Tiktok Versus Instagram. Which Social Media Platform Is Better For Business?
TikTok has 1 billion active users, while Instagram has 1.4 billion active users. That’s pretty good for an app that’s only been around for 5 years, while Instagram has been around for 12 years! Just from those stats, we can see where the majority of the growth is happening.
There’s been a major debate on where brands should be focusing the majority of their energy. Should it be Instagram, TikTok or both? Let’s take a look at the way in which the platforms’ algorithms function and determine where you, as a business, or individual, should be spending the majority of their time.
THE scoop on the INSTAGRAM ALGORITHM
When speaking about algorithms, there is no singular algorithm that operates an entire platform, rather, there are multiple algorithms that work in unison. Let’s break down the basic algorithm that’s responsible for how your content gets visible and who it reaches. As we all know by now, Instagram’s feed isn’t chronological anymore, meaning that the feed is not categorised by time; however, categorised by 1) the posts’ relevancy, to the user 2) your relationship with the creator, 3) the posts’ engagement, and other factors. Instagram has two other feeds, the “Following” feed, which is ranked chronologically, and the “Favourites” feed, in which you can add your favourite accounts to keep up to date with their posts. The sole need for the “Favourites” feed suggests that creators’ content gets lost in Instagram’s main feed! Recently, you might have been seeing “Suggested Posts” on your feed, from accounts you do not follow. This is another attempt for Instagram to mimic TikTok, as TikTok’s feed, also known as the “For You Page", which we’ll break down below.
THE inside on the TIKTOK ALGORITHM
TikTok has two main feeds, the “For You Page",, which shows videos from accounts you do not follow, kind of like the Instagram Explore option, and the “Following” feed, which shows you videos from accounts you follow. Simple! Right? Videos rank to the “For You Page" based on 1) the posts’ relevancy, to the user 2) the posts’ engagement, and other factors of course. So why does this matter?
This is why TikTok’s growth potential is so huge.
Instagram quickly realised that creators on their app, who have been loyal to them for years and years, now have the same following as creators who have been on TikTok for a few months. Creators have been switching to TikTok and have been seeing massive growth on the platform, because of the way the “For You Page" works! The potential for discovery on TikTok is huge, because no matter the size of the account, based on relevance, your video could show up on the “For You Page".
Instagram has been scrambling and introducing features like Reels, ‘Suggested Posts’, the different feeds, changing their algorithm, post formatting and so much more. You might say “well, Reels get more Reach than TikToks lately”, and yes that is true; however, it’s not targeted Reach. The difference between Instagram and TikTok right now, is that sure, you can get 400 views on a TikTok, but 90% of the time, almost all of those 400 views are from accounts that are genuinely interested in your content. Therefore, because that is your target audience, they are more likely to engage and follow you. Whereas over on Instagram, you can get 8,000 views on the same video you’ve posted on TikTok, and get much less engagement and close to no followers. This happens across all my client’s accounts - 99% of the time they post something on TikTok, they gain followers immediately, which is not the case on their Instagram accounts. TikTok is great for conversions, or in other words, converting your profile visitors to followers.
THE FINAL VERDICT
The potential growth on TikTok is higher because of the way the algorithm operates. Instagram tried to completely change their formatting & algorithm recently, but users were not happy (i.e. Kylie Jenner was not happy and reposted an IG hate post on her feed, thanks queen). Instagram users have gotten used to Instagram being a certain way, and Instagram have a certain loyalty to them - so they can’t change so radically, so quickly, leaving billions of users on the app unhappy. On the other hand, TikTok has always been the way they are and their algorithm is now working in your favour, which is in favour of growth, visibility and discoverability.
Don’t get us wrong, we don’t think you should ditch Instagram, we still love her for relationship building and more! But TikTok is a better place for you to place most of your content creation efforts towards to ensure your audience is converting. The good news is that when you grow your TikTok account, your Instagram account will simultaneously grow, if your Instagram handle is linked in your TikTok profile. If you’re placing most of your efforts in Instagram, consider a switch as a test for yourself and your account and see the results after 3 months minimum!
