How to Use Bluesky for Business

Bluesky is far more than just another social media app, it's a new opportunity for businesses to forge genuine connections away from the noise of algorithm-heavy platforms. For brands willing to embrace its unique community-driven culture, it offers a real chance to build an audience from the ground up. This guide provides actionable steps for establishing your brand on Bluesky, creating content that engages, and organically growing a loyal following.

What is Bluesky and Why Should Your Business Care?

At its core, Bluesky is a decentralized social network, born from a project initiated by Twitter's former CEO, Jack Dorsey. Think of it as a return to the roots of social media - a place centered on chronological feeds, text-based conversations, and direct community engagement. For businesses, this translates into several key advantages:

• A Less Saturated Environment: Unlike Instagram or TikTok, the C-suite and marketing departments of every major corporation haven't descended upon Bluesky yet. This gives early adopters a chance to stand out and build authority in a less crowded space.
• Authenticity is Rewarded: The platform's culture values human interaction over polished marketing campaigns. Brands that show personality, engage in real conversations, and offer value thrive here.
• Increased Organic Reach: With a predominantly chronological timeline, your posts have a better chance of being seen by your followers without competing against a complex algorithm. Good content gets noticed on its own merit.

The vibe is reminiscent of the "early days" of Twitter, where discovery felt organic and conversations felt more meaningful. This environment is perfect for brands that want to build a real community, not just accumulate vanity metrics.

Setting Up Your Bluesky Profile for Success

Your profile is your digital storefront on Bluesky. Making a strong first impression is essential for attracting the right followers. Here’s how to get it right from the start.

1. Claim Your Handle (and Custom Domain!)

First, you’ll need an invite code to join. These are periodically distributed to existing users, so checking with your network or communities on other platforms like X or LinkedIn is a good place to start. Once you're in, choose a handle that's easily recognizable and consistent with your branding on other platforms (e.g., @yourbusiness.bsky.social).

However, Bluesky offers a powerful feature that most platforms don't: custom domains as handles. This allows you to use your own website domain as your username, which serves as both verification and a direct link back to your site. Instead of a generic .bsky.social handle, you could be @team.yourcompany.com or @ceo.yourbrand.net.

To set it up:

1. Go to your settings in Bluesky and click "Change handle."
2. Select the "I have my own domain" option.
3. Bluesky will provide you with a TXT record. You'll need to add this record to your domain's DNS settings where your website is hosted.
4. Once you've added the record, verify it in Bluesky. It instantly elevates your profile's authority and professionalism.

2. Craft an Informative and Engaging Bio

You have 256 characters to tell visitors who you are, what you do, and why they should follow you. Don't waste it.

• Be Clear and Concise: Start with a simple sentence that describes your business. "We help SaaS founders with their content marketing."
• Show Some Personality: Add a touch of your brand's voice. "Your go-to source for painfully delicious hot sauce."
• Include Keywords: Think about what terms your ideal customers might search for and include them naturally.
• Add a Call-to-Action and Link: Direct users to your website, newsletter, or a specific product page. Use an emoji to draw attention to the link.

Example Bio: "Beautiful, sustainable home goods for modern living. We believe your space should feel like you. ✨ | Shop our new collection 👇 | brandwebsite.com"

3. Optimize Your Profile and Header Images

Visuals matter, even on a text-first platform.

• Profile Picture: Use a clean, high-resolution version of your logo. It should be easily recognizable even as a small thumbnail.
• Header Image: Treat this as a mini-billboard. You can use it to showcase your products, feature your team, announce a sale, or simply display a high-quality brand image that complements your logo.

Crafting Content That Connects on Bluesky

The biggest mistake a business can make on Bluesky is treating it like another channel to blast promotional links. Success here is all about conversation and providing value.

Speak Like a Human, Not a Faceless Corporation

The golden rule of Bluesky is authenticity. Formal, sterile corporate-speak gets ignored. To build a following, you need to show the people behind the brand.

• Share Behind-the-Scenes: Post a photo of a new product being designed, a snippet of a team meeting (the fun parts!), or a daily challenge you're overcoming. This builds relatability.
• Adopt a Conversational Tone: Write posts (or "skeets" as the community calls them) as if you're talking to a single person. Ask genuine questions and invite replies.
• Show Vulnerability: It's okay to share a learning moment or an "oops." People connect with imperfection and honesty far more than they do with an unblemished corporate facade.

