Bluesky has emerged as one of the fastest-growing social media platforms in recent years. The platform’s user base has expanded to 32 million, and U.S. site traffic has increased by 500% since November 2024. A Bluesky strategy is now increasingly valuable for forward-thinking brands.
For social media professionals struggling with unclear long-term strategies or looking to stand out in a crowded social media environment, Bluesky offers a fresh alternative. The platform’s transparent approach to content distribution addresses many frustrations brands experience with traditional social networks, where algorithm changes can suddenly tank engagement and reach.
Bluesky’s decentralized structure allows users to choose how they view content rather than forcing them into a single algorithmically-determined feed. This gives brands an opportunity to connect with audiences in more authentic ways and build communities based on genuine engagement rather than trying to outwit an opaque system.
In this guide, you’ll learn why your brand should consider Bluesky, how to establish your presence on the platform, advanced strategies for growth, and methods to measure your success.
Why Brands Should Consider a Bluesky Strategy
Key Advantages of Bluesky for Brands
Bluesky’s decentralized approach provides stability that traditional social platforms can’t match. When you build a presence on Bluesky, you’re investing in a system where sudden algorithm changes won’t destroy months of careful community building. This predictability solves a major problem for social media professionals who struggle with misalignment between their strategic planning and actual results.
The Bluesky custom feeds feature (more about that below) is particularly valuable for brands. Instead of competing against an invisible algorithm, you can focus on creating genuinely valuable content that resonates with your audience. Users choose what they want to see, which means the connections you make tend to be more meaningful and engaged.
For teams with limited resources (and honestly, which social media team isn’t stretched thin?), Bluesky offers several advantages:
- Lower competition means better organic reach
- More stable engagement metrics allow for better planning
- The platform’s transparency reduces the need for constant strategy pivots
- Early adoption positions your brand as forward-thinking
Bluesky’s User Demographics and Engagement
Bluesky has attracted a tech-savvy, early-adopter audience who tend to be more engaged than typical social media users. Many are professionals, creators, and thought leaders who have grown frustrated with traditional networks.
Without algorithms pushing certain posts over others, content succeeds based on genuine interest. Your audience growth might be more gradual, but the connections you make are typically stronger and more authentic.
The platform sees high engagement around technology, media, culture, and social issues. These are areas where brands can establish themselves as trusted voices.
Building Brand Authority on a Decentralized Platform
On Bluesky, authority comes from consistently providing value to a community that actively chooses to engage with your content, not from gaming algorithms or paying for reach.
The platform’s developer-friendly environment allows you to build tools that actually support your goals rather than working around platform limitations.
The Bluesky community values substantive content and genuine expertise. For B2B brands in saturated markets that struggle to showcase their unique value proposition on more visually oriented platforms, Bluesky can be a perfect fit.
Download our latest E-book: Bluesky and the Shift to Decentralization — What Brands Need to Know
Getting Started on Bluesky: A Step-by-Step Guide
Account Creation and Verification
Creating an account on Bluesky is simple:
- Visit bsky.app or download the Bluesky mobile app
- Click “Create Account”
- Enter your email address
- Choose a handle (username) that represents your brand
- Create a secure password
While Bluesky previously required invite codes during its beta phase, the platform is now open to all users. If you’re asked for an invite code, the platform may be temporarily limiting new signups. Check Bluesky’s official channels for updates.
You’ll want to secure verification for your brand, for credibility. Bluesky offers basic identity verification through its labeling system. You’ll need to:
- Go to your profile settings
- Select “Add Identity”
- Connect your brand’s official website
- Follow the verification process
This creates a visible link between your Bluesky account and verified domains your brand controls.
Profile Optimization Best Practices
Your Bluesky profile serves as your brand’s home base and the foundation of your Bluesky social media strategy.
Add these elements to get the most from it:
- Profile picture: Use your brand logo or a recognizable image that works well in a circular format.
- Banner image: Create a clean, distinctive header image that reinforces your brand identity (recommended dimensions: 1500×500 pixels).
