What We Realized From Analyzing 1.7M Posts on X, Threads, and Bluesky

Everybody talks about how totally different social media platforms are, and it’s not arduous to see why. X is handled because the city sq.. Threads desires to be the pleasant different. Bluesky champions decentralization and consumer management.

However after we analyzed 1.7 million posts, a shocking sample emerged: posts on X, Threads, and Bluesky get the identical median engagement.

In different phrases, whether or not you posted on X, Threads, or Bluesky, the median engagement lands at precisely 4 interactions.

At first look, this would possibly make these platforms appear extra alike than we’d count on. However a more in-depth look tells a special story. Past that baseline, their engagement dynamics diverge dramatically, revealing hidden patterns about virality, consistency, and viewers habits.

The engagement patterns we’ve uncovered don’t simply spotlight platform variations — they present why a one-size-fits-all strategy gained’t work in 2025.

Our knowledge scientist analyzed posts from 56,000 customers to uncover these developments, and what we discovered adjustments the way in which we must always take into consideration social media technique in 2025 — particularly if you happen to’re deciding the place to publish and what to anticipate from every platform.

Understanding the information

Earlier than we dive into engagement developments, let’s break down what we’re really measuring and the way we made certain these comparisons are truthful.

This evaluation covers 1.7 million posts from 56,000 customers throughout X, Threads, and Bluesky in early 2025. That’s numerous knowledge — however as with every social media research, context issues.

What we’re measuring

On this evaluation, engagements confer with the overall variety of interactions a publish receives — likes, feedback, reposts, all of it. We selected this metric as a result of it’s the one one that may be immediately in contrast throughout all three platforms.

Now, if you happen to’ve learn our earlier evaluation evaluating engagement charges on X and Threads, you would possibly discover what appears to be like like a contradiction. That research recommended that Threads posts are inclined to have larger engagement charges, whereas this evaluation means that, on common, X posts obtain simply as many engagements as Threads posts.

Each findings are true — as a result of they’re measuring various things.

Engagement price measures how many individuals who see a publish work together with it.
Complete engagements rely all interactions, no matter how many individuals noticed the publish.

Neither metric is inherently higher — it simply is dependent upon what you’re trying to measure.

In case you’re targeted on how probably a publish is to interact its viewers, engagement price issues extra.
In case you care about how a lot whole interplay a platform generates, whole engagements inform a clearer story.

It is a good reminder that platform comparisons rely in your perspective and {that a} single quantity not often captures the total image.

What’s finally necessary to recollect is that social media engagement knowledge is inherently skewed, and a few folks will get extra engagement than others whatever the community they publish to. We used a mixed-effects regression mannequin on this evaluation to manage for these components.

How engagement patterns differ throughout X, Threads, and Bluesky

All through 2024, the standard publish on all three platforms carried out the identical method:

Half of all posts on X, Threads, and Bluesky obtained 4 or fewer engagements.

At first look, this implies that engagement ranges are almost an identical throughout platforms. However trying slightly nearer, this isn’t all the time the case. For instance, in February 2025:

Threads elevated to a median of 5 engagements
X remained at 4
Bluesky dropped to three

These shifts could appear small, however they point out that every platform is growing distinct identities and that exterior components are all the time shifting, affecting how they carry out.

How engagement scales on every platform

Wanting on the median engagement tells us how a typical publish performs, nevertheless it doesn’t seize what occurs when posts take off.

The big hole between median and common engagement means some posts go viral, pulling the averages up. That is much like wage distributions, the place a number of excessive earners inflate the typical, despite the fact that most individuals make a lot much less.

The typical (baseline) variety of engagements reveals a dramatically totally different image:

X: 328 common engagements
Threads: 58 common engagements
Bluesky: 21 common engagements

The important thing level that explains these variations is that the variance within the variety of engagements is way, a lot larger on X than on Threads and Bluesky.

Engagements on X have a typical deviation of over 5,000, which means there’s a very extensive unfold in engagement. The median is decrease than the typical as a result of the distribution of engagement is skewed in the direction of 0.

What’s a typical deviation, and why does it matter?

A platform’s unfold (or normal deviation) tells us how far posts can climb past the baseline. A bigger unfold means any given publish to the platform has larger viral potential, whereas a smaller unfold implies that posts get extra predictable engagement.

Principally, the three platforms are on a spectrum from Wild Virality → Predictability. Right here’s what we found concerning the totally different spreads on every platform.

X is excessive danger, excessive reward

X has the widest engagement unfold, with posts deviating by 5,159 engagements from the baseline.

Most posts nonetheless obtain 4 engagements or fewer, however when a publish takes off, it could actually go viral within the excessive.

This makes X the perfect platform for viral attain, despite the fact that posting there means you run the ‘danger’ of modest engagement.

The huge unfold potential on X implies that when a publish breaks out, it could actually go viral in a method that’s almost unimaginable elsewhere. Right here’s the best way to play to X’s strengths:

Submit constantly. Since virality is unpredictable, common posting will increase your probabilities of touchdown a breakout publish.
Experiment with extremely shareable content material. Memes, sizzling takes, and news-driven posts thrive on X’s fast-moving algorithm.
Count on inconsistency. Most posts will get little engagement, however the potential payoff is excessive.

Threads gives constant and predictable development

Threads has a average unfold, with posts deviating by 628 engagements from the baseline.

Its bump to a 5-engagement median means that engagement is stabilizing at a better stage.

Not like X, the place virality is unpredictable, Threads rewards creators who publish often with steadier viewers development than another platform. To succeed on Threads:

Concentrate on conversation-driven content material. Posts that encourage replies and dialogue are inclined to carry out higher than one-way broadcasts.
Construct a group. Not like X, the place virality is the aim, Threads helps extra long-term, engaged followers.

Bluesky gives area of interest however dependable engagement

Bluesky has the smallest unfold, with posts deviating by 279 engagements from the baseline.

Whereas its median engagement has dropped to three, the decrease unfold means engagement is extra predictable.

Development on Bluesky is slower however steadier, making it higher suited to area of interest, community-driven content material somewhat than viral attain. Right here’s the best way to strategy Bluesky:

Create for a selected viewers. Bluesky isn’t about mass engagement — it’s about targeted, community-driven content material.
Count on regular however sluggish development. Engagement is extra predictable than on X however much less explosive.
Use it for deeper conversations. Considerate, discussion-heavy posts carry out higher than viral-style content material.

Do you want a cross-platform technique?

The latest divergence in median engagement and engagement unfold on X, Threads, and Bluesky tells us one thing necessary: These platforms are not interchangeable.

Every platform now gives distinctive benefits relying in your objectives. You’ll be able to select to focus your whole efforts on rising one social community, or you may work on a multi-channel technique.

In case you go together with the multi-channel strategy, bear in mind to tailor your technique to every platform. You’ll be able to nonetheless use methods like cross-posting throughout platforms; we might suggest you accomplish that thoughtfully.

To cross-post smarter in 2025:

Customise for platform strengths. With a number of tweaks, the identical publish would possibly go viral on X, get regular engagement on Threads, and spark dialogue on Bluesky. Regulate captions, formatting, or tone accordingly.
Use scheduling instruments to remain environment friendly. Posting manually throughout platforms is unsustainable. Use Buffer to notice your concepts, draft your posts, and edit them for every platform, then publish in every single place with out further work.
Analyze your personal engagement developments. Whereas these patterns are platform-wide, your viewers would possibly have interaction in a different way. Use knowledge from your personal posts to refine your technique.

Most of all, keep versatile. Platforms and the developments that they create change quick. The hot button is adapting to how engagement evolves over time.