Meta is intensifying its competition with X by introducing long-form text attachments on Threads, which will enable users to attach 10,000 characters of text for free. The update is geared toward creators — with the bold choice of being quite liberal with the number of outbound links, which feature highly to help guide the reader to newsletters, blogs, podcasts, storefronts or wherever the work happens to live.
The move presents a stark contrast with X, where ultra-long posts are gated behind a paid tier and link visibility has been de-Emphasized. Threads is betting that making length and linking frictionless will nudge the internet to be a little more conversational, and offer creators a way to build an audience without abandoning their homes on the open web.
Designed for creators who need space and distance
Threads had limited posts to 500 characters, a higher threshold than the X limit for nonsubscribers to the newspaper until now. This new format — text attachments of up to 10,000 characters — adds a dedicated canvas for longer thoughts, threads and contextualization, while still allowing the main post to be scannable in the feed.
Meta says the feature was born from user workarounds: people were screenshotting text from articles, book pages, Substack posts, and podcast transcripts to share on Threads. Attachments lend that habit some formality and do what screenshots can’t — make the source link clear and easy to tap.
Look out for authors previewing chapters and pushing preorders, journalists teasing deep dives with essential findings and a link, and newsletter writers surfacing top paragraphs without giving away their email lists. And for off-platform monetizing creators, the visible link is the main event, not the afterthought.
A strategic divergence from X’s long-form approach
X — which supports long-form publishing with high character limitations for paid users, and by de-emphasizing external links in its interface. Publishers and analysts have reported declines in referral traffic from X as a result of UI and policy changes that render links less obvious, with businesses such as Chartbeat and Similarweb observing ongoing decreases in click-throughs to news sites.
Then there’s the trust factor: Onlookers have witnessed high-profile episodes when links to rival platforms were throttled or even blocked, adding risk that continues to dog creators who rely on predictable distribution. Threads, on the other hand, is actually centering outbound linking as a feature, not a compromise.
The timing matters. Meta has reported that Threads crossed 175 million monthly active accounts, and the service is luring the real-time chatter X was before. Longer, link-forward posts provide that noise a place to stick around — and they might attract creators who are seeking reach without pay walls or platform lock-in.
Trade-offs: Search visibility and federation
There are caveats. Meta says the content within these text attachments will not be indexable by search engines like Google at launch, which restricts discoverability outside the app. For authors who want to optimize for search engines, the canonical version still has to reside on the open web — and Threads becomes the teaser and traffic driver, not the archive.
Attachments also won’t federate yet. This integration with ActivityPub, an open-source protocol, means posts are visible in the wider fediverse (which includes Mastodon) and that users on other servers can follow, like, and search for content. Because of keeping connect attachments non-federated, the longer content will be siloed inside the Threads currently. Meta claims federation is on its roadmap for long-form and, if it does ship, that would be a significant stepping stone toward a mainstream social app and the decentralized networks supported by standards bodies like the W3C.
What success will look like
For creators: high click-through rates on links vs. screenshot-based posts, conversion to subscriptions and sales, and less pressure to buy ads to simply show outbound links. Look for case studies from newsletter platforms and book publishers as early adopters measure preorders, opens and paid conversions tied to Threads posts.
For Threads: More in-app time without parroting all content to the native app, richer conversations that go beyond one-liners, and a clearer value proposition for professionals in need of distribution but not interested in giving up ownership. If big links reverse the trend of a wider decline in social referrals measured by publishers and research outfits like the Reuters Institute, Threads will have a unique story to tell.
For X: pressure to justify the paywall for long-form and the trade-offs around linking. If creators discover that free length plus visible links on Threads yield more results than paid perks on X, the talent market for real-time commentary could reshuffle.
Bottom line
By offering free 10,000 character text attachments and emphasizing outbound links, Threads is competing on creator-friendliness rather than lock-in. The approach recognizes that the open web still pays the bills — and that social networks win when they do a good job helping audiences find it.