- Bio: Write a concise description focusing on your brand’s unique value proposition. Unlike Twitter, Bluesky doesn’t have a character limit for bios, but brevity still works best.
- Website link: Include your primary website or a landing page specifically for Bluesky visitors.
- First posts: Pin an introductory post that explains what followers can expect from your account. This helps set the bar and provides context for new visitors.
Keep in mind that real beats perfect every time. Make sure your profile actually sounds like your brand, not like a corporate handbook.
Navigating the Bluesky Interface
Bluesky’s interface will feel familiar to X users, with some notable differences.
Bluesky offers multiple feed types:
- “Following” shows posts from accounts you follow
- “Discover” showcases trending content
- Custom algorithmic feeds created by the community
Bluesky posts are unofficially called “skeets” by users. Skeets can include text, images, and links. Character limits are generous compared to Twitter.
Bluesky interactions include:
- Replies
- Reposts (similar to retweets)
- Likes
- Quotes
The Bluesky notification system keeps track of all interactions with your content, so community management is straightforward.
What makes Bluesky truly different is the control you have over your experience. Explore custom feeds created by other users to understand how different communities organize content on the platform. Exploring other users’ creative approaches helps you shape your own content strategy.
Customizing Your Bluesky Experience
Creating and Managing Custom Feeds
Custom feeds are Bluesky’s standout feature. These allow you to create specialized content streams based on specific criteria, such as keywords, users, or topics.
When you create a custom feed, you decide exactly what content appears, which ensures your audience receives consistent messaging.
To create a custom feed:
- Navigate to the “Feed” section in your profile
- Select “Create a Custom Feed”
- Define your feed parameters, like keywords relevant to your industry, specific accounts that produce valuable content, or hashtags that align with your brand values
- Name your feed and add a description
- Make it public so your followers can subscribe
Strategic applications for brands include:
- Industry-specific feeds that position you as a curator of valuable information
- Product announcement feeds that gather customer feedback in one place
- Community feeds that showcase user-generated content
Custom feeds do double duty when you share them. Your audience gets something valuable, and you keep control over the context in which your brand appears.
Leveraging Starter Packs for Curated Content
Starter Packs are collections of recommended accounts that help users discover content around specific themes or interests. As a brand, you can create Starter Packs that:
- Showcase industry thought leaders (including your own account)
- Highlight partners and complementary businesses
- Feature customers who create compelling content
To create a Starter Pack:
- Go to the “Discover” tab
- Select “Starter Packs”
- Choose “Create New Pack”
- Add accounts and write a description of the theme
- Publish and share with your audience
Starter Packs allow your brand to demonstrate expertise through curation. This provides value to your audience and associates your brand with respected voices in your industry.
A well-curated Starter Pack demonstrates your deep understanding of your industry and provides a valuable service to followers.
Exploring the Bluesky App Ecosystem
Bluesky’s open protocol (AT Protocol) allows third-party developers to create apps that add to the platform experience. This ecosystem is still developing, but already offers tools that brands can use to:
- Schedule posts
- Track engagement metrics
- Conduct social listening across the platform
- Create a visualization of network connections
If you’re struggling with limited resources in your organization, using these specialized tools can automate aspects of your Bluesky presence and help you do more with less. You don’t need to build custom solutions to simplify your Bluesky strategy. The community is creating them for you.
For brands that value dependability and want to project that value to customers, Bluesky’s open ecosystem offers a more stable and predictable environment than closed platforms. As a reminder: Your strategy won’t be undermined by sudden changes to the platform, because the open protocol ensures compatibility across changes.
Building Meaningful Connections on Bluesky and Growing Your Community
Bluesky thrives on authentic interaction. If you’re a B2B SaaS company, focus on knowledge sharing, industry insights, and substantive conversations. Post educational content about your specific niche, respond thoughtfully to questions, and join relevant discussions to establish your brand as a valuable community member.
Growth on Bluesky comes from consistency and specialization. Rather than posting generic content, showcase your unique perspective on industry challenges. If you’re having trouble differentiating your brand in a crowded field, Bluesky can help, because your specialized knowledge becomes your competitive advantage. Share case studies, original research, and solution-oriented content that highlights your specific approach to common problems.
