The debate regarding TikTok vs Instagram rumbles on. Both prove that the younger generations love video content. TikTok crossed the mark of over a billion monthly users last year while Instagram stands tall with over 2 billion of them. That means a lot of eyeballs that could potentially see your content and therefore plenty of potential customers.

Is one platform better than the other? How to choose between TikTok vs Instagram to focus your ecommerce marketing strategy?

We underline some of the vital differences below to help you figure out which one among TikTok vs Instagram is better for your brand.

TikTok vs Instagram: Comparing the Platforms

Comparing TikTok vs Instagram is necessary to make an informed choice regarding your social media marketing strategy.

For those who aren’t using the two visual platforms regularly, we’ve distilled some of the features below.

Instagram Features

Instagram, owned by Meta Platforms, boasts a diverse range of audience demographics. Statista estimates that the highest number of Instagram users are aged between 18 to 34 years. 

Statista-Instagram-users

Image via Statista

Like most Meta platforms, it has an array of smart marketing tools.

Instagram’s marketing features include:

  • The feed. This is where we see content from friends, accounts we follow, and sponsored ads.
  • Live video. The option for users to share live content.
  • IGTV. A “TV network” style feature for uploading long-form video content.
  • Shoppable. This is the key to selling products on Instagram.
  • Sponsored posts. This is the chance to pay to increase the visibility of a post through a paid promotion.
  • Hashtags. They help collect similar posts under a single roof to aid content discovery. Using the right hashtags helps boost reach and engagement. You can use hashtag generator tools to discover and create relevant hashtags.
  • Filters. Insta has filters to edit and improve the look of a photo or video.

Several businesses leverage these powerful marketing features to grow their social media presence and effectively engage their target audience. 

For example, Olay partnered with the Instagram influencer group ‘Fearless 9' to execute a targeted campaign. By leveraging Instagram marketing features, they were able to build brand awareness, connect with a diverse audience, and achieve an 8.3% increase in engagement rate.

Olay- Hubspot

Image via HubSpot

Best Ways to Engage Instagram Users 

In this section of our TikTok vs Instagram comparison, we’ll discuss some of the best ways to boost your community engagement on Instagram. 

  • Explore different content formats like carousel posts, Instagram stories, reels, and threads to spread brand awareness. You can devise innovative ways to repurpose content and present information afresh. 
  • Invest in Instagram in-feed ads and let the Instagram algorithm supercharge your visibility.

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TikTok Features

Let’s discuss TikTok in this section of our TikTok vs Instagram comparison. Despite a newer social media platform, TikTok has now surpassed Instagram in popularity among younger generations.

TikTok Features

Image via Marketing Charts

When comparing TikTok vs Instagram, the basic differentiator here is that TikTok users share short-form video content on the platform. TikTok has musical roots, and a lot of videos, even today, involve dancing, lip-syncing, singing, or comedy sketches.

Videos were originally 15 seconds long but you can now connect four of them together. Also, TikTok has expanded the length limit to three minutes for many social media users. TikTok also lets you upload short-form videos you made outside the app.

There are some video editing tools in the app, too, including songs and filters. Additionally, the audio focus is much more intense than on Instagram. You can even “duet” with other TikTok users by replying to their TikTok videos.

TikTok has experienced rapid growth, particularly among younger generations. Like Instagram, TikTok too has a majority of younger audience, as shown in this Statista report.

Statista-Tiktok-users

Image via Statista

The likes of Charli and Addison Rae show us how to become an influencer on TikTok. Their millions of followers are attractive prospects for brands wanting to market their products.

Addison-Rae

Image via TikTok

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Best Ways to Engage TikTok Users 

A distinct difference between TikTok vs Instagram is that TikTok is a more informal platform. Here are some tactics you can try to engage your TikTok users:

  • With an 80-character limit on TikTok bios, it can be challenging to fully convey what your business is about. However, you can link your TikTok profile to other social media accounts and your business website to guide interested users. 
  • TikTok’s algorithm tracks user behavior to deliver personalized content, so leverage filters and editing features to create engaging videos that resonate with Millennials and Gen Z. 
  • Transform your behind-the-scenes footage into TikTok stories and viral videos to engage your audience. Experiment with different content styles, like vertical videos, and use different sound effects. Experiment with vertical videos, sound effects, and various content styles.
  • Explore different ad formats and create TikTok ads to reach a broader audience. To be highly effective, you need to understand different ad formats and trends many users like.
  • TikTok is a lucrative social media landscape for influencer marketing. But to achieve high ROI, collaborate with the right TikTok influencers in your industry and monitor content creation to ensure it aligns with your branding guidelines.

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Using TikTok and Instagram to Your Advantage

For a business, it’s important to take strategic decisions. Video marketing and social marketing are a dream when it comes to engagement, with 92% of marketers reporting that they are satisfied with the engagement and positive ROI.

TikTok vs Instagram, which platform should you focus your marketing efforts on?

A Presence on Both?

One of the great things about social media marketing is the option to “be everywhere”. Maybe it doesn’t have to be TikTok vs Instagram. You don’t have to put all your eggs in one basket, proverbially speaking. Instead, there is a chance to create content for both.