The Anatomy of a Great Bluesky Post ("Skeet")

While simple, getting the format right can make a big difference in engagement. A skeet can be up to 300 characters.

• Text: Keep it direct and focused. Hook the reader in the first sentence. End with a question or a clear call to action if appropriate.
• Images and Alt Text: Visuals are powerful. When you upload an image, always add descriptive alt text. Bluesky's community is very focused on accessibility, and using alt text is seen as good etiquette and a sign that you care about inclusivity.
• Link Previews: Bluesky generates clean, attractive link cards. When you share a link to a blog post or product, add your own context in the skeet text. Never just drop a link without explanation. Tell people why they should click it.

Content Ideas Your Audience Will Actually Enjoy

Stuck on what to post? Here are a few ideas to get you started:

• Share an Industry Insight: What's a counterintuitive lesson you've learned in your business? Share it as a quick takeaway.
• Run an "Ask Me Anything" (AMA): Dedicate an hour to answering community questions about your niche, products, or company culture.
• Post Quick Tips: Offer bite-sized advice that helps your audience solve a problem. A graphic designer could share a tip on color theory, a coffee roaster could share a home-brewing trick.
• Celebrate a Win (Big or Small): Did you just ship a big order? Get a great customer review? Share it! Frame it with gratitude for your customers and team.
• Create Threads: Use threads (replying to your own post) to tell a longer story, create a mini-tutorial, or break down a complex topic into digestible parts.

Building Community and Growing Your Following

Growth on Bluesky isn't about running ads, it's about active participation.

Engage First, Post Second

You can't expect people to care about your content if you don't care about theirs. Block out time each day to:

• Reply to a comment, every single time: Don't just "like" replies to your posts, reply when one is warranted. Ask follow-up questions and show you're listening.
• Find Relevant Conversations: Use the search bar to find keywords related to your industry. Jump into discussions where you can add value - not to sell, but to help. Your expertise will attract followers naturally over time.
• Follow Others in Your Niche: Follow industry leaders, complementary businesses, and potential customers. Engage with their content thoughtfully.

Leverage the Power of Custom Feeds

One of Bluesky's most distinct features is the ability for users to create and subscribe to custom algorithms, or "feeds." These are curated timelines based on specific topics, keywords, or user lists. For businesses, this is a goldmine.

Search for feeds related to your industry (e.g., "Makers," "Marketers," "Photogs," "AI Art"). Subscribing to these feeds gives you a highly concentrated stream of conversations with people who are already interested in your field. Engaging within these specialized feeds is one of the fastest ways to get discovered by the people who you want to engage.

Measuring Success (When There Are No Fancy Analytics)

Bluesky is still in early development, which means robust analytics dashboards don't exist yet natively. Don't let that stop you. Success here is measured more qualitatively.

• Quality of Conversations: Are people leaving thoughtful replies or just one-word answers? Meaningful discussion is a huge indicator of a healthy community around your brand.
• Follower Engagement Rate: Track your likes, reposts, and replies against your follower count over time. Steady, organic engagement is more valuable than a sudden spike from one viral post. If your engagement per follower holds steady over time, you can infer that you are cultivating a high-quality community of real and engaged members.
• Click-Throughs to Your Website: Use a URL shortener like Bitly or add UTM parameters to the links in your bio and posts. This allows you to measure the amount of traffic Bluesky is actually driving back to your key brand pages, right in your analytics tools.

Final Thoughts

Using Bluesky for your business is a long-term play that prioritizes community over conversions, and conversation over broadcasting. By setting up your profile for professionalism, creating authentic content that serves your audience, and actively participating in the right conversations on the right channels, you can methodically build a genuine connection with your followers.

Juggling a new platform like Bluesky on top of your existing social channels often feels like a balancing act. From my experience helping small businesses organize their day-to-day engagement, creating a system simplifies the challenge. Our vision for Postbase was born from cutting through social media chaos for ourselves and our community. A simple, modern platform with features like our visual content calendar that allows you to easily plug new posts into your multi-channel strategy. Our centralized approach with a single inbox enables your business to build engagement into your daily workflows while ensuring that you never miss a comment, a direct message, or a timely conversation.