Bluesky isn’t built for brands, but should brands build for Bluesky?
Opinion
While Bluesky remains a niche part of the social ecosystem, savvy brands should be working to develop a community presence. After all, decentralised platforms offer something unique: portability
Bluesky is planning for ads — but not in the way you might expect, and perhaps not anytime soon.
That’s according to a recent Wired interview with the social platform’s CEO, Jay Graber: “Eventually, ads, in some form, [will] work their way in, but we’re not going to do ads the way traditional social apps did. We’ll let people experiment and see what comes out of it.”
It’s a real sign that Bluesky and its peers are building a new social landscape that could change the way we interact online. In fact, Graber wants its impact to be definitive: “Nobody is grasping that this is potentially the last identity you have to create… a sort of digital passport that moves with you.”
But how might ads on Bluesky differ from “traditional” social media advertising? Do these decentralised platforms signal a real shift in the media model? And, of course, the $276.72bn question: how can brands capitalise?
A new model for social media
Bluesky is a thrilling, tangible example of where the internet may be headed — towards self-governed, decentralised communities. These platforms give users greater control over their identities, the content they see and the communities they participate in.
As Graber put it, “Bluesky is a bit like Reddit and Twitter at the same time, because you can build feeds that are essentially communities — the science feed is run by scientists, is moderated by scientists and has its own rules.”
In this model, users are no longer impacted by the whims or actions of private tech companies. We’ve seen the repercussions of losing control over our own social presences; as TikTok has faced an imminent US ban, entire communities, creators and brands have been thrown into chaos.
Building social capital on privately owned platforms leaves us vulnerable to disruption, but decentralisation offers a more secure, empowering future. One in which users, and eventually brands, can carry their identity and audience with them, regardless of the platform.
Brands must adapt to earn engagement
While decentralised platforms will demand a shift in brand strategy, some basics still apply. We might not know what these “new” ads will look like, but relevance and authenticity remain king, whether you’re marketing on Bluesky or TikTok.
For now, Bluesky doesn’t offer conventional social ad options like sponsored posts. Without algorithm-driven placements or sponsored boosts, visibility on Bluesky will hinge on the strength of your content and your ability to participate meaningfully in communities.
In some ways, it’s a return to the early days of Facebook or Twitter, where social platforms were designed to be just that: social. Being heard meant being genuinely interesting, helpful or human, with commercially-minded posts and tools following later.
Reddit CEO Steve Huffman: ‘People hate ads, but they love brands’
In these nascent environments, rigid content calendars and three-month campaign plans won’t cut it. Instead, brands need to be nimble, community-focused and willing to test and learn.
Aim to have real conversations with people and explore the platform to gain a genuine understanding of its quirks and mannerisms. If you have the freedom to test, tweak and engage, there’s an opportunity to build early goodwill and valuable insights.
The ROI reality check
However, there’s a reason brands are hesitant to go all-in on new platforms: results matter. In the face of economic uncertainty, marketing budgets are under pressure. That’s why spend continues to flow toward Meta, Google and TikTok — platforms that offer sophisticated targeting and measurable results. In comparison, Bluesky can feel like a high-risk experiment.
That’s not to say there’s no value here, just that it’s not performance value yet. Right now, Bluesky lacks the robust ad products and measurement tools that marketers have come to rely on. You won’t find any native attribution models or ROI dashboards. And even when ads are introduced, their non-traditional formats may force brands to rely on basic metrics like reposts, replies and link clicks to gauge success.
For the foreseeable, Bluesky will remain a place for brand experimentation and reputation building — not performance marketing.
That said, the commercial potential is real. Decentralisation offers something no traditional platform can: portability. Imagine a landscape where brands don’t have to rebuild from scratch every time a platform pivots or dies. Where creators and communities move seamlessly between networks, carrying their identity and influence with them. That’s a powerful idea, and one that could reshape how brands think about digital strategy in the long term.
The biggest goal for brands now is simply to be present. Claim your Bluesky handle. Start listening. Engage where it makes sense. Like any new platform, Bluesky will continue to evolve quickly, and the brands that pay attention now will be best positioned to move when the time is right.
Timing your move: To leap or lurk?
It’s easy to get swept up in the hype of a new platform, but caution is warranted. Bluesky is still relatively niche, especially when compared to Threads (35m users vs. 350m, although Threads benefitted from Instagram’s built-in user base). Early adopters like Duolingo and Netflix might be able to ramp up activity, but brands with fewer resources shouldn’t dive headfirst into every new channel.
The smarter approach? Temper your curiosity with a dose of pragmatism.
Start by asking the most important question: is our audience here yet? If they are, and especially if they’re building relevant communities, it’s worth considering a lightweight presence. But if not, there’s no shame in lurking. Use this time to understand the platform’s culture and tone.
The brands that win on platforms like Bluesky won’t be the loudest, but the ones who show up with intent and insight. And when the time comes to scale, those who have been listening will be well placed to act fast.
Christina Miller is chief social officer, EMEA at VML.