With the recent debut of Instagram Reels and unsure future of TikTok, you may be feeling confused about where to focus your creative energy.

Like many, you are probably wondering which to use, how to use them and whether you should even bother. Let’s delve into it.

A brief overview on TikTok:

When ByteDance and Musical.ly merged to become TikTok in 2018, the social media space saw great shifts towards the type of content people were connecting with. Initially dominating the space of 8 – 20-year-old’s, TikTok has seen a shift in demographic with a growing audience in the 20- 35-year-old sphere. Despite its growing popularity, the apps security has copped constant negative feedback, with many professionals calling the app dangerous and invasive. Donald Trump has recently placed a ban on TikTok to commence on 20th of September 2020, unless a US company buys out the app ahead of this date.

In Australia, PM Scott Morrison has recognised TikTok’s privacy concerns, however, has not passed any restrictions or bans on the app.

Instagram introduces Reels:

Swooping in at TikTok’s most vulnerable time, Instagram recently released a new short-form video feature called Reels. Extremely similar to the design of TikTok, Reels allows users to create 15 second videos and share them within Instagram with similar editing features. Users can access the Reels feature on their Instagram story by swiping to the right below the record button and selecting “Reels”. If Instagram Stories and TikTok are any indication of the projected success of Reels, it’s safe to say that it is highly likely there’s a bright future ahead for the feature.

Let us break down the key differences between Instagram Reels and TikTok.

Identity:

To point out the obvious, the key difference between these two apps are the geographical location – TikTok being located in China and Instagram in the U.S. Instagram has a longer history in the social media space and hasn’t been banned like TikTok has across many countries. To educate yourself on the privacy issues people have around TikTok, read this article by the Washington Post.

Time Limit:

A minor detail – TikTok allows users to create videos up to 1 minute, whereas Instagram cuts it off at 15 seconds. Instagram leans towards shorter and snappier content, and potentially creates a space for users to create series rather than a longer video. TikTok on the other hand, allows for a more diverse range of content through longer or shorter videos.

Available Music:

The final difference between the two is the music available to viewers. Many songs and sounds available on TikTok are uploaded by users and created into memes within themselves. Instagram Reels currently allows users to just use licensed music.

So, which should your business be using?

We recommend using both if they are appropriate for your business. If your business is already active on Instagram with a decent following, it’s probably best to keep focus your creative energy here jump on Reels. If you’re a start-up and your audience is between 10 and 25 and found on TikTok, we’d recommend not putting your eggs in one basket and splitting your content between the two platforms.

Want to take advantage of the Reels feature for your business, we’d love to discuss a strategy for you. Get in touch!