TikTok and Instagram have experienced tremendous growth in popularity over the last few years. TikTok, owned by ByteDance, launched internationally in 2017 and quickly became one of the fastest growing social media platforms, particularly among Gen Z users. Instagram, owned by Meta, was launched in 2010 and has established itself as one of the most dominant social media apps with over 2 billion monthly active users (1).
The concept of “going viral” refers to when a piece of content rapidly gains widespread popularity and visibility through shares and engagement. On social platforms like TikTok and Instagram, content can go viral when it’s widely liked, shared, commented on, and amplified by both users and algorithms. Virality allows creators and brands to reach large audiences and gain influence.
In this article, we will compare key factors that impact going viral on TikTok vs Instagram. This includes examining elements like user base size, algorithm differences, content types, influencer culture, and ease of virality for regular users.
User Base Size
When looking at total active monthly users, Instagram currently has a larger user base than TikTok. According to recent statistics, Instagram has over 2 billion monthly active users globally, while TikTok has just over 1 billion monthly active users [1]. This gives Instagram about a 2x advantage in terms of sheer user numbers.
However, when looking at demographics, usage patterns differ. TikTok tends to skew younger, with over 50% of its users being under the age of 34. It’s particularly popular among teens and young adults. Instagram has more of an even distribution across age groups, appealing to millennials, Gen Xers, and even some baby boomers [2]. So while the total numbers favor Instagram, TikTok dominates in the coveted youth demographic.
Algorithm Differences
TikTok and Instagram have very different algorithms that determine what content users see. TikTok’s algorithm relies heavily on machine learning and artificial intelligence to determine which videos to show each user, while Instagram’s algorithm still depends more on social signals and relationships.
According to Sotrender, TikTok’s algorithm looks at each user’s interests, likes, shares, comments and other signals to determine which content they might engage with. It then surfaces the most relevant, interesting videos for each user from across the platform. This allows any creator’s content to potentially go viral to a wide audience based on the content itself.
In contrast, Instagram’s algorithm still prioritizes content from accounts you follow and interact with regularly. It relies heavily on social signals like likes and comments from your network to determine relevance. This makes it much harder for unknown creators to get visibility on Instagram without first building a following and engagement.
According to Business Insider, this focus on established influencers gives Instagram an “network effect-moat” but means its algorithm is less adaptive in finding new viral content. So going viral on Instagram typically requires having an existing audience to help amplify your content through their networks.
Virality Mechanisms
TikTok has several built-in features that encourage and enable viral content creation. Duets allow users to react and respond to videos by recording alongside them, which can exponentially increase reach. Stitches and trends also enable users to build off each other’s content. According to Later, “TikTok’s algorithm is based on showing users content it thinks they’ll enjoy, rather than what’s coming from those they already follow.” This results in unpredictable but wide distribution of viral videos.
On Instagram, content goes viral primarily through strategic hashtagging and getting onto the Explore page. According to Grin, “Instagram’s algorithm works by showing users content from accounts they interact with frequently.” While organic virality is harder, Instagram provides more tools like ads and promotions to increase reach.
Overall, TikTok’s algorithmic distribution of personalized recommendations facilitates organic virality more easily than Instagram. However, sponsored promotions have a greater impact on Instagram given its focus on following relationships.
Type of Content
TikTok is designed for short-form video content, with most videos lasting 15 seconds to 1 minute. The platform’s algorithm favors videos that are creative, entertaining, and made for quick consumption. Given the short length, TikTok videos tend to be high energy with fast pacing. Popular content includes dance trends, comedy sketches, challenges, and short educational or how-to videos.
In contrast, Instagram accommodates both photos and videos. Videos can be up to 1 minute for feed posts and Reels or up to 10 minutes for IGTV. This allows for more variety in video length and pacing compared to the very short videos on TikTok. Instagram also heavily features static photo sharing, unlike TikTok which is video-focused. Overall, the types of content on Instagram range from lifestyle photos to longer educational videos.
The core of TikTok is entertaining short-form video while Instagram has more diversity with photos, short videos, and longer videos. TikTok’s constraints on length often lead to very condensed, energetic content.
Influencer Culture
Influencers play a major role in driving virality on both platforms, but there are some key differences. On Instagram, influencers tend to have more polished feeds and partnerships with brands. They collaborate through sponsorship deals, brand ambassadors roles, and paid partnerships on posts. Instagram also has collaborative reels and live features like Instagram Live Rooms that allow influencers to go live together. According to Grin, TikTok influencers are more interested in trending challenges and building authentic connections with their fanbase. They often collaborate by participating in viral trends and challenges together, which helps expand their reach. TikTok also has native duet and stitch features that allow creators to collaborate with each other more seamlessly. Overall, TikTok seems to foster a more grassroots style of influencer with a focus on trends instead of polished perfection.
