Why Twitter Fleets Were Discontinued [+Alternatives for Brands That Used It]

In the fast-paced world of social media, features come and features go. But rarely has a feature had quite as short a lifespan as Twitter Fleets. Launched to much fanfare in November 2020, Fleets were essentially Twitter‘s answer to the wildly popular Stories format seen on Snapchat, Instagram and Facebook.

Yet a mere 10 months later, in August 2021, Twitter pulled the plug on Fleets, citing low usage and minimal impact on user growth. So what went wrong with Twitter‘s ephemeral experiment? And what lessons can brands learn from Fleets‘ demise about adopting new social media formats and features? Let‘s dive in.

The Origins of Stories

To understand the rise and fall of Twitter Fleets, it‘s helpful to trace the origins of the Stories format itself. Stories as we know them today actually originated on Snapchat way back in October 2013. Snapchat Stories allowed users to string together multiple Snaps (photos or videos) into a chronological narrative that would disappear after 24 hours.

This ephemeral approach was revolutionary at the time, as most social media posts were designed to be permanent additions to a user‘s feed or profile. Snapchat Stories tapped into users‘ desire for more raw, authentic and fleeting forms of expression. The format quickly became a hit, especially among younger users.

Seeing Snapchat‘s success with Stories, other social platforms were quick to follow suit. Instagram Stories launched in August 2016, Facebook Stories in March 2017, and YouTube Stories in November 2017. While each platform put its own spin on the format, the core features of vertical orientation, full-screen visuals, and 24-hour ephemerality remained consistent.

Fleets: Twitter‘s Spin on Stories

With major social platforms seeing strong adoption of Stories, it was only a matter of time before Twitter developed its own take on the format. Enter Fleets.

Unveiled in March 2020 and rolled out globally in November 2020, Fleets allowed Twitter users to post full-screen photos, videos, reactions to tweets or plain text that disappeared after 24 hours. Fleets were actually referred to internally at Twitter as "Snapchat Stories" during early ideation.

Some key differences with Fleets compared to Stories on other platforms:

• Fleets did not have AR filters, effects or lenses commonly found in Stories
• Fleets could not be "liked" or publicly commented on, only reacted to with emoji or via DM
• Fleets did not have view counts, only "Seen by" lists that were visible to the Fleet‘s creator

Twitter‘s hope with Fleets was that the lower-pressure, ephemeral nature of the format would encourage more users to post original content rather than just consume or retweet others‘ posts. As Twitter‘s product lead Kayvon Beykpour explained at the time of launch:

"We‘ve learned that some people feel more comfortable joining conversations on Twitter with this ephemeral format, so what they‘re saying lives just for a moment in time. We can create a space with less pressure that allows people to express themselves in a way that is light-touch and light-hearted."

Why Fleets Floundered

Despite Twitter‘s high hopes, Fleets never quite took off the way the platform‘s product team envisioned. There were a few key factors behind Fleets‘ failure to launch.

Lack of Differentiation

For many Twitter users, Fleets felt like a carbon copy of Stories on other platforms, just without the augmented reality bells and whistles that made them more dynamic and engaging. As Twitter user @allielapowsky put it:

"Does anyone else feel like Fleets are just Twitter‘s version of Instagram Stories, except no fun filters, no tagging, no stickers, and overall just kinda 👎"

In an already crowded Stories ecosystem, Twitter needed to launch Fleets with more unique, platform-specific features to make the format feel essential rather than redundant. Features like live Fleet Audio rooms or real-time Fleet watch parties for trending TV shows and events could have helped differentiate the format.

Minimal Creator Tools and Interaction Options

The lack of robust creation tools, editing options and ways for users to interact with Fleets also inhibited adoption. No filters or effects made Fleets feel rather static compared to lively, dynamic Stories on Instagram or Snapchat. The inability to like, comment or easily share Fleets also reduced their virality and visibility. As content creator @chrisfrankln_ noted:

"So Twitter Fleets have no stickers, filters, or ways to easily reshare? Unless I‘m missing something, not sure what the point is tbh 🙃"

Low Usage and Visibility

These product missteps and lack of competitive differentiation ultimately led to low usage of Fleets, both from a creation and consumption standpoint. While Twitter never shared specific usage metrics, third-party data offers some clues.

According to a study from research firm Mavck, only 7.6% of Twitter users published a Fleet in the feature‘s first month post-launch. That same study found that 57% of users were unsure of what Fleets even were.

