Instagram Reels vs TikTok: What You Need to Know

Wondering if you should use Instagram reels or TikTok? Both platforms are great for marketing, but you should know which works best for your unique goals.  

Thanks to the spontaneous and massive engagement associated with short-form video content, TikTok is seen as leading in the world of fast, creative video content. However, Instagram is fast gaining traction with the introduction of reels, encouraging users to post short-form videos on the platform too.

Both platforms help businesses gain a massive audience while sharing their offerings. The amazing features encourage visibility and help entrepreneurs get creative with brand building. 

However, people are often confused about which tool works best for their business; TikTok or Instagram reels.

Looking for the right platform to grow your brand? Read further and see what I found while comparing the two social media platforms.  

Instagram Reels vs. TikTok, Six Things you Need to Know

Let’s explore TikTok and Instagram reels based on six important factors. 

1. Duration. 

The length of videos on both Instagram reels and Tiktok is short, but TikTok allows up to 10 minutes of videoing. Whereas Instagram reels allow only 90 seconds for you to make instant, concise, and valuable video content. While short, 10-second videos are great, longer videos are an excellent way to share your offerings, spark interest and build a connection with your target audience. With longer videos, you can offer more value to your audience and gain their trust too. So, if you want to post longer videos, TikTok is your best option. Just ensure you use the best practices, such as; captivating hooks, trending sounds, and fun challenges to capture your customers’ attention and get your message across. 

2. Editing.

Putting finishing touches on videos is a must before hitting the send button, and these apps have certain features. However, Tiktok seems to be the most intentional in ensuring versatility in editing, given its array of features. For example, the face tones and many available effects enhance the videos. Instagram, which was built for images, gives users the option of filters to help improve looks to an extent. 

Similarly, TikTok is also generous with “saving and watermark” you can save your videos with a watermark on your camera roll, thereby protecting your content. Unfortunately, reels have not yet added the “saving” option to its features.

3. Sound/audio provision

The vast array of available sounds to pair with your videos is Tiktok’s highest strength. From trending sounds/music to user-generated sounds, business owners can do so much, and I love the liberty of using different related sounds for my videos. Also, music/sound always tells the story better. Because Instagram is strict on copyright violations, users are advised to share their original creations and give due credit to others’ content. But if you are on an Instagram creator account, you can share trending music. Instagram reels allow users to import audio and videos from Tiktok into the app. 

4. Instagram vs. TikTok on visibility. 

As a business owner on TikTok, visibility to your ideal audience is one of your major goals. In comparison, views on Instagram reels come primarily from existing followers. In contrast, other users apart from your followers can discover your videos on TikTok. Both platforms work exceptionally for brand visibility, but TikTok is the place if you want massive discovery and rapid growth. You have a higher chance of going viral on TikTok than on Instagram.

5. Analytics. 

Reels measure likes, comments, reach, and saves as real-time interactions. On the other hand, TikTok counts profile overview, follower insights, content insights, shares, time spent watching the videos, traffic sources, and more. Moreover, Tiktok is very detailed in analytics, giving users specified measurement metrics on engagement. Instagram as a whole offers in-depth analytics information too and shares an overview of the overall performance of your account.

6. Algorithm. 

How the algorithm works in helping followers view my content is a concern. So, I discovered that TikTok helps more users view my videos while reel feeds only existing followers. Reels sometimes conceal videos with a TikTok watermark, and the algorithm favors videos developed and edited on Instagram. This is why I advise against posting your TikTok videos on Instagram reels. However, both Instagram and TikTok algorithms are constantly changing to accommodate the ever-evolving needs of the users. It’s important to pay attention to these changes and adjust your marketing strategies where necessary. 
So, which app do you prefer? Both platforms are great for helping brands stand out, thanks to their numerous similarities. Where TikTok offers more flexibility and gives you insight on how to create content that leads to business growth, Instagram is an excellent platform for curating the right image for your brand.  Regardless of where you are in your business, analyzing your business goals will help determine whether Instagram reels are good for you or if you will gain more results on TikTok.