YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, TikTok: Where Should You Post Your Videos in 2022?

It’s no secret that videos are one of the most important forms of content right now, especially for influencers and entrepreneurs. Video is everything. 85% of U.S. internet users will watch at least one video this month.

These days, there’s a wide range of platforms available for sharing your video content — from the giants of Facebook and YouTube to newer entrants like TikTok and others. That’s good news! But on the other hand, with such a wide range of platforms available… how are you supposed to choose?

Which video platform is best is one of those hotly contested eternal debates among influencers, marketers and entrepreneurs. Friendships have formed and ended; nations have risen and fallen; lines in the sand have been drawn and destroyed over the question. Well, maybe not quite… but still, everyone has an opinion and a preference.

Ultimately, it all comes down to which platform is best for your particular brand and your goals. Each platform has its pros and cons, depending on how you look at it. And things are always constantly changing, too. 

To help you decide where to put your videos in 2022, we’ve compiled some stats and features for each platform so you can more easily compare them. We focus on the biggest hitters, but we’ve also included some thoughts on additional platforms and some tips on cross-platforming, too. Keep reading to learn more!

1. YouTube

YouTube of course really needs no introduction. With more than 122 million daily active users and untold millions of hours of video content, it’s still the most popular destination for content creators around the world to post videos on every topic imaginable.

Demographics: The platform is 56% male to 44% female. While most popular with 26-35 year olds, Youtube is used by almost everyone across the board. 77% of 26-35 year olds use it -- but so do 67% of 56+ year olds. 

Monetization Options: YouTube allows users with large numbers of followers and high watch times to earn ad-based revenue through its YouTube Partner Program. And of course, influencers can earn more through agreements with brands.

Livestreaming: This is the platform most geared towards livestreams. Audiences will generally be happy to watch even a long  livestream video here. Integrated chat is also helpful during these events. And since it’s Youtube, you’re automatically archiving as well. Plus, there’s no limit on who can see your stuff. It’s served up to the general populace along with your keywords.

PROs: 

• Good for longer content. Videos are easily uploaded and can be up to 12 hours long.
• YouTube videos can be quickly embedded in other websites or blogs, and are easy to share on other social media channels
• Easier to find in searches (YouTube videos often appear first in Google search results)
• More advanced analytics to help you understand your audience and video performance

CONs:

• While low-effort, quick videos are definitely possible on YouTube, the availability of more sophisticated editing tools and a savvy creator community means many users expect a certain level of polish. This can be time-consuming, and is likely to grow more so as time goes on.
• YouTube’s ad integration may seem like an out-and-out win, but remember: you have no control over which ads the site puts in your video. This could create some unfortunate juxtapositions!
• Being widely available to the public also isn’t always desirable. YouTube comments sections can get pretty hairy, and frivolous or dubious content-reporting can become a problem for some.

2. Instagram

Instagram started out just for curating photos, but it now has several options for sharing videos, including Stories, IGTV, and Reels. With more than 500 million daily active users, it’s a popular choice for influencers and brands to reach their desired audience.

Demographics: 49% male to 51% female. 25-34 year olds are the largest single cohort, but younger users are close behind and are more likely to use Instagram daily. Women make up a clear majority of users over 35 — making Instagram a clear winner if that’s the demographic you’re courting.

Monetization Options: Instagram has finally come around to offering more options to support creators. This past summer, they made it possible for creators to share ad revenue on IGTV. They are piloting and launching monetization features on Instagram Live too, including badges (similar to tips) and Live Shopping. 

Livestreaming: Yes! Instagram Live is part of Instagram Stories. Going live is a great way to get noticed — when you go live with a video, you get bumped to the top in the Stories section above the main feed. There are opportunities to engage with viewers through comments, and you can save and share your video after it’s complete. 

PROs:  

• Especially good for sharing vertical videos (for watching on mobile devices)
• There is lots of interest and investment here for influencers and businesses (more than 60% of businesses stated they planned to expand their Instagram budget)
• A culture of brand integration prevails, with the vast majority of users following a business or brand
• Instagram Creator Accounts are made for exactly you, the influencer and would-be entrepreneur looking to build your brand and audience

CONs:

• Hope you like working from your phone, because Instagram is primarily a mobile platform.
• A constantly-tweaked algorithm means the strategy you developed to promote yourself last week might not be so effective this week.
• Business accounts can’t limit DMs. DMs are a solid way to promote connection with loyal customers, but you might find yourself overwhelmed with unverified comments.  (Perhaps this is a problem that can best be solved by steering your audience to your public phone number?)

3. TikTok

Once considered the new kid on the block, TikTok is now so popular that it can’t be ignored, especially for influencers. There are more than 1 billion monthly users watching TikTok’s speciality short-form mobile videos.  

Demographics: 40% male to 60% female. TikTok is still most popular in China, where it was created, but global use is exploding too. TikTok is by far most popular with the younger crowd (in the United States, 70% of users are under 24 years old).  

Monetization Options: Given how short TikTok videos are, you can’t really add ads into them the same way you could for a long YouTube video. Right now, the most direct way to earn money is during livestreams, when followers can “tip” their favorite creators with virtual gifts (that can be converted into cash). Influencer partnerships with brands are also huge, via branded hashtags and sponsored videos. That’s how the biggest TikTok users make their millions right now.

