Instagram Reels vs TikTok and Navigating Short Form Video Trends
Published on 05.04.2025 by Chizoba T
Short-form videos have taken social media platforms by storm. Referred to as “reels,” these short videos are addictive, engaging, and trending. Instagram and TikTok are two leading platforms flooded with short-form videos that users love, and YouTube Shorts are gradually becoming a new sensation. However, this article discusses which forum—Instagram or TikTok—could be better for your marketing or content creation ventures.
When answering the question of which platform is better for Reels, both Instagram and TikTok have their strengths and downsides. It essentially depends on your goals—whether you’re a passionate content creator who just wants to have fun, or a full-time marketer looking to boost sales.
TikTok Reels
TikTok's audience outnumbers any other social media forum and is packed with viral content. Ranging from dance videos to challenges and following trends, TikTok reel content is diverse.
The Landscape of Engagement
It is comparatively easy to obtain views on your reels when you post them on TikTok since the platform is based merely on short-form videos. TikTok does not support image or lengthy video formats or even text. Moreover, apart from professional content creators, TikTok is basically for anyone who wants to turn into an occasional creator. Hop on to the app and you’ll find plenty of filters, in-app editing tools, music, etc., to begin creating a fun video.
TikTok reels are hooked and receive better engagement because the content is all over the place. You could find a video on any subject, from informative DIYs and product reviews to oddly satisfying videos and ASMR’s of everything that currently exists.
TikTok reels are creative, fun-filled, and entertaining, all at the same time. Without any realization of the time passing, you could spend hours watching conspiracy theories or mimicry content created by an influencer.
Brand Visibility
Since there is a variety of content out there, from a brand’s marketing perspective, TikTok could be a chaotic place to get your brand discovered. But chances are that people watch and share a reel you’ve created for fun’s sake or entertainment rather than a promotional one. Interestingly, TikTok is where trends begin. To boost your brand’s visibility, you could start a trend through a reel and watch your brand become the talk of TikTok.
Creating a filter that is fun but exclusive to your brand is also a great way to reach a maximum audience. This can be done using an augmented reality tool, Effect House, which allows you to create high-quality augmented effects that users across TikTok can play around with. A creative, relevant, and authentic effect yet exclusive to your brand augmented effect could become the next trend or hashtag.
Speaking of hashtags, TikTok is not a big fan. Let’s discuss why this is the case: TikTok reel’s visibility significantly depends on the trending soundtracks a user utilizes in their content. They could recreate a reel on some trending dance challenge and chances are, their reel goes viral. Simply put, TikTok’s reel discoverability greatly relies on the latest trends and this entails that you keep up the pace and adapt to the changing trends.
So far, we’ve been discussing how the audience and in-built creative tools of the app make reels enjoyable. Now, let’s jump to the technical side of TikTok's reel trend—algorithms and monetization.
Algorithmic Framework
The TikTok algorithm is designed to be both smart and efficient. It instantly adapts to your interests and curates content tailored to your interests. For instance, the TikTok algorithm detects your knack for skin-care product reviews and hip-hop music. It combines these elements to bring you beauty product reviews on your feed, set to your favorite track in the background.
Monetization Opportunities
When it comes to monetization, TikTok might not be an ideal platform. TikTok’s payout is relatively new to the game of trending reels, therefore, not earning you much from views. It pays around 1-2 cents for 1,000 views, which means that despite having a million views on your reels (which is a lot), you make some amount closer to $20-$40. Therefore, if you’re looking to become a full-time content creator on TikTok, you should not expect much earnings.
Instagram Reels
Although Instagram offers various content formats such as lengthy videos, photos, and text formats now on the Threads app, short-form videos are still trending. Reels take up most of the space on the platform, and for the same reason, they’re hooking and engaging.
Serves Your Marketing Goals
You can find content creators trying to achieve the same goal on Instagram—higher reach and greater following. However, Instagram serves a different purpose through its reels. As a platform with a wide demographic audience, Instagram is reshaping the digital marketing landscape. Marketing and advertising through Instagram reels have become the cornerstone of brands’ marketing strategies.
Content Intent
Unlike TikTok’s authentic and raw content, Instagram thrives on polished, refined, and purposeful content. Creators or marketers create content with intent, after extensively researching their audience and tracking metrics to ensure it reaches the right people. Instagram reels, in most cases, are not spontaneous—they are well-crafted, reviewed, and then posted.
Algorithms, Again!
The science of algorithms on Instagram is simple yet less effective than that of TikTok. The Instagram algorithm reads your interests and shows you similar content. However, most of what you see is from accounts you are already following. Consequently, brands which are aiming for awareness and discovery are not very likely to receive higher viewership or engagement on Instagram reels from non-followers.
Moreover, Instagram’s algorithm relies on hashtags and captions to boost visibility. We can’t deny the fact that trending soundtracks, to some extent, boost discoverability. However, if your brand is looking to boost visibility, you have to ensure the use of high-performing hashtags and keywords (words that are most searched for) in your reel captions.
Interactive Reels
As compared to TikTok, Instagram is less interactive. While it does offer features such as filters, a variety of music, effects, etc., it lacks the collaboration feature. TikTok steals the show with its co-create or duet feature which lets you create a reel in collaboration with another user’s reel. Instagram does allow tagging and posting in collaboration with another account but reel interaction depends solely on likes, comments, and shares on the stories.
Instagram or TikTok Reels: Which is better?
While there are key differences in engagement levels, the interactive features and algorithmic framework of both Instagram and TikTok reels do have similarities.
Instagram and TikTok are both leading platforms for short-form videos. They are heavily used by content creators, both professional and seasonal. Marketers rely on these forums for video-based content marketing, and views on these platforms don’t disappoint.
However, TikTok does take the lead when it comes to engagement level. Instagram’s Explore Feed displays content from people who have a greater number of followers and whose content is generally high in viewership and engagement. TikTok, on the other hand, does not take into account the follower count or previous engagement level. Any creator, whether professional or seasonal, can gain high engagement by following trends.
In fact, you, as a creator can become a trendsetter. The stickers, filters, and effects give creators room to get creative with their content and encourage originality. Pick a soundtrack, record some fun dance moves on it, and ta-da! You have a dance challenge ready to take the TikTok trending algorithm by storm.
Instagram reels can be your go-to move if you’re looking to become a full-time content creator and make this your stream of earnings. As a content creator, Instagram reels can earn you high-paying sponsorships, especially if your previous engagement rates have gone through the roof. If you’re a marketing agency or an independent marketer, Instagram reels could serve you better brand visibility, engagement, and conversion rates.
Key Takeaways
Short-form videos are a leading content type in the world of social media. Instagram and TikTok have become two extremely popular forums for reel enthusiasts. These reels, which last for about 15-60 seconds, allow users with a lower attention span to consume maximum content in a short time.
Whether you’re a content creator or marketer, the best course of action is to determine your goals and objectives. Based on those, you’ll be in a better position to decide which platform meets your needs. For instance, those looking to collaborate and expand their network can leverage TikTok's duet feature and create content with people in the same niche. Whereas, if you’re looking to establish a social media presence and follow the path of sustainable marketing practices, posting consistent Instagram reels will help you achieve this goal.
Interestingly, you can strategize the use of both forums for creating and posting short-form videos or reels. You don’t have to create separate content for each app—a reel created using TikTok can conveniently be posted on Instagram—and that’s not illegal. Instagram and TikTok are not rivals; consider them separate toolkits for content creation and marketing purposes. Couple them both and they become a powerhouse for your viewership and engagement goals.