TikTok, a popular platform that originally debuted as Musical.ly, is a great tool for sharing videos, either to your friends and family or to an audience of potential clients and customers. For a while, it was the only true short-form video sharing platform and dominated the space completely. More recently, Instagram has come out with its own version of short-form video sharing. These short videos, designed to be up to 30 seconds in length, are called Reels and are in direct competition with TikTok due to their similarity.
If you're a business owner, social media influencer, or simply want to utilize the platform that will get you the most views and interaction, you're probably wondering a few things about the two platforms. Things like:
- Which platform is better for finding new customers?
- Which platform tends to get more views?
- Is one more user-friendly than the other?
- Will Reels replace Tik Tok?
These are all important questions to answer, especially if you're using social media to grow your brand or business. In this article, we'll go over some key differences between the two platforms and our final verdict on which is better.
Video Length Options
When TikTok was a younger platform, you could post 15-second videos. Over time, the video length options expanded, and now you have the option of posting a video that's up to three minutes in length. This is a recent, 2021 change. Before that, videos could be up to one minute long.
Reels, on the other hand, have fewer options when it comes to video length. You can choose between a 15 and a 30-second video to create and upload to the Reels platform. If you tend to be a little chatty or long-winded, Reels might make things difficult for you. TikTok makes it easier to post educational or how-to content, simply due to the extra time you have to dig into a topic. If you're making content that's a little more fun and free, however, Reels short format and a recent surge in popularity make it a great platform.
Audio Options
TikTok has a much broader range of audio files to choose from. This is in part because they're a more established platform when it comes to video sharing, but also because they were created with sounds, music, and creativity in mind. Many of the sounds available on the Reels section of Instagram have been directly repurposed and taken from TikTok. As they gain popularity, new, original sounds are slowly popping up, but as of right now TikTok still has a leg up on their competition.
Perhaps the most important thing for you to know as an entrepreneur is that creating a Reel with copyrighted music is difficult if you have a business account. You'll have to make your video outside the app and upload it to the Reels section if music is used during your video. TikTok, on the other hand, allows for more freedom.
User Friendliness and Video Editing
The video editing interface on TikTok is more user-friendly than that on Instagram. There are a lot of cool filters and effects you can choose from on Tik Tok, with Reels having a smaller selection of their own. It's also a lot easier to edit a video on TikTok, with easier ways to trim and cut video files together.
Views and Engagement
It appears that views are still higher on the TikTok platform, probably because of the insane amount of people who use the app daily. However, Reels tend to see a higher engagement rate, with a higher percentage of a brand's audience interacting and commenting with each video. This could be useful if you already have a decent following on Instagram, as Reels get such high engagement.
The Final Verdict
For most purposes, especially if your audience is on the younger side, TikTok is still the superior platform. They have a lot more options that allow you to truly build a brand and let your presence shine. Reels is an attempt to bring people back to Instagram, and it's a great feature on the platform, one that's likely to improve as time passes.
I feel it's important to take a moment here to point out that you don't have to choose just one of these platforms. Since TikTok videos and Instagram Reels are similar in many ways, it's not a huge stretch to say that you could repurpose videos from one platform and upload them on the other as well. Though Instagram isn't a fan of this, as long as any watermarks are removed, you're golden and building your audience on two platforms instead of one.
Want to know more about growing your brand using social media? Give us a call today and we'll see if you're a good fit for our services. We look forward to hearing from you!