TikTok and Instagram are both open to brands uploading content made outside of the apps. It’s much easier to create a video and then upload it on both these platforms.

There is no harm in having a presence on both platforms. However, one will almost always yield better results than the other for your business.

So, you must carefully strategize and create content for these platforms and then take every step possible to grow its reach. You can then analyze what content works better for which platform.

Think About the Social Media Platform Where Your Target Market Is

Where are your users and potential customers? We’re talking geographically, as well as the social media apps your target audience is active on.

Your industry and product offerings determine your target market. For example, if you manufacture fitness products or health supplements and aim to reach users between 18 and 50 years old, Instagram and TikTok would be excellent platforms to leverage for marketing.

However, if you are a SaaS company or are more into manufacturing, these two social media platforms may not generate quality leads.

Given its broader audience and more advanced marketing features, Instagram is often seen as a more lucrative platform for startups, small businesses, and big brands.

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Reaching the Right Age Groups

Both TikTok and Instagram audience demographics are relatively young. Though the advertising platforms let you target older users if you want to, you may not get the best results.

Think of it this way — if you are a company promoting a skincare product for over 50s, TikTok’s very young user base might not be ideal. You may find more users on Instagram. It’s about being smart with your targeting.

Conversely, if you primarily promote a product to females under 30, both Instagram and TikTok can be powerful tools.

Consider Investing in Influencer Marketing

Influencer marketing campaigns like the one launched by Olay earlier are popular on both platforms.

The global influencer marketing market size is estimated to be more than $24 billion in 2024. If you plan to penetrate your target market through partnerships with influencers, both TikTok and Instagram are popular. The State of Influencer Marketing 2024 report found that TikTok has surpassed other social media platforms to become the most preferred channel for influencer marketing. 

An impressive 69% of marketers prefer TikTok, compared to 47% for Instagram and 33% for YouTube. Therefore, choosing the platform that best aligns with where your target audience is most active is crucial. 

With both platforms being the younger generation's favorite, you can develop innovative influencer marketing strategies to build brand awareness and generate leads.

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Testing

Whether you’re selling products on Instagram or trying to promote your business on TikTok, testing is vital.

Like all forms of online marketing, the way to fine-tune campaigns is to continue to test what works for your brand.

You can use Instagram analytics tools to see the social strategy of your competition. And you can then change your strategy based on the results observed. Additionally, you can derive valuable insights from your marketing campaigns too.

Based on these insights, you can fine-tune your campaigns and improve your results.

Fortunately, both Instagram and TikTok offer analytics. You can use these to understand the behavior of your audience, and what is working in your ad campaigns.

However, do note that organic campaigns don’t provide as much detail as paid advertising campaigns.

If you find your conversion rates are better on one platform, try to understand the reasoning. Double down on what is working, and make use of trial and error to build effective social media marketing strategies.

Engaging Content

Engaging content is a must for trying to build an effective marketing campaign on either TikTok or Instagram.

People spend so much time on these platforms as they provide quick, easily digestible content. So, it’s essential that you create content that’s engaging, relevant, and easy to understand.

You need to capture the audience's attention with interesting, funny, or entertaining pieces of content to stand a chance, and short videos can work well here.

And why is that?

Wistia research shows that the longer a video, the less engaged the audience tends to be.

Engaging Content

Image via Wistia

And how can you create such engaging videos?

All you need to do is leverage video making apps to develop powerful videos. This allows you even more visual possibilities and editing features to catch the attention of your audience.

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FAQ

Q1. How do I advertise a product on TikTok?

A. You can easily create videos related to your product and share them on TikTok to promote it to your audience. Alternatively, you can tap into the advertising power of the platform and launch paid campaigns.

Q2. Is TikTok beating Instagram?

A. TikTok is growing at a quicker rate than Instagram, but Instagram still has more users worldwide as of 2025.

Q3. How can I post a link on Instagram?

A. You can’t put a link inside the caption of an image or video on Instagram. However, you can share it via your Instagram bio, or through the Stories function of Instagram if you have 10,000+ followers or a verified account.

Q4. How many hashtags should I use on TikTok and Instagram?

A. Choose four or five active and related hashtags to include in your post rather than introducing lots of tags. This can appear spammy.

Q5. How to get more views on TikTok?

A. There are a number of ways to increase the view count on TikTok. Use hashtags effectively, tap into trending topics, and create valuable content. These are all ways to ensure your content has a good chance of being seen. It can take time to build up a following on the platform. Be consistent.

Q6. Is TikTok good for business?

A. TikTok is a great tool for certain businesses. However, not every business will experience a good return on investment on the platform. It’s a great platform if you are marketing to young demographics.

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Summary – Instagram vs TikTok

In the debate of TikTok vs Instagram, there’s no straight answer.

It may be immediately obvious where you’ll have the best results, or it may take some time to gain insight and tailor your strategy.

Used correctly, Instagram and TikTok can both form a vital part of your marketing strategy. The key is to think carefully about the image you want to project, and the people you want to reach.

It isn’t a case of only being able to use one or the other. Both are useful platforms and can help charge up your marketing strategy.

Do you have any questions about TikTok and Instagram? Ask them in the comments.