TikTok vs. Instagram Reels vs. YouTube Shorts: Which app has the most to offer?
DAVIES MEYER
Blending Innovation & Strategy in Creative Engineering - Fueling Digital Growth and Brand Success.
TikTok was the main trend setter for short video content. But Instagram followed up with the introduction of Reels shortly after and even YouTube introduced their very own YouTube Shorts, since the huge success of TikToks.
Therefore it is clear, that these 3 house the vast majority of short form video content on the web, but which one provides the most benefits for the user and the creator?
That is what we want to talk about today while we review those 3 apps in the following 3 points:
1. Shopping Links
Starting off with the support of shopping links within each app, we want to mention why this is important in the first place.
We all know about certain product crazes that were sparked on TikTok.?
With the hashtag #tiktokmademebuyit, people are sharing which products they have bought plainly because they kept seeing it used by other members of the TikTok community. Therefore it makes sense to include the link to the product while promoting it through video content, instead of leaving the users to search online for it by themselves.?
Summing up, it is just common sense to include the product link when promoting a product. So which of these three apps does actually support this feature?
TikTok -> Yes!
Clearly we already gave this answer away, since we used TikTok as an example, but it is still a great feature, that brands and creators should definitely make use off!
Instagram Reels -> Yes!
Through Instagram Shopping, creators can add shopping links to their Reels as well. Thus, giving the user the option to explore the various products and shop with ease.
YouTube Shorts -> No!
So far, YouTube Shorts does actually not support shopping links. And even though it is planning to change that within 2022, it is still unfortunate that the app is missing out on features that its competitors have had for quite some time now.
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2. Editing Tools
It is obvious, that a short video is not going to be completely finishes, right after filming it.?Often there is a loooot of polishing, that has to be done so that it will be TikTok/Instagram/YouTube worthy.?
That's why, it is necessary to have an amazing editing tool. A lot of creators use out-of-app tools, but considering the simplicity and cost cutting, it would be great to have a simple, yet effective in-app tool, with which all necessary editing can be done to get the desired end product.
So let's see which of the three apps actually has an in-app tool:
TikTok -> Yes!
Who already posts on TikTok is most likely familiar with the TikTok editing tool, which gives everyone great options to spice up their content.
Instagram Reels -> Yes!
As well as TikTok, Instagram offers the option to polish videos right within the app and has similar functions and design options as TikTok.
YouTube Shorts -> No!
Once again, YouTube Shorts fall... short, in contrary to the other players.
3. User-friendliness
But YouTube Short-comings could still be uplifted with the most important point of all: user-friendliness.?
Everyone knows, that if a website, app, learning platform or even a book is not user-friendly, has horrible optics etc. users will leave it as fast as they came across it.
But thankfully, YouTube is not unexperienced in this area. None of the three apps are particularly hard to use and to get used to. Neither seems to be better than the other nor worse for that matter.?
Therefore TikTok, Instagram Reels and YouTube Shorts are all on the same track regarding this point.
source: https://www.makeuseof.com/tiktok-vs-instagram-reels-vs-youtube-shorts/