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Instagram Reels vs TikTok: Which Is the Better Platform for Brand Marketing?

These days, it seems like everyone and their dog is on one of two new social media platforms: Instagram Reels or TikTok. Both apps make it easy to create short videos that can be edited and shared across the internet. But which one is the better platform for brand marketing? Let’s examine a few things between these two popular mobile apps in this post.

 

What Are Instagram Reels?

 

Instagram launched a video feature to their app back in June 2017, and it was met with a fair amount of backlash from both influencers and marketers. The reason? The videos you could create were limited to just 60 seconds, making them difficult to tell a story in.

 

Then, they introduced Instagram Reels: longer videos that can be up to one minute long. And more than that, they’re also interactive! With Reels (on both desktop and mobile), users can tap or swipe directly on the video itself to skip parts they don’t want to watch.

 

What Is TikTok?

 

TikTok is not a new app, but it rose to prominence when it launched in the United States in May 2018. That’s when it became a legitimate competitor to Instagram and Snapchat.

 

TikTok videos are short, just a few seconds at a time. And, like Instagram Reels, they are interactive in that you can tap or swipe on the screen to skip, replay, and repeat sections of the video. TikTok also has “musical.ly” in its name for a reason: users can create music videos using their favourite songs and upload them for everyone to see.

 

Instagram Reels vs TikTok Features

 

Design

 

Instagram Reels have a colour-coded design with a white background, while TikTok videos aren’t as traditionally designed. Instead of being in the latest and greatest Instagram filter style, TikTok videos are all black and white, purely for video purposes. And while they’re not as flashy, they do have the advantage of being simpler to navigate.

 

Despite them both having similar formats, Instagram Reels still have the edge in terms of layout. The added “reel” element makes it seem more like an actual movie reel than a short app on the App Store or Google Play.

 

Media

 

Instagram Reels, the newer platform, has tons of animated stickers you can use for your videos. TikTok, however, does not have any stickers at all. While that could be beneficial to some users (and part of why TikTok has such a huge following), it’s a drawback to others. Instagram Reels is still easily the better choice for brands and influencers who want to stand out from the crowd.

 

Share & Impressions

 

When you’re uploading an Instagram Reel video, you can choose to share it via Facebook or Twitter and then receive tens of thousands of new views in a very short period of time. With TikTok, however, users share videos with their own followers, and you’ll only get new views.

 

When it comes to impressions, Instagram Reels has a clear advantage. Because the videos are so widely shared across the internet, they have a far wider reach than TikTok.

 

Which Is the Better Platform for Brand Marketing?

 

TikTok is a great option for brands that want to stand out, but they’ll have to do some work getting their videos noticed. On the other hand, Instagram Reels is still pretty great and have already proven to be a useful tool for brands looking to expand their reach.

 

Teens are the primary users of both platforms, making it easier for brands to reach teens through them. Clearly, there’s a lot of overlap between these two apps. However, Instagram Reels does have the upper hand when it comes to design and the sheer amount of impressions you can receive from each video you make.

 

Bottom Line

 

With so much overlap between TikTok and Instagram Reels, it’s hard to say which one is better. Both platforms have their pros and their cons, but they are both valuable choices for brands who are looking to interact with the app’s young audience. Take a look at your options on both apps and see which one works best for you! For your marketing needs, hire an SEO agency London, or for more insight on the topic, visit a credible social media agency in London.

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