The Difference Between Content on Instagram and TikTok
I received a great question from one of FFM’s lovely Instagram followers last month that asked about the main difference between content on Instagram and TikTok, or in other words: What types of content do people want to see on each of these platforms!? I was super inspired to write this post and dive into some tangible tips that may help you through your small business marketing journey.
The Difference Between Content on Instagram and TikTok
When considering both platforms, we must acknowledge their clear differences. Instagram was originally created to be a photo sharing app and quickly pivoted to a Reel-focused approach after seeing the success short-form video was having on platforms such as TikTok. It’s crazy to think that Reels didn’t even exist until post-pandemic lockdown in 2020! They’ve become such a routine part of our daily lives and greater marketing strategies.
TikTok is also seen as more of a “real”, casual platform, encouraging users to post multiple times a day and share their most unfiltered, vulnerable thoughts, whereas Instagram is a far more curated, perfected version of this, favoring quality over quantity of posts.
When we’re approaching our small business marketing strategy on Instagram and TikTok, here’s some things to keep in mind about what each platform looks for.
What Users Want to See on Instagram
Curated, edited, and educational/inspirational content
Instagram is widely understood to be the more curated, polished side of the Internet vs. its more raw and unfiltered competitor, TikTok. You’ll see a lot of beautiful travel destination recommendations filled with wanderlust, delicious-looking recipes to save and recreate for dinner, and clothing/fashion OOTDs to inspire a new closet. You will also see adorable animal videos and funny memes / physical comedy, so don’t forget these, too! It’s not stiff by any means.
A variety of content types
Instagram is still at its core a photo sharing app at the end of the day, so be sure to utilize static single image posts, visual graphics created through programs like Canva, as well as swipe carousels with multiple images - these are all still valid, important pieces of content, although one type of content may perform better over the other on your page. This takes experimentation and the outcome varies greatly from account to account. Ultimately, the algorithm will reward you for utilizing a wide variety of content types on your profile and trying things new to you.
Short-form video (like, really short)
When making Reels, you want to keep them super short (I’m talking 90 seconds or less) and utilize trending audios when possible as a complimentary background sound (or the main focus of the video, depending on the concept).
What Users Want to See on TikTok
Raw, vulnerable, and less edited/”homemade” content
Day in the life vlogs, car chats, and GRWMs (Get Ready with Me), interactive dance challenges, and comedy bits reign supreme on TikTok! People want to truly get to know you as a business owner and connect more with real, vulnerable pieces of content. This should hopefully help take some of the pressure off when it comes to content creation on this platform!
Frequent videos (minimum once per day)
Because of this less edited, raw content, users expect a LOT of content every day and spend many more hours each day on TikTok vs. Instagram (to be more specific: Instagram users spend 17.6 million hours a day watching Reels while TikTok users spend 197.8 million hours!). Don’t be afraid to post twice in a day, in fact that may actually support your profile’s growth! Don’t be discouraged if you can only post a few times a week for now - you should still start and see what happens.
Longer but still short-form video
TikTok has recently been pushing longer short-form videos, think 3-10 minutes in length. They want quality content, but still raw, unfiltered, and most importantly: very much true to you. It’s okay to share the 90 second stuff here, too, but don’t be afraid to get creative and see what you can create that is a bit longer and perhaps utilizes more clips. You don’t need to feature trending audio, but it sure does help when applicable.
There are clearly some key differences between the platforms, but there is also a lot of overlap! I’m not saying you can’t post the same content on each platform, and I often do, but creating videos unique to each platform is also important, especially if your communications team has the bandwidth to do so! I hope this overview helped you narrow your strategy for video content! Don’t hesitate to drop any comments with further questions down below.
