Originally posted in 2021. Some information may be outdated.

Last week, I voxered my friend Diane in a panic. I’d planned on recording a bunch of IGTV videos for my upcoming launch, but I’d spent the whole morning debating:

Should I just delete my Facebook & Instagram?

Before I started my business, I barely used FB or IG. Both platforms felt fake — it seemed like a giant waste of time, and my quality of life was better NOT checking them. I’d go for months without logging in.

Then, my entrepreneur friends convinced me to at least TRY growing my business account on IG, so that’s what I’ve done for the last year.

AND, it has been a struggle.

Not because my content doesn’t perform well, but because *I* don’t like using Instagram.

I’ve thought about hiring someone to do it for me, but I feel like the whole universe of Facebook & Instagram is dying. Facebook, IMO, is dead. I can’t imagine Facebook coming back in any real way. 

BUT, I do love TikTok. Love, love TikTok. I would be on TikTok indefinitely even if I didn’t have a business.

I love the culture, I love how collaborative it is, I love how casual it is.

It feels “authentic” — which is extremely ironic, because everyone on IG tries so hard to be authentic that they end up FAKE as hell.

This tweet sums it up for me:

I’m no social media expert, but here’s my prediction:
Instagram keeps trying to rip off their competitors. Snapchat > IG Stories. YouTube > IGTV. TikTok > IG Reels. But unless they change their strategy, Instagram will fail.

Because the secret to the success of a platform like TikTok isn’t the FORMAT — 15-60 second videos. 

TED Talks aren’t successful because they’re up to 18-minutes long. If that were the case, any person could get on stage for 18 minutes and step away with a new career.

TikTok works because of the people on TikTok, the culture they’ve created, and the type of content they’re creating. One of my favorite creators on TikTok shows up in her pajamas, no makeup, face covered in acne. She has 50 THOUSAND followers. That would never work on Instagram.

LinkedIn is fake.
Instagram is fake authenticity.
TikTok is authentic.

That’s what I love about it. I think the pandemic will only accelerate a collective shift towards TikTok’s way of life.

When you’ve been through a global trauma, when everything about your life & your work & your relationships & your habits has been flipped upside down — fake authenticity can’t survive. There’s nothing left to pretend.

And honestly, I’m here for it.

Ken & I went to the bank the other day and the teller was wearing a hoodie & jeans. 

That’s the world we live in now. That’s how it should be. TikTok, not Instagram.

So that’s my social media strategy for 2021. Ignore Facebook, ignore LinkedIn, ignore Instagram, invest heavily in TikTok & email. 

It’s a decision based largely on emotion — I have to ENJOY marketing or I won’t do it.

But I also have data to back up this belief…

Last week, I posted three videos on both TikTok & IG Reels.
At the time, I had about 475 followers on TikTok & 1900 followers on Instagram.

Let’s compare the results:

Video #1 – Fear Archetypes
TikTok – 6,074 Views / 1,260 Likes / 188 Comments
Reels – 2,419 Views / 126 Likes / 20 Comments

Video #2 – 30-Plant Challenge
TikTok – 78,600 Views / 15,100 Likes / 327 Comments
Reels – 1,680 Views / 68 Likes / 9 Comments

Video #3 – Scent Memories
TikTok – 2,734 Views / 128 Likes / 20 Comments
Reels – 3,481 Views / 109 Likes / 11 Comments

(Note: I think these numbers are more comparable because Dawn, the subject of the video, has a large following on Instagram)

The final results across three videos:

TikTok – 87,408 Views / 16,488 Likes / 535 Comments
Reels – 7580 Views / 303 Likes / 40 Comments

Keep in mind, when I posted these videos, I had 4x as many followers on Instagram!!

But let’s break those numbers down even further…

How TikTok & IG Reels compare on ENGAGEMENT:

On TikTok, I got 54 times as many likes, and 13 times as many comments.

For me, the QUALITY of comments on TikTok was HUGE. Perhaps, the #1 benefit of TikTok over IG.

Hundreds of people were asking thoughtful questions & sharing their own experiences. I spent HOURS responding to all of them.

This stands in stark contrast to Instagram, where so often my comments are just spam like: “Keep up the great work, DM if you want to collab.”

Ew, pass.

How TikTok & IG Reels compare on DISCOVERABILITY:

On TikTok, with only 475 followers, I got 87,408 views. This is the REAL power of TikTok — getting in front of audiences who don’t follow you… YET. 

My plant bacteria video reached 78 THOUSAND PEOPLE.

That would literally never happen on Instagram without paid advertising. On IG, you’re lucky for a fraction of your FOLLOWERS to engage with a post — nevermind reaching new people!

How TikTok & IG Reels compare on ACCOUNT GROWTH:

This is where things get HYSTERICAL. In the past week, I’ve grown by…

112 followers on Instagram
13,413 followers on TikTok

How do you even compare those two numbers???

To be fair, I stopped posting on IG Reels almost immediately because it was so abundantly clear that I’d get more engagement on TikTok…

But, I mean, come on.

I grew more in ONE DAY on TikTok than I’ve EVER grown on Instagram. 

And if anyone tells you that’s just a vanity metric, I’ve also 4x’d my email list in the last week using TikTok.

So, is Instagram dead? Is TikTok the best social media platform in 2021?

Unclear. This experiment was small (just 3 videos) and there are a number of things at play, like:

>>> I’m a relatively early adopter of TikTok, which puts me at an advantage. (You too could benefit if you start creating content on TikTok soon!)

>>> I’m a relatively LATE adopter of Instagram, which is probably why it’s been so hard to grow a following & get engagement on my posts.

>>> Perhaps my personality is better suited for TikTok (casual) than Instagram (curated).

Will I post more content on IG? Probably. But it’s not going to be my focus in 2021. All my best stuff is going on TikTok.

What’s your take?

xx Helena