Livestreaming: Yes, you can go live on TikTok — but not right away. Currently you have to be over 16 years old and have at least 1,000 followers to broadcast live videos.  Once you do, you can chat with followers and accept virtual gifts (if you are over 18).

PROs:

• Videos can be created in-app (editing tools included) or uploaded, with fun features like Reaction Videos and Duets. 
• Easy to add music (TikTok has its own library and also can be connected with Apple Music) 
• Excellent algorithm that harnesses AI to instantly recommend content that will appeal to users
• Cross-platform sharing—TikTok videos are constantly shared on Twitter, YouTube and more to get more views. 

CONs: 

• Due to the nature of TikTok, it’s only going to work for certain kinds of videos — and of course, only short ones. (The videos range from as short as 5 seconds to a max of 60 seconds long.)
• TikTok promotes a short attention span in more ways than one.  You could build an audience one day and hear crickets the next. Plus, if you’re the kind of person who finely curates their content, or who takes more than a minute to say what they need to say,  then TikTok is probably not for you.

4. Facebook

Facebook is the world’s most popular social media platform, with 1.82 billion daily active users. Videos are everywhere, and more than 100 million hours of videos on Facebook are watched each day. This includes videos on Facebook Watch, Facebook’s equivalent of YouTube. According to Facebook, more than 1.25 billion people visit Facebook Watch every month to discover and share videos from millions of creators and publishers.

Demographics: 56% male to 44% female. Facebook is definitely the best place to reach the Baby Boomer generation, who post and engage frequently with content. For example, women aged 55-64 make 10 posts/month on average. The sheer size of Facebook’s user base means you can potentially reach more of ANY age group here than any other platform — if you can find them and they can find you.

Monetization Options: Oh my, yes. Paid events, brand partnerships, tipping, subscriptions, and in-stream ads are all integrated and promoted features of Facebook.

Livestreaming: Yes, and it’s more popular than ever. Due in part to the pandemic, Facebook Live viewership increased by 50 percent in 2020.)

PROs:

• Great tools to set up and promote broadcasts and post content in advance to let your audience know what’s coming down the pipe.
• The posting culture is more “raw.” Posts are assumed to be made live or “live-to-tape,” meaning less time on production and editing is required.
• Creator Studio makes it possible to seamlessly integrate Facebook and Instagram posts, as Facebook owns Instagram (for now).

CONs:

• There’s always a lot going on on Facebook. Holding people’s attention for more than a few minutes can take some effort on the platform. People are generally going to click around to see what else is on their feed.  
• Due to FB’s algorithm and focus on creating curated networks, the stream is generally more likely to attract your existing audience than it is to grow your audience. If you do spend a lot of time on production values, it might be wasted on Facebook relative to YouTube.

5. Other Options

While we’ve talked about a few of the big hitters already, there are of course lots of other options out there for publishing video content nowadays. For example:  

• Twitter: Although it’s a social media giant, it’s not always the first place businesses and influencers turn to for videos. However, Twitter is perfect for attracting followers and getting the word out about new content and other news for your brand. It’s great for showcasing your personality in a seemingly casual way.  It’s also fairly easy to cross-post videos. There is some confusing overlap between Twitter Media Studio (which allows an easier path to monetization) and Periscope (which puts you through your paces first).
• Twitch: It’s best-known as a haven for streaming video games, but creative uses for Twitch are expanding all the time. For example, when the creator of YouTube channel Philosophy Tube (870k subscribers) wanted to raise money for charity by reciting Shakespeare for four days straight, they turned not to their home platform, but to Twitch — over £100,000 was raised. Twitch allows “tipping,” and features live-chat for excellent engagement.
• There are also a few others to consider: Vimeo, that old standby and would-be Youtube competitor, is now a niche for high-quality productions; Vero is opting for a culture of transparency and a subscription-based model; or, for a certain type of traditionally professional creator, there’s always LinkedIn.

6. How Many Platforms Should You Use?

Now that we’ve given you several options to choose from for sharing your video content, you may be wondering even more… which one should you use? Or, should you use all of them?  

Luckily, although your ideal audience may be most concentrated on one platform over another, there are always multiple ways to reach and diversify your audience. Pretty much everyone who uses any given social media platform uses at least one other platform, too.  

So in other words, you don’t need to post your videos on every platform out there. If you use just one or two of the larger platforms, you’ll be able to reach a vast number of social media users. 

If you are using more than one social platform though (and who isn’t these days), make sure to cross-post!  Share your YouTube videos and TikToks on your Twitter feed. Integrate your Instagram Stories onto your Facebook page. Give those algorithms lots of opportunities to get your content to your audience, and you’ll be more likely to rack up the viewer numbers you desire.

TL;DR:

If it wasn’t clear from the avalanche of information above, the trick to smart posting is to stay informed! The right video platform for you is going to depend on your brand and your demographics. You need to know where your audience is and where your future audience might be. Keeping up with trends in use and even the vagaries of haute business news is important. And it almost goes without saying, but let’s say it one more time right at the end: cross-posting is key! 

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