Meta is changing its Threads ad creation process so that advertisers will no longer need to have a matching username on both Threads and Instagram to run promotions. Advertisers who don’t have an Instagram presence will also now be able to launch ads on Threads.
Up until now, Threads has been attached to Instagram, and advertisers were therefore required to maintain their IG identity on Threads to launch ads.
But with Threads becoming a significant consideration in its own right, Meta has now updated this element.
As per Meta: “Starting in September 2026, matching usernames between Threads and Instagram profiles will no longer be required to run Threads ads. Businesses operating without an Instagram profile will also be able to launch ads on Threads directly using their native Threads profile.”
This will enable advertisers to focus their campaigns on Threads specifically. And with the app now up to 500 million users, it has indeed become a valuable ad display consideration, with reach to an entirely different audience than IG.
Meta really needs to keep this in mind, because the way most people use Threads is very different to how they approach Instagram. While the two apps have been traditionally aligned, that was primarily to drive Threads take-up in its early stages. Now, Meta needs to continue to separate the two and stop using Instagram engagement as a proxy for Threads user interest.
Meta has taken steps on this front, like detaching Instagram graph insights from the Threads onboarding flow. But Threads still uses Instagram engagement indicators as a measure of likely user interest across the two apps.
It seems that Meta is working to make Threads a more independent platform, and this latest move to enable a dedicated Threads ad approach is another key step in delineating the two platforms.
Meta said that these changes to Threads ads are rolling out gradually and may not be available to all advertisers as yet.
