Bluesky has lost more than half its mobile users since late 2024, and some brands are testing it anyway. That looks backwards until you see what they want from it. A Bluesky brand strategy is less about reach and more about first-party data on creator engagement and audience quality. A smaller, stickier audience can show you things a crowded feed hides.
The numbers that should make you cautious
Start with the bad news, because your CFO will.
Similarweb data cited by TechCrunch shows Bluesky’s mobile app had 10.4 million monthly active users worldwide in June 2026, down 27.2% year-over-year. The same TechCrunch report says the app has lost more than half its monthly active users since its late-2024 high, with a quarterly average that fell from about 22.1 million to 10.7 million in the second quarter of 2026. This is not a growth story.
For comparison, TechCrunch’s Similarweb analysis puts X at around 302 million monthly active users on its app as of June 2026. No media planner will move a performance budget to a platform that is a small fraction of that size.
So why are early movers still there?
Small, sticky and measurable
The same report offers the better argument. The TechCrunch analysis puts Bluesky’s stickiness rate (the ratio of daily to monthly active users) at roughly 29% in June, about the same as Threads. People who stayed are people who like being there.
Bluesky is not a reach channel. It is a low-cost lab for learning which creators drive real conversation and which audiences actually respond.
That distinction decides how you scope the test. You are buying information, not impressions. If you want a comparable “early tactics” read on a rival text-first network, our guide to Threads creator collaboration covers similar ground.
Who is actually posting there?
Creator supply matters more than user counts. Pew Research Center is the best neutral evidence I found, though it covers news influencers specifically, not lifestyle, beauty or gaming creators. Treat it as a signal about migration behavior, not a category forecast.
Pew found that the share of news influencers in its sample with a Bluesky account roughly doubled in the four months after Election Day 2024, from 21% beforehand to 43% by March 2025. Pew also notes that most of these influencers are also on X and post there frequently. The details are in Pew’s news influencer analysis.
Read that carefully. Creators are not leaving their main platforms. They are hedging. For a brand, that means Bluesky is rarely a creator’s primary audience. It is a second room where the same person may behave differently.
That is useful. When one creator posts the same idea on X and Bluesky, you get a natural comparison of how each audience responds.
What first-party data can you collect?
Here is where the open architecture earns its keep. Bluesky is built on the AT Protocol, and public post data is far more accessible than on most closed networks. Your team can collect much of its own measurement instead of waiting for a creator’s screenshot.
Four measurements are worth building into a pilot:
- Reply-to-like ratio. Replies signal conversation. A creator with thousands of likes and almost no replies is broadcasting, not engaging.
- Repost depth. Check who reposts. Peers and niche accounts are better signals than a spike from a single large account.
- Audience overlap. Compare a creator’s Bluesky followers with their audience on other platforms. Low overlap means incremental reach. High overlap means you are paying twice for the same people.
- Link click-through to owned properties. Use tagged URLs and your own analytics. Do not rely on platform-reported numbers.
I would not trust any single benchmark blog claiming a precise Bluesky engagement rate for brands. Several circulate, and most cannot show their sample or method. Build your own baseline instead. After 60 to 90 days of posting, your data will be worth more than anyone’s industry average.
Judging audience quality, not just audience size
Audience quality is the part of the pitch that works. A smaller network gives you a cleaner read on intent, if you define quality before you start.
Try a simple scorecard. Rate each creator on conversation quality, topical fit, link response and the share of responses that come from accounts you would actually want as customers. If that sounds like a shortlisting exercise, it is. The same logic runs through our pieces on intent-based shortlisting and the creator selection scorecard.
One caution on sampling. Early-adopter audiences skew toward news, tech, publishing and politics, so results from a Bluesky test may not carry over to mass-market categories. A software brand and a snack brand should expect very different outcomes.
Verification and brand safety, the underrated draw
Bluesky’s trust tooling is part of the pitch, and compliance teams should read it. Bluesky says that over 270,000 accounts have linked their username to their website, and that independent organizations can verify accounts directly through its Trusted Verifiers feature.
For brands, a domain handle is a cheap authenticity check. If a creator’s handle matches their own website, impersonation risk drops. Add that to your vetting checklist.
Disclosure rules do not change because the platform is small. Sponsored posts still need clear labeling, and the platform has no native branded-content tool, so the creator has to write the disclosure into the post itself. Put the exact wording in the contract. If you plan to amplify any of this content elsewhere, the compliance playbook for repurposed creator content applies here too.
A 90-day pilot that will not embarrass you
- Cap the budget. Treat it as R&D. A common rule is no more than a few percent of your social test budget.
