The Ultimate Guide to Bluesky Marketing
Table of Contents
What is Bluesky?
Bluesky is a decentralized, text-based social media platform allowing people to share up to 300 characters. It’s similar to how π/Twitter used to work back in the day before it was bought by Elon Musk.
Bluesky was developed in close partnership with π/Twitter’s former CEO Jack Dorsey while still at π/Twitter. This is why you will find Bluesky’s structure similar to π/Twitter’s.
Twitter is funding a small independent team of up to five open source architects, engineers, and designers to develop an open and decentralized standard for social media. The goal is for Twitter to ultimately be a client of this standard. π§΅
β jack (@jack) December 11, 2019
Bluesky is one of the many social media platforms that people have switched to from π/Twitter since Elon took over the company.
One of the promising features that has caught the interest of many users is its open-source nature which allows users to know exactly how the platform works as well as gives users complete ownership of their feed and audience. This is powered by the AT Protocol which was developed by Bluesky.
This mode of operation allows Bluesky not to be controlled by one company (or person) as how it is now with π/Twitter. Rather, everyone has control over the platform.
Unique Bluesky Features
1. Decentralization
Bluesky is a decentralized platform. This means that Bluesky runs on independent servers and isn’t controlled by a single server or company.
This means the decisions are not based on a single person or company, instead the decisions are made by the users of the platform
This gives users control of how the platform works, and the ability to own their audience, and moderate how the platform (feed) works.
2. Open-source
Just like Mastodon, Bluesky is also an open-source social media platform. This allows users to know what is being developed and how the platform works.
This is made possible through the AT Protocol which Bluesky runs on. The AT Protocol, as Bluesky describes it, “is a protocol for public conversation and an open-source framework for building social apps, meaning people have transparency into how it is built and what is being developed.”
3. Custom domains
It’s very rare that you find social media platforms allow their users to have custom domains as their usernames but this is possible in Bluesky.
By default, your username will be “username.bsky.social”. Example hypefury.bsky.social
But you can change your username to a custom domain if you want.
Whenever people visit the domain that you mapped to your account, they will be redirected to your Bluesky profile.
How to Create an Account on Bluesky?
1. Head over to bsky.app and click the ‘Sign up’ button.
2. On the signup page, fill in your email, password, and birthdate.
Since Bluesky is open-source, you can choose to host it on your own server and use your domain as your username.
3. In the next step, choose the handle that you want. If you’re using Bluesky as the provider, taken usernames will not work.
4. Complete the captcha to verify that you are human.
5. On the next step, upload your profile picture or create an avatar.
6. On the next page, you can choose your interests and you will start to see posts from the interests that you chose.
How to Set Up Your Custom Domain as Your Bluesky Handle?
Before we see how you can use your custom domain as your Bluesky handle, it makes sense to know why Bluesky uses domains as user handles in the first place.
Bluesky uses domains as user handles because the AT Protocol uses domains as user handles.
This is because, first, the AT Protocol powers many platforms; hence, they decided to use domains as unique identifiers so that you can have only one domain and use it across different social media platforms in the AT Protocol.
The second reason is verification. Since an organization can use its own domain, its employees can be given subdomains so other people can know and be sure that the person posting is really a representative of that organization.
Now that we know why Bluesky uses domains as user handles, we can take a look on how you can set your domain as your Bluesky handle.
First off, you need to already own a domain. Or if you don’t, Bluesky integrates with Namecheap so that you can buy a domain right inside Bluesky.
To use
1. Go to settings.
2. Scroll down and under ‘Advanced’ you select ‘Change Handle’
3. Choose ‘I have my own domain’
4. Then enter your domain and choose DNS panel
5. Now copy your domain value by clicking on the ‘Copy Domain Value’ button
6. Head over to your domain name provider and choose to manage DNS.
7. Add a new txt record with the hostname ‘_atproto’. The value should be the domain value that you copied. For the TTL, put the lowest.
