Threads posts that get replies. The rules in brief.

A Threads post can run to 500 characters, but the best length is 150 to 400. Use one hashtag or topic tag at most. Write as if you're talking to your followers, and open with an observation or a question that gives people something to reply to. That is Threads best practice as the Desk sets it out in October 2026. It describes current good practice, and nothing in it is presented as a change to how Threads works.

If you run a site for a small business, a member organisation or a group of agency clients, these are the rules to follow when you post on Threads. The rest of this guide takes each one in turn, then gives you a short check to run before anything goes live.

How long should a Threads post be?

There are two numbers to keep in mind. The character limit per post is 500. The best length is 150 to 400 characters. The gap between them matters more than either figure on its own.

Here's how it works in practice. A post of 400 characters, the top of the best range, still leaves 100 characters unused. A post of 150 characters, the bottom of the range, is less than a third of the limit (a third of 500 is about 167). So a well-judged post can use as little as 30% of the space Threads allows and still sit comfortably within good practice.

The limit is the ceiling, not the target. If you find yourself trimming words to squeeze under 500, the post is already too long by this guidance. Cut it back to an idea that fits in 400 characters or fewer.

One limit of the guidance itself, stated plainly: it doesn't say who set the 150 to 400 range or what evidence sits behind it. We don't fill that gap here. Treat the range as the working standard and judge each post against it.

How many hashtags can you use?

One at most. The maximum number of hashtags on Threads is 1, and the guidance says to use one topic tag at most. Read those together as a single tag per post, or none.

The practical effect is that you have to choose. A post with room for one tag can't carry a list of options. Pick the tag that describes what the post is actually about, and leave the rest out. If none fits well, post without one.

The guidance doesn't say whether Threads enforces this limit or whether it's a recommendation. Either way, the habit is the same: one tag, chosen with care.

What tone works on Threads?

Conversational. The guidance is to write as if you're talking to your followers, with an observation or a question that invites replies. A post that only announces something gives readers nothing to answer. A post that asks something, or notices something they recognise, gives them a reason to respond.

Here is an illustration. It's written for this guide and isn't a real post.

Flat announcement (illustration): "We are pleased to announce new opening hours from Monday. Visit our website for full details."

Rewritten as a question to followers (illustration): "From Monday we're open until 7pm on Thursdays. We kept hearing that 5.30 was too early for anyone working nine to five. If that's you, would a late Thursday actually help, or would a Saturday morning suit you better?"

The rewrite is about 220 characters, inside the 150 to 400 range. It gives the same news, explains why, and ends with something a follower can answer in a few words.

The same shift applies to other kinds of organisation, with a different emphasis.

For a small business, the question is usually about the customer's own routine or preference.

For a member organisation, the observation can come from what members are already dealing with. Asking how a change is affecting their work invites replies from the people you most want to hear from.

For an agency running several client accounts, the rule holds for every client, but the voice changes. Each post should sound like that client talking to its own followers, so the question has to come from their world rather than a template.

Where do links fit?

The guidance lists "article" as the link type for Threads. That's all it says on the subject. It doesn't explain whether links are allowed freely, limited in some way or expected to point only to articles, so we won't guess.

What follows for you is practical. If a post links to a piece on your own site, the post still has to work on its own. Someone scrolling past should be able to read it, understand it and reply without clicking. Put the observation or question in the post, and let the link sit underneath as the place to read more. A bare link with a line of summary asks the reader to do all the work, and gives them no reason to answer.

A quick check before you post

Run through these steps in order. They take a minute.

1. Count every character, including the link and the tag. The guidance doesn't say whether either counts towards the 500, so the safe reading is to keep the whole post, link and tag included, within 500 characters.
2. Check the length again against the best range. If the post runs past 400 characters, it's too long. Cut it down to the single point you want people to respond to.
3. Count the tags. There should be one at most. If you've stacked several hashtags, keep the one that fits best and delete the others.
4. Read the last sentence. It should give a reader something to answer: a question, or an observation they can agree or disagree with. If the post only announces, rewrite the ending so it asks.
5. Read it aloud as if you were saying it to one of your followers. If it sounds like a press release, loosen it until it sounds like you.

A post that passes all five is short enough to read in a moment, carries one tag, and ends with an opening for a reply. That's the standard to aim for every time.

Where the Desk fits

Your followers want posts that are worth answering. Your site needs news that's accurate and kept current. The Desk does the finding and the writing, and leaves the decision to you.

Every piece is written from the source's own facts and checked claim by claim. Claims it can't support are narrowed or removed, never filled in. A person reads it, edits it and approves it before anything goes out. Nothing is published by itself.

See what else the Desk can write for your site in the features overview.