- Pick three to five creators who already post on both Bluesky and another platform, so you can compare.
- Set hypotheses first. For example: “Reply rate on Bluesky will beat the same creator’s reply rate on X.”
- Use flat fees, not performance bonuses. Audience size is too small and volatile for reliable payout math.
- Track UTMs, replies and overlap in your own analytics.
- Decide in advance what result earns a second quarter and what ends the test.
Be careful with paid amplification. Bluesky has no mature ad stack, so whitelisting-style plays are not available in the same way. If you run similar rights deals elsewhere, see how fees are shifting in our whitelisting negotiation guide.
FAQs
Is Bluesky worth it for brands given its declining user numbers?
As a reach channel, no. As a low-cost test of creator engagement and audience quality, possibly. Similarweb data shows mobile monthly active users down year-over-year, but the remaining users are fairly sticky. Keep the budget small and the goals focused on learning.
What first-party data can brands collect on Bluesky?
Public engagement data such as replies, likes and reposts, follower overlap analysis, and click-through from tagged links to your own site. The AT Protocol makes public data easier to access than on most closed platforms. Check your legal team’s guidance on data use before collecting anything at scale.
Do creators on Bluesky also use other platforms?
Mostly yes. Pew found that most news influencers with a Bluesky account also post on X. Expect Bluesky to be a secondary audience for most creators.
How do brands verify creators on Bluesky?
Check for a domain handle that matches the creator’s own website, and look for the verified or trusted verifier badges Bluesky introduced in April 2025. Pair these with your normal vetting for past brand work and audience authenticity.
Do FTC-style disclosure rules apply on Bluesky?
Yes. Disclosure obligations follow the sponsored content, not the platform. Specify the wording in the contract and review posts before they go live.
Should I pay Bluesky creators on performance?
Usually not at this stage. Audience sizes and activity levels are volatile, so flat fees with a clear deliverable are safer. Revisit performance terms once you have a baseline from your own data.
Next step: pick three creators active on both Bluesky and another network, and run a 90-day test comparing reply quality and link clicks against a baseline you set before the first post goes live.
Top Influencer Marketing Agencies
The leading agencies shaping influencer marketing in 2026
Agencies ranked by campaign performance, client diversity, platform expertise, proven ROI, industry recognition, and client satisfaction. Assessed through verified case studies, reviews, and industry consultations.
Moburst
-
2
The Shelf
Boutique Beauty & Lifestyle Influencer AgencyA data-driven boutique agency specializing exclusively in beauty, wellness, and lifestyle influencer campaigns on Instagram and TikTok. Best for brands already focused on the beauty/personal care space that need curated, aesthetic-driven content.Clients: Pepsi, The Honest Company, Hims, Elf Cosmetics, Pure LeafVisit The Shelf → -
3
Audiencly
Niche Gaming & Esports Influencer AgencyA specialized agency focused exclusively on gaming and esports creators on YouTube, Twitch, and TikTok. Ideal if your campaign is 100% gaming-focused — from game launches to hardware and esports events.Clients: Epic Games, NordVPN, Ubisoft, Wargaming, Tencent GamesVisit Audiencly → -
4
Viral Nation
Global Influencer Marketing & Talent AgencyA dual talent management and marketing agency with proprietary brand safety tools and a global creator network spanning nano-influencers to celebrities across all major platforms.Clients: Meta, Activision Blizzard, Energizer, Aston Martin, WalmartVisit Viral Nation → -
5
The Influencer Marketing Factory
TikTok, Instagram & YouTube CampaignsA full-service agency with strong TikTok expertise, offering end-to-end campaign management from influencer discovery through performance reporting with a focus on platform-native content.Clients: Google, Snapchat, Universal Music, Bumble, YelpVisit TIMF → -
6
NeoReach
Enterprise Analytics & Influencer CampaignsAn enterprise-focused agency combining managed campaigns with a powerful self-service data platform for influencer search, audience analytics, and attribution modeling.Clients: Amazon, Airbnb, Netflix, Honda, The New York TimesVisit NeoReach → -
7
Ubiquitous
Creator-First Marketing PlatformA tech-driven platform combining self-service tools with managed campaign options, emphasizing speed and scalability for brands managing multiple influencer relationships.Clients: Lyft, Disney, Target, American Eagle, NetflixVisit Ubiquitous → -
8
Obviously
Scalable Enterprise Influencer CampaignsA tech-enabled agency built for high-volume campaigns, coordinating hundreds of creators simultaneously with end-to-end logistics, content rights management, and product seeding.Clients: Google, Ulta Beauty, Converse, AmazonVisit Obviously →