8. After you’ve added the txt record, head back to Bluesky and click ‘Verify DNS Record’
If you’ve done everything correctly, your user handle will now be your domain. Keep in mind however that your old Bluesky domain will be available for other people to use
Bluesky Marketing Tips
It’s crucial to understand that Bluesky is similar to π/Twitter1. Optimize your profile
First things first, first impressions matter. This is why you should first optimize your profile because this is the first thing people will see. Just like a π/Twitter profile, a Bluesku profile also has three parts: profile picture, bio and cover photo (banner).Profile Picture
For your profile, you need a high-quality picture of your face (or logo for a company). Make sure you use a clear and high-quality picture that’s easily identifiable. Bonus points if you use the same profile picture across all socials.Bio
Your bio is your chance to sell yourself to people. So make sure it’s clear and it includes everything that you want people to know about you and your brand. Great bios are about how you help your audience. So focus on what people will gain when they follow you. You can use this bio generator tool to grab inspirationCover photo/Banner
Just as how banners work in π/Twitter, it’s the same way as in Bluesky. You can use this space to provide more information.2. Post consistently
The second tip is to post consistently. This is especially hard because Bluesky is a little bit new and some of your audience won’t be there yet. It will be like you’re starting afresh from zero. So it’s crucial that you stay consistent and don’t lose hope. You can use social media tools that will allow you to cross-post your π/Twitter posts to Bluesky.3. Engage with your followers
Since almost everyone is new to Bluesky, this is the perfect opportunity to build new connections. Intereact with people who like and comment on your posts. You can take it to the next level by sliding into DMs. This works because everyone is new and is looking for friends. It’s like back in school when new people start a new year. Everyone want to make new friends but nobody wants to make the first move. Make the first move and build new connections. These connection will be loyal to you as you will be growing together.4. Engage with other similar accounts
Engaging with only your followers is not enough. When you first start you won’t have a lot of followers in the first place. So you have to tell people that you exist by engaging on their posts. When they see your likes or comments they notice you and through your profile, they may be interested and follow you. And don’t just end in replying. Take it to the DMs and build meaningful connections.5. Use Bluesky’s algorithm to your advantage
Although in many aspects Bluesky is the same as π/Twitter. It’s algorithm is one of the things that separates it from π/Twitter. Bluesky’s algorithm adapts to the user’s preference and it’s different for every user. By liking certain posts, you will tell the algorithm that you like those kinds of posts and you will see them more. You can choose ‘Show more likes this’ or ‘Share less like this’ on posts to set your preferences. What’s even more fun is that you can create your own feed to instruct it to show certain posts. Or you can choose between one of the many available feeds created by other users.Bluesky FAQs
Is Bluesky still invite-only?
Bluesky has ended their beta and anyone can join Bluesky now without an invite.
Who owns Bluesky?
Bluesky is owned by it’s CEO Jay Graber andΒ Bluesky PBC (Public Benefit Corporation), which was formed in late 2021.
Who started Bluesky?
Bluesky was started as a project by Twitter’s founder Jack Dorsey to build an open and decentralized social media platform.
Twitter entered into an agreement with Bluesky and it paid service income to Bluesky to develop an open social protocol for public conversation.
Is Bluesky part of π/Twitter?
No, Bluesky is not part of π/Twitter. Bluesky was started by π/Twitter’s founder Jack Dorsey but they severed their agreement back in 2022.
Is Bluesky open-source?
Yes, Bluesky is open source that runs on AT Protocol which was built by Bluesky. You can take a look at their GitHub page to see their codes?.
Why has Bluesky become popular?
Bluesky gained more popularity when Elon Musk bought Twitter and made many changes to how the app works at its core.
Bluesky also received a lot of new users when Elon Musk started supporting Donald Trump on USA’s elections.
How many users does Bluesky have?
Currently, Bluesky has more than 20 million (20,000,000) users and on average more than 1 million users join the platform everyday.
