Short videos are trending now because modern audiences have shorter attention spans. When we talk about video content, the two mediums instantly strike our minds – Instagram reels and TikTok videos. Since the pandemic, both platforms have stormed the online world with their engaging content, massive audience base and brand promotion opportunities. The biggest reason behind the success of both the platforms is their short video content, which is popular among people due to short attention spans and interesting content.
Now, as both are video-sharing platforms, the main question is which one is better for your brand. Many people think both are similar, but in reality, they have differences in user base, discoverability, demographics, content type, etc. Deciding between the two depends on factors like your audience, content strategy, marketing goals, and business needs. In this blog, we’ll outline the differences to help you pick the best fit for your brand.
Instagram Reels vs. TikTok Videos: How Are They Different from Each Other?
While Instagram Reels and TikTok videos appear alike, they have distinct differences. These differences are due to video length, audience base, audio options, editing features, engagement, and more. Take a look at the differences between the two in detail to decide which one aligns with your content and business requirements.
Video Length
TikTok: Even though TikTok is a platform for short-form video content, you can upload videos that are a maximum of 3 minutes. This gives creators more duration and scope to add detailed content and offer more information in a single video.
Instagram Reels: Instagram allows you to post reels of up to 90 seconds to promote your products, services, and generic content. If your content is longer than 90 seconds, you either have to split it into parts or use the IGTV feature.
Audience
TikTok: TikTok videos cater more to a younger audience, GenZ, between the ages of 16 and 24, who are the most impulsive purchasers of various products. If your brand deals in selling products or services that resonate with this age group, TikTok is the best choice for you.
Instagram Reels: The audience of Instagram reels is a bit older than that of TikTok. Some statistics show that 33% of its audience is between the ages of 25 and 34, while 22% of its audience is between the ages of 18 and 24.
Engagement
TikTok: People spend 197.8 million hours per day on TikTok, which is more than 17.6 million hours of spending on Reels. Accounts with 10,000+ followers get an engagement rate of 5.30%. Along with that, TikTok promotes new accounts to turn new users into regular content creators of the platform. Therefore, your brand can build a strong presence and get ample TikTok video views right from the beginning.
Instagram Reels: Instagram reels have an engagement of 1.10%, which is much less than 5.30% of TikTok. However, just like TikTok, even Instagram promotes reels to a wider audience to incite new users. However, for more reach and engagement, you have to use the right hashtags and trending audio to increase discoverability.
Audio
TikTok: TikTok is a clear-cut winner when it comes to audio part. It has a wider music and audio library filled with iconic songs, dialogues, sound effects, trending songs, etc. Moreover, the copyright restriction is much less than that of Instagram reels.
Instagram Reels: Instagram reels give you access to an amazing music library of Instagram filled with different songs and audio. Besides that, you can use your own audio track for the videos. However, business accounts cannot use copyrighted music without the owner’s permission, making it less suitable for many brands.
Video Analytics
TikTok: TikTok analytics provide in-depth information about the number of views, likes, comments, demographics, audience origin, watch time, device used, unique account reach, bounce rate, and more. These metrics help you modify your content quality and posting strategy accordingly.
Instagram Reels: Instagram has built-in analytics that help you gain insights into your reel’s likes, views, comments, shares, and saves. Other metrics are also present, including accounts reached, plays, watch time, etc. In terms of analytics, both offer in-depth details about your content engagement.
Discoverability
TikTok: TikTok videos are consumed via the discovery page and the ‘For You’ page, which is basically the home page of TikTok that users scroll through. The ‘For You’ page includes videos even from non-followed creators, increasing your videos’ discoverability in your audience’s feed. In addition, users can discover new and trending content via the Explore tab.
Instagram Reels: The Instagram Reels are present on the explore page and reels tab. When users scroll Instagram homepage, they see reels only from the creators they follow, unlike TikTok. Reels from non-followed creators are not visible on the homepage of Instagram, which makes them less discoverable than on TikTok.
Ad Capabilities
TikTok: TikTok provides unique brand advertising opportunities to enhance the reach and visibility of your content. Reports indicate that TikTok offers practical advertising options tailored to reach the right audience. The platform offers two distinct options: TopView ads and In-feed ads, both effectively targeting your potential audience.
Instagram Reels: Compared to TikTok, Instagram has a more mature infrastructure with detailed targeting options. Businesses can use shoppable ads on Instagram to sell their products via product tags. These tags allow users to directly purchase, save, share or visit the target page.
Video Editing
TikTok: TikTok offers multiple editing tools and features, such as filters, text, stickers, overlays, transition effects, animations, visual enhancements, and many more, that improve the quality of your videos. It also offers a feature called stitch that allows you to make duets and reaction-based videos.
Instagram Reels: Compared to TikTok, Instagram Reels may have a smaller number of effects and filters, but still, they also offer a good range. Additionally, Instagram offers a wide range of text styles, fonts, colors, stickers, GIFs, and animations that can be used to create overlays and captions.
Conclusion
In conclusion, we can state that both TikTok and Instagram reels are a great source of reaching your target audience, boosting brand awareness and increasing sales and conversions. The platform choice depends on your objectives, content type, target market, and available resources. If your target audience is Gen Z or millennials, and you want more reach and virality, TikTok is the perfect choice for you. However, if the audience is older and you want to share professional and polished content, reels are a better choice.