Emily White 
As public relations and social media professionals, we’re always looking for new and innovative ways to communicate with key audiences. Enter Bluesky, a free and new(ish) social media platform that has been generating buzz over the last few months.
Below, we’ll discuss what Bluesky is, its key benefits and differentiators, and whether or not it’s an opportunity for your organization’s social media strategy.
What is Bluesky?
Bluesky launched in 2019 as a project within Twitter (now X) led by then-CEO Jack Dorsey, before ultimately parting with Twitter in 2022. If you’ve heard of Bluesky only recently, it’s probably because the app began to gain significant traction in 2024 following the results of the U.S. presidential election, according to Tech Crunch, and the view that X is increasingly politicized under Elon Musk.
As of January 2025, Bluesky has grown to more than 30 million users. To put that number in perspective, X has about 611 million monthly active users and Threads has over 320 million monthly active users. However, don’t count Bluesky out yet – remember, social media isn’t a numbers game, it’s about generating engagement and fostering authentic connections.
How do you use Bluesky?
Bluesky, like X, allows users to share posts up to 300 characters (X is 280) along with images, videos, and emojis. The platform has a very similar interface to X or Threads, with users having the opportunity to view trending topics, in-feed timeline updates, suggested accounts, and private messages. In 2025, Bluesky also launched a video feed to compete with TikTok.
What makes Bluesky different?
The main differentiator of Bluesky is the platform’s founding ideals and how it was created. We don’t need to get too much into Bluesky’s development, but users should be aware that the platform is designed to be a “decentralized social app,” meaning there is no central authority determining how the platform works and there is no central database of user information.
For users, this translates into several key features or benefits, including:
- Custom algorithms: Unlike most traditional social media platforms, Bluesky offers custom algorithms where users can subscribe to timelines tailored to specific interests or topics. The “custom feeds” are designed to foster transparency, allowing users improved control over their content consumption.
- Enhanced privacy: Bluesky features advanced custom moderation filters, domains, and post visibility to provide users and brands with greater control over who is seeing and interacting with their content.
- Cybersecurity: Bluesky’s decentralized architecture lets users host their data on personal servers, reducing centralized points of failure and protecting against large-scale breaches. If one server is compromised, others remain unaffected, which can be a significant advantage for businesses.
What does this mean for brands and companies?
Social media is not a one-size-fits-all approach. The decision to invest time and resources into Bluesky – or any new communications vertical – should be based on your specific social media goals and target audiences. When discussing these decisions with clients, we often ask a few simple questions:
- Does your current audience align with Bluesky’s current user base?
- Can Bluesky’s features enhance your social media strategy? Or is it just another “check the box” platform?
- Bluesky is a developing platform, which comes with opportunities and challenges. How flexible is your social media strategy and team? Is your firm comfortable being an early adopter?
While it’s still too early to determine the long-lasting impact Bluesky will have on the social media landscape, it could represent the future of more user-centric social media. As the platform grows and evolves, it’s certainly worth keeping an eye on.
Interested in additional social media resources from the Maven team? Check out “Public Relations and Social Media Tools We’re Thankful for this Holiday Season” and “Is Threads Dead? An update on Meta’s newest platform.”
Posted In Digital Strategy & Social Media, Media & Culture