Community building works differently here. Engage with smaller, more focused groups rather than chasing follower counts. Participate in domain-specific custom feeds, reply to thought leaders in your field, and create starter packs featuring complementary voices. You’ll need fewer resources than with broad-based strategies, but you’ll build stronger connections with potential clients and partners who actually care about what you offer.
Advanced Bluesky Strategy: Decentralization and the AT Protocol
Understanding the AT Protocol
The AT Protocol (Authenticated Transfer Protocol) is the technical foundation that makes Bluesky different from centralized platforms like Twitter or Facebook. It separates your identity, data, and content discovery into different components that can exist independently.
This means your brand isn’t locked to a single platform. You own your identity, content, and connections across the entire network. This eliminates platform dependency for brands. On other platforms, abrupt changes might throw a wrench into your growth plans, but your Bluesky social presence will stay portable and resilient.
Setting Up a Personal Data Server
A Personal Data Server (PDS) gives your brand complete control over its social data. While most users rely on Bluesky’s default hosting, brands can run their own server to store all posts, followers, and interactions. This requires technical resources but provides significant advantages. With a PDS, you control your data’s security, can create backups, and aren’t subject to Bluesky’s storage limitations.
The process involves setting up a server instance, installing the AT Protocol software, and connecting it to the wider Bluesky network. This option provides a level of control impossible on traditional platforms.
Using Domain Names for Brand Verification
On Bluesky, you can use your brand’s domain name as your identity, similar to how email works. Rather than username@bsky.app, you can appear as @brand.com. Your domain-based identity instantly builds trust and recognition.
The setup process involves adding DNS records to your domain to prove ownership, then connecting this verification to your Bluesky account. This feature helps brands stand out visually in feeds and comments, immediately signals legitimacy, and reduces impersonation risks. For stakeholders concerned about brand protection, this verification system offers concrete advantages over platforms where verification is inconsistent or requires ongoing payments.
Measuring Success on Bluesky: Analytics and Reporting
Native social media analytics and metrics are currently limited on Bluesky, but you can track essential metrics manually or through third-party tools.
Take a look at stats like:
- Follower growth rate
- Engagement per post (likes, reposts, replies)
- Click-through rates on shared links
- Community participation
To get stakeholder buy-in for your Bluesky efforts, focus on quality over quantity metrics. A smaller, highly engaged audience often delivers better results than larger, passive followings.
Create simple reports comparing engagement rates across platforms. Bluesky users typically show higher per-follower engagement than those on other social platforms. Track conversation quality through sentiment analysis and the depth of discussion your posts generate.
Connect your Bluesky activity to business outcomes by implementing UTM parameters on all shared links and monitoring referral traffic in your website analytics. Document specific leads, partnerships, or media opportunities that originated from Bluesky connections. These tangible results speak directly to stakeholders who need concrete evidence that your Bluesky strategy delivers value, and that might make your budget conversations easier.
How ICUC Can Help You Succeed with a Bluesky Strategy
It takes significant time and expertise to navigate a new social platform, and may require internal resources that many brands don’t have.
ICUC specializes in emerging platforms like Bluesky, with a team that understands the unique aspects of decentralized social media.
Our experts have developed strategies specifically for the AT Protocol ecosystem and can help your brand establish an early presence that stands out.
Our Bluesky services include comprehensive strategy development, brand monitoring insights, day-to-day community management, custom feed creation, and detailed performance analytics.
We bring clarity to your Bluesky strategy, align your goals with practical execution, help differentiate your voice in crowded markets, and extend your team’s capabilities without adding to your headcount.
When you partner with ICUC, you skip the steep learning curve of mastering a new platform. Our team stays current on Bluesky’s features and best practices, so you can focus on your core business while we handle the technical details. We translate Bluesky’s decentralized architecture into practical advantages for your brand, from improved data ownership to more authentic community engagement.
Ready to establish your brand on Bluesky and gain a competitive edge? Book a meeting with our Bluesky experts today!
