Guardian audience editor says Bluesky delivering more traffic than X

The audience editor for Guardian Australia, Dave Earley, reported that the platform Bluesky has generated more referral traffic to theguardian.com in its first week than X (formerly Twitter) has in any week of 2024. This trend is echoed by The Boston Globe, which noted that Bluesky is driving three times more traffic than Threads. The Guardian's decision to join Bluesky followed its withdrawal from X, which it criticized as a "toxic social media platform." Bluesky is noted for its simpler user experience and lower levels of misinformation compared to X. Additionally, Bluesky is reportedly converting users to paying digital subscribers at a rate 4.5 times higher than Threads. Other publishers have also observed similar patterns, with some noting a significant increase in traffic from Bluesky compared to X. Despite Bluesky's smaller user base of around 23 million compared to Threads' 275 million, its growing popularity among news publishers suggests it may become a preferred platform for professional journalism. The Bluesky COO emphasized the platform's commitment to supporting journalists and publishers by not de-promoting links, contrasting with X's practices.

- Bluesky is generating more referral traffic than X for some publishers.

- The Guardian and The Boston Globe report significant traffic increases from Bluesky.

- Bluesky is converting users to paying subscribers at a higher rate than Threads.

- The platform is gaining traction among news publishers despite a smaller user base.

- Bluesky's approach contrasts with X's visibility practices, appealing to content creators.