Ill-Fitting with Twitter‘s Core Use Case

More fundamentally though, Fleets simply felt at odds with Twitter‘s core use case and the reasons why most users open the app. While the full-screen, visual nature of Stories has proven a natural fit for the image and video-centric ecosystems of Instagram and Snapchat, most Twitter users still primarily come to the app for real-time text conversations, reactions and commentary.

As early Twitter employee and tech commentator @hunterwalk put it:

"I‘ve come to the conclusion that Fleet-like features are antithetical to Twitter‘s core use case: real-time information flow. When I open Twitter it‘s to scroll the latest, not tap through full screen visuals. I don‘t need an alternative destination within the app."

Twitter Sunsets Fleets

Add it all up, and Fleets simply fell flat with the majority of Twitter‘s user base. Struggling to gain traction and failing to make a dent in Twitter‘s overall growth and engagement, Fleets were discontinued on August 3, 2021, a mere 10 months post-launch.

In an honest and transparent announcement aptly titled "Goodbye Fleets", Twitter‘s Ilya Brown shared the rationale behind the platform‘s decision to sunset the feature:

"We built Fleets as a lower-pressure, ephemeral way for people to share their fleeting thoughts. We hoped Fleets would help more people feel comfortable joining the conversation on Twitter. But, in the time since we introduced Fleets to everyone, we haven‘t seen an increase in the number of new people joining the conversation with Fleets like we hoped. Because of this, on August 3, Fleets will no longer be available on Twitter."

Lessons Learned and Looking Ahead

So what can brands and marketers learn from the rise and fall of Twitter Fleets? A few key takeaways:

Differentiation is Essential

In a crowded social media landscape, simply copying competitors‘ features is not enough. New formats need to offer unique value and platform-specific features to compel users to adopt them. Fleets felt too much like a Twitter-fied carbon copy of Instagram or Snapchat Stories.

Align with Your Platform‘s Core Use Case

When developing new features, it‘s crucial to consider how they‘ll fit with your platform‘s primary use cases and the key reasons users visit your app. For many users, full-screen ephemeral visuals felt at odds with Twitter‘s text-centric, real-time information flow.

Listen to User Feedback and Adapt Accordingly

To Twitter‘s credit, they were quick to acknowledge Fleets‘ shortcomings and sunset the feature once it was clear it was missing the mark. Brands and platforms need to be willing to pivot and pull the plug on underperforming features, rather than letting them linger and potentially clutter up the user experience.

Leverage Learnings in Future Development

Even failed features can yield invaluable insights. Twitter has promised to leverage learnings from Fleets to inform their explorations around future ephemeral formats better suited to their platform. Every "failure" is an opportunity to collect data, glean lessons and improve moving forward.

Where to Allocate Your "Fleet" Resources Now

With Fleets no longer an option, where should brands be focusing their ephemeral social media marketing resources and efforts? A few key recommendations:

Double Down on Instagram Stories

With over 500 million daily users, Instagram Stories is still far and away the leader in the ephemeral social media space. Focus on crafting compelling, visually dynamic Story content tailored to Instagram‘s young, mobile-first user base. Experiment with interactive elements like polls, quizzes and live Q&As.

Experiment with Instagram Reels

If full-screen vertical video is a priority, shift some of your Fleets-allocated resources over to Instagram Reels. Reels is Instagram‘s fastest-growing feature and offers more robust editing tools and discoverability than Stories. Just keep in mind Reels content is designed to be rewatched and lives permanently on your profile.

Test Out Twitter Spaces

If real-time conversation and discussion is your primary goal on Twitter, experiment with hosting your own Twitter Spaces. These live audio chat rooms can help drive the type of intimate, ephemeral discourse Fleets were meant to evoke.

Get Creative with Twitter Media and Formats

Just because Fleets are gone doesn‘t mean visual media can‘t be compelling on Twitter. Test out posting a mix of images, videos and GIFs paired with clever copy to your main feed. Take advantage of Twitter formats like Polls and Threads to encourage conversation and engagement.

Fleets May be Gone, But Innovation Continues

Ultimately, the shuttering of Fleets is a reminder that in the world of social media, change is the only constant. New features and formats will continue to emerge, evolve and, in some cases, disappear.

The key for brands is to stay nimble, experiment judiciously, and always put your audience‘s needs and preferences first. Just because a shiny new format or feature emerges doesn‘t mean you need to be an early adopter. And if you do hop on board with a new format, be ready to pivot if it‘s not resonating with your audience or delivering the results you seek.

By focusing on crafting compelling content that aligns with each platform‘s unique ecosystem and user behavior, you‘ll be well-positioned to navigate the ever-shifting world of social media. The Fleets may be fleeting, but the lessons they leave behind are enduring.