Instagram Reels vs. TikTok

With the launch of Reels, Instagram’s newest feature, influencers now have another creative space to provide short, video-based content for their followers. This new feature is what Instagram offers in response to the rapid growth TikTok has experienced this year. We have been examining the differences between Instagram Reels and TikTok and broke down everything you should know.

TikTok 

Although TikTok is still a somewhat new platform, it has the advantage of being around longer than Reels. Brands and content creators alike have had the chance to test out and participate in TikTok campaigns with great results. Here are some pros and cons of the app: 

Pros

• Videos can be as long as one minute
• TikTok has over 800 million users worldwide, allowing videos to go viral just about anywhere
• 42% of U.S. TikTok users are 18-24 year olds—an age group has quite the handle on picking up new trends
• Easy to start different creative challenges that you can later promote
• TikTok’s algorithm tends to favor small creators, making TikTok ideal for micro-influencer marketing
• Videos can easily become viral and circulate across other social media platforms

Cons

• Rumors of the TikTok ban potentially driving users away
• You can’t edit captions once your TikTok has been published
• Choosing music can be difficult and you cannot always use a specific clip from a song
• Ad options are still on the pricier end and being used mostly by big-name brands

For more ways to use TikTok for your brand, check out this blog.

Instagram Reels

While Reels are still in its early stages, we have seen Instagram come up with new and successful additions to the platform in an effort to compete with other social media platforms before. (We’re looking at you, Instagram Stories.)

Pros

• No caption limit
• You are able to choose a cover image, unlike a GIF on TikTok
• 500 million people already use Instagram Stories per day, that’s a lot of potential Reels users
• A seemingly endless music library with the ability to choose any clip of your chosen song
• Reels are built into the Instagram platform, providing one cohesive space for influencers to create and showcase content
• Option to share Reels on user’s grid and/or stories
• They live in a separate (but easily accessible) area on the user’s profile

Cons

• Currently, Reels can only be a maximum of 15 seconds long (Update: IG Reels now allows 30 seconds.)
• There is no voiceover function
• The song editor is a little difficult to work with
• The Reels editor still has a fair amount of bugs, so for the time being we recommend creating content in another software like iMovie

While Instagram Reels are still fresh and we have more to learn, we’re excited to continue experimenting and see what else this feature has to offer! 

Influencer marketing can be a tricky path to navigate as new social media trends rise and fall. Don’t let finding influencers on these platforms slow your marketing efforts down. At Statusphere, we help find the right influencers for your brand so you never miss a beat. Have any questions about TikTok or Reels? Feel free to contact us or chat with us on Instagram!