Intro

Video content is all the rage these days. Just about every social platform on the market enables video content sharing, whether it is Snapchat, Instagram, Facebook, or Twitter. But two primary social networks are built on video content, where the only thing users can share is video. Those platforms are TikTok and YouTube.

TikTok and YouTube are both exceedingly popular and, for that reason, are a target for influencer marketers. There’s a lot to like about marketing on each platform, from their highly engaged user bases to the fun format that encourages virality. Let’s explore some of the differences and similarities between these two platforms and their usefulness for influencer marketers.

Audience Sizes

Both platforms have significant audience sizes that present value to influencer marketers. YouTube has been established significantly longer than TikTok, although TikTok’s surge to popularity was more meteoric. Still, YouTube’s user base is significantly bigger. According to data from Statista, YouTube has 2.5 billion monthly active users, making them the second biggest social media platform on the planet. TikTok has less than half that, with one billion monthly active users.

According to Broadband, the average user spends 40 minutes a day on YouTube. Meanwhile, TikTok users spend even longer. According to Wallaroo, the average TikTok user spends 52 minutes a day on the app.

Business Tools

Since both platforms are established options for influencer marketing, they have tools that make it easier for brands to establish themselves on the platforms. For TikTok, their primary business tools are their TikTok for Business options. These aren’t necessarily influencer marketing tools, but they are lead generation and advertising tools that help brands build an identity on the platform. TikTok also has a feature known as the Creator Marketplace, which streamlines the way brands and creators connect.

For YouTube, there are similar options for brands. YouTube is connected to Google, so there is a high level of advertising infrastructure in place. Brands can create videos and track metrics, and run ads before videos. YouTube doesn’t have a feature similar to the TikTok creator marketplace, so brands and influencer marketing agencies must find creators on their own.

Content Formats

While TikTok and YouTube are centered around video, the content formats are not the same. For starters, there is the length. TikTok is based on short-form video content. The current maximum length of a TikTok is three minutes, although they are expanding that length to ten. However, the average TikTok is much shorter than that. It is a platform where people are scrolling, and users need to capture other users’ attention, so the videos are much shorter.

YouTube videos are significantly longer. The average length of a YouTube video is 11.7 minutes, according to a report from Statista. YouTube content will often go more in-depth. Each content format has different advantages to marketers. TikTok videos are punchier and more repurposable. YouTube videos go into greater depth.

Types of Posts

There are defined differences in the types of posts you are likely to find on each platform. There is a large disparity in what you’ll see on both YouTube and TikTok, but there are some trends that hold. TikTok is known well for its dance videos. It is a platform that started as a musical, lip-syncing platform, and that spirit persists to this day. TikTok has filters for users, and the videos tend to be edited productions with a musical spirit.

Narrowing down the scope of YouTube isn’t possible, as there is a neverending deluge of content on the platform. There are posts that cover all categories, which is the same as TikTok. The fact that both platforms have such diverse types of posts on them bodes well for influencer marketers. There is an audience for content of all kinds.

Influencers on Platform

Both TikTok and YouTube have influencers of every kind. There are micro-influencers, macro-influencers, celebrities, and more. There are niche influencers who share content directed at specific groups and lifestyle influencers that have more of a broad, general appeal. Some of YouTube’s biggest influencers include Mr. Beast, with 91.6 million subscribers, PewdiePie, with 111 million subscribers; and Like Nastya, with 88.6 million subscribers.

On TikTok, the biggest influencers are different. The content formats that YouTube influencers thrive on may not carry over to the same level of TikTok success, and vice-versa. The most followed TikTok accounts are Charli D’Amelio, with 137.7 million followers, Khabane Lame, with 134.5 million; and Bella Poarch, with 88.3 million followers.

Verdict

There is no right answer to which platform is best for influencer marketers. It is advantageous for marketers to be active on both platforms. Each has massive user bases, different content styles and formats, and different influencers that brands can tap into. Both YouTube and TikTok influencer marketing is highly viable and effective, and brands should establish a presence on both social channels.

If you are looking to launch your influencer outreach efforts, partnering with an influencer marketing firm helps you get started the right way. Influence Hunter is an influencer marketing agency with high-level experience connecting brands and influencers, developing customized campaigns that deliver on key goals. Get in Touch with Us Today to find out how we can help grow your brand.