and updates – opposed to journalling and sharing life updates which was common ‘tweet’ on old school Twitter.
Why is BlueSky gaining momentum?
Bluesky has been around since 2019 but previously used an invitation only membership until February 2024. Its surge in users seems to come from a political diversification opposed to people wanting to try out a new social media site. Following Donald Trump’s election win, and the lead up to it, X owner Elon Musk was a major influence in the Trump campaign, which ultimately saw him appointed to the cabinet following Trump’s succession. This caused a political division upon the platform which saw many users close their accounts and seek their social fix elsewhere.
Another reason some users have turned the light off on X is simply because of the conversations it allows. Musk insisted X would not follow conventional censorship, and people can speak for the most part, very freely. X states on its website “It’s important to know that X does not screen content or remove potentially offensive content” which has ultimately let some controversial viewpoints creep through and dominate feeds. One notable example was the Stockport riots in 2024, which were ignited by conversations and users on the platform and led to derogative and racist comments surrounding the Stockport travesty, as well as uproar and destruction in the city.
Due to the nature of this kind of content, many consumers, brands and even news outlets have chosen to step away from X but still want the ease and openness of connecting that the platform once offered – hence the switch to BlueSky.
Is X a dying platform?
It’s hard to measure X’s impact based on the news alone. From our own experience and professional insight, engagement, reach and impressions have significantly declined, but that doesn’t mean it has lost all its value for brands. Many political leaders, journalists and other public sector professionals still use the platform as a way to connect with the public and immerse themselves in online conversations. It’s also a beneficial way to allow customers to reach out and get in touch, but of course, other platforms also allow this – such as WhatsApp channels and Facebook.
Elon and his team are not giving away any hints on how the platform is performing, but it is estimated that following the election ballot day, 115,000 accounts were deactivated in the USA alone. The Financial Times also reported that X users in the UK fell by almost a third leading up to September 2024. Whereas BlueSky CEO, Jay Graber, revealed in November last year that the platform has over twenty million users, with America, Japan and Brazil having the highest concentration of accounts.
Where does your brand belong?
With all of this information, it is no wonder that brands don’t know where they should focus their attention. But it’s important to remember where your audience is and what is happening within your specific sector.
A social platform audit can help you identify your strongest channels. Start by looking at the performance metrics and evaluating which channel is most successful and if any are trailing behind. Meta Business Suite, X Analytics and Google Analytics can help with this.
When looking at the performance metrics, pay attention to:
- Engagement rates, i.e., likes, shares and comments
- Follower growth
- Click through rates – is it directing traffic to your website?
- Post reach and impressions
It’s important to look at it from a wider perspective, so look back over the last 12 months to see if patterns emerge. You might notice that an account has regularly dropped followers, and impressions are stagnant – this could be a sign to reevaluate your content on this platform and make sure it is serving what your followers and is relevant to their needs. If after a content overhaul, you’re still not seeing an increase in engagement and following, it could simply be because your audience are not present on the platform and your efforts would be better focused on greater performing accounts or making the move to somewhere new. Alternatively, you could feel like the platform does not align with your brand values anymore – a common comment from those who’ve left X or refused to get onboard with TikTok. If X was once a thriving hub for your brand, BlueSky could be an interesting and beneficial avenue to go down.
Top tip: One observation we have had so far was that people do better than brands, so it could be an exciting time to revamp your social content and put the CEO or key person in the limelight!
What’s next?
Bluesky is still seeing an increase in users, and its fresh and transparent approach could be a real positive for brands willing to take the leap and try something new. That being said, just because it’s the trending, it doesn’t mean it’s right for you – if you’re not noticing any changes to your existing social media strategy, it could be better suited for your brand to stay put (for now, at least!). Bluesky also has no paid or monetised content at the moment. That doesn’t mean it won’t in the future – but it’s not likely it’ll follow a traditional ad model due to its AT protocol and user-centric content. If paid support is part of your marketing strategy, its best to focus this on Meta and invest further into platforms like Google AdWords to direct customers to where you want them to be.
We can help!
As a specialist PR and social media agency, here at Honest Communications, we stay ahead of the curve, so you don’t have to. We offer bespoke social media monitoring and content management to keep brands in front of the right people – and on the right platforms!
If you’re interested in learning more about our services, get in touch or pop us an email on hello@honestcommunications.co.uk If you’re already on Bluesky, or thinking of making an account, why not give us a follow: https://bsky.app/profile/honestcomms.bsky.social
