Title: Threads Experiments With Display Names and Profile Covers — What This Means for Brands
As Threads continues to carve out its identity in the social media landscape, Meta is rolling out updates aimed at giving users more personalization and platform independence. Starting in early 2025, Threads is testing two highly requested features: the ability to set custom display names and add cover images to user profiles.
These seemingly small updates could have bigger implications for brand strategy, user engagement, and platform differentiation from Instagram. Here’s what business owners, marketers, and digital professionals need to know about the changes and how they might influence your approach.
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Custom Display Names: Separating Threads from Instagram
Until now, Threads users were locked into their Instagram handles and usernames—limiting flexibility, especially for individuals or brands that operate differently across platforms. But that could soon change.
Here’s what’s new:
- Threads will allow you to choose a custom display name that’s unique to the app.
- You’ll be able to change your display name twice within a 14-day window.
- It won’t affect your Instagram profile or IG handle.
This update could solve a recurring issue: brand identity conflicts between Instagram and Threads. For instance, users who've adapted their Threads name to echo a former Twitter identity (to help followers find them) have had to compromise their Instagram branding in the process.
Why it matters for marketers:
- Greater branding clarity: Brands can differentiate their voice and campaigns specifically for Threads without reworking their Instagram profiles.
- Easier audience discovery: As Threads continues to grow (now at 300 million active users), having a name more suited to the text-based dynamic of the app can improve recognition and relevance.
- Platform independence: This update signals a larger strategic move by Meta to separate Threads from IG dependency—a good thing if you’re looking for more platform-specific engagement strategies.
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Cover Photos for Threads Profiles: Visual Identity Upgrade
In addition to display names, Threads is also experimenting with customizable cover images for user profiles. These function similarly to Twitter/X’s header images, giving users a visual way to personalize their page.
For businesses and influencers, this means much more than aesthetics:
✔ Branding opportunities: Use the cover image to reinforce your visual identity—whether it’s a product launch, campaign message, or seasonal theme.
✔ Promotion space: Swap in new covers for time-sensitive offers or announcements.
✔ Better storytelling: Humanize your brand or clarify your niche with custom design or imagery that complements your bio.
If you’re already using cover images effectively on platforms like LinkedIn or X, you know the value of this prime real estate. Threads is now catching up—and giving you another canvas to make an impression.
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Moving Toward Platform Independence
Threads launched with tight integration with Instagram—a strategic move that allowed instant user adoption, cross-promotion, and insightful recommendation algorithms. But these perks came with a downside: limited autonomy.
Now, Meta is starting to shift away from that.
Some key developments you should note:
- Threads’ “Who to Follow” recommendations no longer rely on your Instagram activity.
- New updates like display names and profile customization reinforce the platform’s standalone identity.
- Meta hasn't ruled out the possibility of fully separating Threads from Instagram in the future.
This growing independence presents opportunities for marketers who want to experiment with platform-native content, follow different growth strategies, or target distinct audiences across Meta's ecosystem.
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Final Takeaways
For businesses navigating a busy social media landscape, the smallest shifts in customization can lead to compounding brand benefits. Threads' rollout of features like custom display names and profile cover images may seem minor—but they’re signaling something bigger: the start of Threads maturing into its own platform.
Key things to remember:
- Custom display names give brands and professionals more freedom to tailor messaging specifically for Threads.
- Profile cover images unlock valuable branding space to create consistent and engaging user experiences.
- Threads' evolution away from Instagram's influence creates new opportunities for strategy, identity, and audience building.
As Threads continues to expand, now is the time to start thinking about how your brand shows up there. Think of it less as an Instagram sidekick—and more as a social media platform worthy of its own playbook.
Keep an eye out for when these features become widely available—you’ll want to be among the first to update your profile.