According to Convince and Convert, if you want to reach Gen Z audiences, partnering with TikTok creators may be more beneficial given the app’s younger demographics. However, Instagram still reigns supreme in terms of brand partnerships and sponsored content opportunities.
Paid Promotion
Both TikTok and Instagram offer paid advertising and promotion options to increase reach and engagement. On TikTok, the main paid promotion feature is called “Promote” which allows users to boost specific videos to reach more followers or target new audiences. According to TikTok’s help documentation, the Promote tool is available in Creator Tools and lets users customize budget, duration, and target audience [1]. TikTok also provides other paid advertising options like branded content partnerships.
Similarly, Instagram has a wide array of paid promotion capabilities including sponsored posts, Instagram story ads, reels ads, and more. As noted by Indeed, Instagram marketers can choose from many ad formats to meet their goals and target users both on and off the platform [2]. Both platforms provide self-serve promotion tools alongside managed partnership opportunities. Overall, TikTok and Instagram each offer robust paid promotion capabilities to expand reach.
Virality Case Studies
There have been many viral moments on both TikTok and Instagram that demonstrate how content can spread rapidly on each platform.
On TikTok, one of the biggest viral moments was Lil Nas X’s “Old Town Road” dance challenge in 2019. Thousands of users created their own videos dancing to the hit song, which helped it climb the music charts and become one of the longest running #1 hits in history (https://m.facebook.com/remembermondaymusic/posts/664842805644203/).
Instagram has also had many viral meme trends take off, like the “What are those?!” meme in 2015. The short video clip of Brandon Moore yelling the catchphrase at a police officer’s shoes spread widely across Instagram and Twitter (https://www.performancemarketingworld.com/article/1829536/original-prime-day-returns-12-e-commerce-experts-%E2%80%9Chijack-hype%E2%80%9D).
Both platforms are prone to viral moments, but TikTok’s algorithm seems specifically designed to make it easier for organic content to explode in popularity.
Ease of Going Viral for Regular Users
When it comes to the likelihood of an average user creating viral content, the evidence suggests TikTok may have an edge over Instagram. With TikTok’s powerful “For You” algorithm that pushes new content to a wide audience quickly, it can be easier for regular users to achieve virality on TikTok compared to Instagram.
As noted in a comparison by Social Bee, TikTok’s algorithm is optimized for new users and fresh content, giving everyone a chance at going viral regardless of follower count. In contrast, Instagram’s algorithm tends to favor content from accounts that already have a large following and high engagement [1]. This makes it harder for smaller accounts on Instagram to get their content seen by a wide audience organically.
An analysis by Inflow Network found that the average video on TikTok receives over 800 likes, while the average Instagram video receives under 150 likes. They attribute this greater distribution of likes on TikTok to its discovery-focused algorithm, allowing regular users a better chance at virality [2].
Overall, while going viral takes skill and quality content on any platform, TikTok seems to provide more organic reach for amateur creators through its viral-friendly algorithm. Instagram requires more strategy and an existing audience to achieve the same virality.
Conclusion
In summary, there are key differences between going viral on TikTok versus Instagram. TikTok’s powerful algorithm and For You page make it easier for any user’s content to be discovered, while Instagram relies more on followers and hashtags. TikTok also favors short, catchy video clips that are easy to consume and share. Overall, it is generally easier for regular users to go viral on TikTok due to its platform mechanics and culture.
TikTok’s algorithm quickly surfaces trending content and shows users a never-ending stream of short videos on the For You page. Even users with zero followers can go viral. Instagram’s algorithm relies more on followers and likes, so it favors established influencers and celebrities. On Instagram, regular users need to use hashtags and be discovered by chance. TikTok also makes it easy to duet, stitch, and sample sounds from other videos, allowing for collaborative trends.
Additionally, the type of content favored on each platform differs. TikTok viral videos tend to be short, funny, musical, or meme-worthy moments that are easy to consume and share. Instagram leans towards polished, aspirational, lifestyle content. While anyone can make a TikTok video on a whim, crafting Instagram content often requires more production time and effort.
For these reasons, TikTok provides a lower barrier to going viral and is generally more accessible to regular users looking for their big break online. With the right combination of luck and talent, a TikTok video can launch a previously unknown user into viral fame overnight.
