by By Bailey Heryford
When Bluesky first started popping up online, I’ll be honest I wasn’t in a rush to make an account. It felt like there were already so many platforms to keep up with, and I didn’t really want to add another one to the list. But as a PR student, I’ve learned how important it is to understand each social platform, even the smaller or newer ones. So, I decided to challenge myself to give Bluesky a try and see what it was all about.
If you haven’t heard of it, Bluesky was created by Jack Dorsey, the co-founder of Twitter (now X). It started as invite-only and was built around the idea of being a decentralized, community-driven platform -giving users more control over what they see and how they interact. It’s now open to everyone and is being seen as a calmer, more authentic alternative to X.
First Impressions
At first glance, Bluesky feels very familiar. The layout and posting style are a lot like Twitter, but I actually prefer how it’s set up. It’s clean, easy to navigate, and doesn’t feel overloaded with ads or trending chaos. I also like that you can subscribe to different “feeds” based on your interests even if it is sports, news, entertainment or even something more niche. It makes the experience feel more personal and organized instead of random or overwhelming. My feed started with a lot of news but did slowly phase out after interacting with the app more.
A More Creative Community
What stood out to me most is how creative and thoughtful the users are. Because Bluesky’s audience is still smaller, it attracts people who genuinely want to connect. I noticed a lot of journalists, digital creators and media professionals. It’s less about trying to go viral and more about starting conversations over something that interests you. As someone studying PR, I think that’s a good reminder of what authentic engagement actually looks like. The platform feels calm, creative and intentional, which honestly, I found refreshing.
How Brands Are Using It
There aren’t a ton of brand accounts on Bluesky yet, but some are starting to explore it. Media outlets like The Washington Post and The Verge have active profiles, and a few tech and gaming brands are using it to share updates and connect with smaller, more engaged audiences. There aren’t built-in analytics or paid ads yet, so most brands use it to listen, experiment with tone, and build early community presence. It’s definitely still in that “testing the waters” phase. I think that can be a great thing for a brand to test it out and see what sticks and it’s a good reminder that being early to a new platform can sometimes give PR pros a real advantage.
Final Thoughts
After spending a week on Bluesky, I actually ended up liking it a lot more than I expected. It’s easy to use, looks clean, and encourages genuine interaction. I don’t think it’s replacing any major platforms soon, but for PR students like me, it’s worth understanding. Even if an app doesn’t become the next big thing, knowing how it works helps us see how audiences and communication trends evolve. As well as find other communities that may be harder to reach on other platforms.
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Hello Bailey,
I really enjoyed reading this. I have heard of BlueSky, but, similarly to you, I was not rushing to make an account. I think that the loss of Twitter has made it hard for me to feel excited about signing up for a similar platform. That being said, I am interested in BlueSky after hearing what you had to say about it. I think there is something to be said for being a part of a niche online community. I think the touch of being able to subscribe to specific feeds is also very intriguing.
Love that you gave Bluesky a try! I’ve never been a twitter lover but this is a very interesting read. I wonder how much engagement it will get and if brands will make a big switch over to it. I know that since everything X brands have started to hop off of it.
Hi Bailey! It’s cool that you tried out Bluesky. I didn’t know about it until it brought up in this class. After the loss of OG twitter, many of us almost broke up with the app and weren’t rushing to another alternative platform. I know many brands have left X and I wonder if they will return to Bluesky.
Hi Bailey! I have never tried out Bluesky, but I have been interested in it ever since Twitter became X, as I dont like X as much as I liked the Twitter interface. After hearing what you have to say about Bluesky, I am definitely tempted to create an account and give it a try.
Hi Bailey,
I didn’t know what Bluesky was before reading your blog. As a fellow PR student, this was quite interesting. I enjoy the creativity and laid back feeling of the app so far, and I’m curious to see where it will go in the future.
Hi Bailey! Honestly, I’ve never heard of bluesky until we talked about it in class. It was super interesting learning what it was all about through this post and how it is most successfully used. I’m curious to see how this app will grow in the future!
Great job Bailey! I really appreciated this insight! I’ve also been challenging myself to test new platforms and haven’t gotten to this one yet, but I’m excited to see what I find there after reading your post.