Which Platform is Better for Brand Marketing: Instagram Reels or TikTok?

It looked as if Instagram was aiming to compete with the ever-growing popularity of TikTok when they first introduced Reels in 2019. Both systems have many similarities in terms of their user interfaces. However, it can be seen that the two platforms provide extremely distinct experiences for customers and enterprises.

Determining the superior Social Network Platform for your company’s advertising is a tough decision. Marketing your brand becomes a breeze when you know the best platform among these two. Read further to know more about the distinction between the two popular platforms, TikTok and Instagram Reels.

What are ‘Instagram reels?’

Instagram Reels is a new feature that allows users to capture short videos. These reels can get edited, remixed, and can add effects and a soundtrack to them. You can now make and view short, fun films via these reels. Users of Instagram reels can produce short videos ranging from 15 to 30 seconds.

Additionally, Instagram also offers several choices to make reels more fascinating and engaging for users. Your reels may benefit from additional features such as multi-clip films, simple text, augmented reality effects, and music. Using these additional features makes your videos more entertaining and worth watching by the viewers.

What is Tiktok?

The users of TikTok can produce, view, and share 15-second videos. The app is noteworthy for its addictive nature and high levels of engagement. It provides users with customized feeds of entertaining short films with music and sound effects.

People from anywhere across the world, either professionals or not, can make content over TikTok. They can collaborate with others, create split-screen duet films, or add any effects to their videos.

Key differences between Instagram reels and Tiktok

• Video Length

TikTok’s reels may be up to 60 seconds long, but Instagram allows for a maximum of 30 seconds. While this difference might be negligible, consumers and marketers were eager to call this out. A minute and a half are required for the brands that represent themselves via online platforms.

TikTok’s duration restriction of one minute is applaudable, considering that the user-generated video would vary in time. As TikTok is a recent site, marketers who use Instagram reels have a greater chance of successfully reaching viewers on Instagram. This is possible because of Instagram’s already substantial following.

Therefore, the duration of the videos does not pose a significant challenge for them.

• Editing Features

TikTok has more filters and effects available to choose from for their videos. However, Instagram is more constrained by the filter library that it has to offer. Although Instagram expands its choice of filters, the choices are now accessible on each platform. These are suitable for the distinct kinds of material hosted on each platform.

However, the restricted filters available on Reels lead to more visually beautiful and less cluttered content. At the same time, TikTok’s wide variety of effects allows the site to host innovative and hilarious videos.

• Music Options

Instagram company accounts can’t use music tracks from other musicians on their Reels. If you intend to use the original audio, you could use it. However, it is something you should consider before moving on. TikTok, while, gives all its users access to its extensive collection of sounds.

TikTok provides unique audio tracks generated by other users of TikTok and music songs provided by other artists. Because of Sound Library and the simplicity with which you can use other people’s audio, it is easy to join viral trends.

• Audience

The users of both Instagram reels and TikTok have different demographics. On average, Instagram users prefer to be a little older than TikTok users. As of January 2021, the highest proportion of Instagram users was between the ages of 25 and 34, with the second largest percentage being between 18 and 24 (22.8%).

Additionally, women make up more than half of the users who follow brands and celebrities on Instagram. Most of TikTok’s users are women, making it another platform with a primarily female user base. Moreover, 66% of users are between the ages of 16 and 24, while just 26% percent are between the ages of 25 and 44.

• Algorithm

It is not entirely clear what algorithm is used to generate what seems to be an endless supply of material in Instagram Reels. Whilst, TikTok will personally care for and construct your “For You” page, also known as your FYP. The FYP that gets generated for each user is one-of-a-kind and is based on several different considerations, such as the following:

• Interactions with customers: What categories of videos do you like, share, and comment on the most?
• Information about videos: The subtitles, hashtags, and noises of videos you engage in or use while producing your content.
• Configuration options for the device and account: Your preferred language, your country, and several other factors.

The algorithm that drives TikTok then considers all of these criteria and ranks them according to their importance to the user.

• Engagement

According to recent reports, TikTok has a component that is sometimes absent from conventional marketing methods. As said, the Instagram reels are capable of achieving a vast reach. This is what it means to live in the community.

User-generated material is a significant asset for TikTok. However, product evaluations utilizing a video may not be at the top of your priority list if you sell software or services.

Videos uploaded to TikTok get an average of 1000 more likes than those uploaded to Reels with the same number of views. Interaction on TikTok translates to organic growth for companies more readily possible when working with TikTok’s algorithm.

• Analytics

For users who have upgraded to a Pro account, TikTok offers built-in statistics for both the content they create and the audience they attract. Your metrics are mainly divided into overview, content, and followers.

Businesses can examine statistics such as the total amount of time viewed, the average amount of time watched, the percentage of views by nation, and the percentage of views depending on how people discovered their video.

You can also see the sounds and videos your followers viewed in the previous week to get insight into the stuff they are viewing other than your videos. With Instagram Reels, the only metrics supplied are likes, comments, and shares, alongside the standard data. This Instagram provides your total Instagram account if you have a business profile.

• Advertisement

Initially, the business accounts on Instagram had no access to the paid marketing possibilities available on Reels, but it has majorly changed. You should produce content and then use it for marketing your goods or services. The use of influencer marketing was also helpful in that particular instance.

TikTok, on the other hand, offers some sponsored choices, which makes it a far more effective marketing platform than Reels. You can sell your content using Instagram Reels but cannot do so through Instagram itself. It can be said that TikTok is a platform far more suited for producing and promoting sponsored content than Reels.

Conclusion

TikTok and Instagram Reels are two unique platforms with advantages and disadvantages. Thus, it is ultimately up to the individual user or the company to decide which of the two shall be beneficial for their brand. Users can make the most of the situation that TikTok and Reels offer when they combine the usage of both platforms.