Bluesky 'starter packs' help new users find their way

One of the most difficult parts of joining a new social platform is finding relevant accounts to follow. That has proved especially challenging for people who quit X to try out one of the many Twitter-like services that have cropped up in the last couple of years. Now, Bluesky has an interesting solution to this dilemma. The service introduced “starter packs,” which aim to address that initial discovery problem by allow existing users to build lists of accounts and custom feeds oriented around specific interests or themes.

In a blog post, the company described the feature as a way to “bring friends directly into your slice of Bluesky.” Users can curate up to 50 accounts and three custom feeds into a “starter pack.” That list can then be shared broadly on Bluesky or sent to new users via a QR code. Other users can then opt to follow an entire “pack” all at once, or scroll through to manually add the accounts and feeds they want to follow.

Bluesky starter pack. (Bluesky)

Though Bluesky seems to be positioning the feature as a tool for new users, it’s also useful for anyone who feels like their feed is getting a little stale or has been curious about one of the many subcultures that have emerged on the platform. I’ve been on Bluesky for well over a year and I’ve already found some interesting starter packs, including Bluesky for Journalists (for people interested in news content) and Starter Cats (for accounts that post cat photos).

Starter packs also highlight another one of Bluesky’s more interesting features: custom feeds. The open-source service allows users to create their own algorithmic feeds that others can subscribe to and follow, a bit like a list on X. Custom feeds were introduced last year and have also been an important discovery tool. But scrolling a massive list of custom feeds can be overwhelming. Pairing these feeds with curated lists of users, though, is a much easier way to find ones related to topics you're actually interested in.