TikTok vs. Reels

TikTok allows users to create and browse short videos. Its skyrocketing popularity has challenged platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube. The secret to TikTok’s success lies in its content recommendation algorithm. Unlike traditional social platforms, TikTok delivers new content based on how users interact with previously viewed videos, rather than relying on friends or followed profiles.

Reels introduced on Instagram and later on Facebook, mimics TikTok’s mechanics. It uses a short video format where recommended content comes from users outside your friends list or followed accounts. The key difference? Reels is a feature integrated within the Facebook and Instagram platforms, while TikTok is a standalone app exclusively for short videos.

The test was conducted as part of the Good IT Courses campaign, carried out for the Center for Science and Business ŻAK.

The main goal of the campaign was to enroll participants in newly launched IT tester courses. The advertising campaign's mechanics were focused on generating form submissions on the website. The target audience was individuals aged 20 to 30.

To ensure comparability between platforms:

1. the same video material was used for all ads
2. the campaign duration was identical on both platforms
3. lookalike audiences based on website visitors were used for targeting
4. both campaigns were optimized for conversions (form submissions on the landing page)

1. TikTok outperformed in conversions
2. on TikTok the cost of reaching the target audience was significantly lower
3. Facebook Reels was cheaper in terms of reach compared to Instagram Reels, but this did not translate into engagement and conversions
4. higher engagement with Reels ads on Instagram compared to TikTok did not result in a lower cost per conversion

Conclusion: In this test, TikTok outperformed across all key metrics. For this campaign, we focused our efforts on TikTok and discontinued less effective platforms.

Will it always stay this way? We don’t know – these two platforms are constantly battling for the attention of users and advertisers.

Do we recommend completely excluding the Reels format for everyone based on the results? No.

However, we do recommend testing and selecting the most effective solutions.

Do you want to conduct such a test yourself but aren’t quite sure how to go about it? Get in touch – we’d be happy to discuss a collaboration! :)