X, Threads, Bluesky or LinkedIn: Which ist the best platform for reaching media professionals? An original Schwedin Analysis.
Welcome to the third part of our research to determine what the status of the short message service X is and which new platform has the potential to replace it? Read on to find out which social media channels were particularly popular among Swiss media professionals in January and whether LinkedIn, Bluesky and/or Instagram Threads could gain ground as potential Twitter successors.
To find out how (bad) X really is and which platforms have a chance of becoming the new Twitter, we have been analysing the social media activities of Swiss journalists since December 2023. The background to our research is the hype around X and the key questions our clients are asking us: Should we stay on X? Where can we reach media professionals? Has our audience migrated to LinkedIn, Bluesky or Threads?
Our initial evaluation, published in December, concluded that X is still the predominant platform among Swiss media professionals. This is particularly true in French-speaking Switzerland and in Ticino where the potential Twitter successors Bluesky and Instagram Threads seem to be hardly an issue.
To assess the impact of X and identify potential alternatives to Twitter, we have been monitoring the social media use of Swiss journalists since December 2023. This research is driven by the growing interest in X and the decisions our clients face: Should we stay on X? Where are we reaching media professionals? Has our audience migrated to LinkedIn, Bluesky or Threads?
But will it stay that way or is the Twitter - X - replacement among media professionals simply taking time? To find out, we repeat our research at regular intervals and update you with the latest figures. In total, our analysis covers the social media channels of 38 selected media professionals from all language regions: 25 from German-speaking Switzerland, 8 from French-speaking Switzerland and 5 from Ticino.
Here are our results for January 2024:
January slump in German-speaking Switzerland
In German-speaking Switzerland, we recorded less activity on all channels in January than in the previous month. The difference on X is striking: the 25 selected media professionals published a total of 200 fewer posts than in December. The initial euphoria on Threads also seems to have faded somewhat. Although a total of six people were active on Threads, as in December, the number of posts published was significantly lower. In December there were 94 posts on Threads, in January we counted 34 posts. Only 12 of the Swiss-German journalists we follow are still active on Bluesky (compared to 14 in December). However, the number of published posts only decreased by a total of 11 posts.
Bluesky and threads? No, grazie.
Little has changed for media professionals from Ticino and Suisse Romande in the last month: The 8 journalists from French-speaking Switzerland published a similar number of posts in January as in December and they are still not to be found on Bluesky and Threads.
Among the media professionals from Ticino, the number of X-Posts in January is 222 posts higher because one journalist really stepped on the gas. Paula Nurnberg from Radiotelevisione svizzera (RSI) published 8 posts in December, compared to 237 posts and reposts in January. Bluesky and threads are still not used as communication platforms by media professionals in Ticino either.
Conclusion
Contrary to all speculation about a possible end to X, the platform once again made gains among Swiss media professionals in January who together published 1107 posts and reposts on X (71 per cent), compared to 297 on Bluesky (19 per cent), 118 on LinkedIn (8 per cent) and 34 threads (2 per cent).
From the 38 media professionals in our research, 33 were active on X in January, 12 on Bluesky, 16 on LinkedIn and 6 on Threads, meaning Bluesky has lost two users, while Threads has lost one. Our January research confirms that we still cannot speak of a shift away from X towards an alternative platform.
What does this mean for you?
X continues to be the primary platform for engaging with media professionals, despite the presence of journalists on LinkedIn, Bluesky, and Threads, particularly in the German-speaking parts of Switzerland. We are keeping an open mind and will keep tracking these developments closely. The situation is particularly intriguing since Bluesky became available to all users without the need for invitation codes starting in February. Previously, access to Bluesky required an invite from current users. We are eager to observe if this change will significantly increase Bluesky's popularity.
Our recommendation is still that companies who want to actively engage in media work via social media should keep their X account and open a company account on Bluesky. Reserving your company name early is always a good idea!
Stay tuned for our next update!
In the meantime, read the start of our blog series here and - in the first part of our analysis - how a röstigraben is opening up even on social media.
