Which Platform to Choose for Blogging in 2021: Instagram, YouTube, TikTok Trends
Everyone with Internet access uses social media. They may use it for content creation, community building, information, business opportunities, or relaxation. It's the primary way we communicate with friends and family and strangers in different parts of the world. Social media's broad reach makes it a great tool to reach people with your blog.
What Is Blogging?
At its core, a blog revolves around your topic of choice (your daily life, new tech reviews, recipes). It started in print form but has since updated as media evolved. The specific term for blogs on different platforms has been updated in response as well. For example, a blog primarily in video format is a "vlog", and if it's pictures with a short text, it's a microblog.
Three leading platforms have dominated social media over the last few months. Let's explore their features.
Instagram
Perhaps you're interested in microblogging on this purely visual platform. The key to running a thriving Instagram account is planning your content. Although people can interact with each post, they're usually drawn in by your feed. That means you have an incredible amount of creativity over your feed in addition to each post. You can figure out what kind of story you want to tell at different visual levels.
What's unique to Instagram is the level of engagement you have with your followers. It's easier to reply to comments people leave on your posts or talk to them in a direct message (DM). You can easily upload stories available for 24 hours, allowing you a break from planned content but still interacting with people.
The way the platform is organized, you're reliant on viewers sharing your content or discovering you through your hashtags.
Creators have recently noticed a dip in engagement, dwindling follower count, and their content not showing up in hashtags. This phenomenon is Instagram's mysterious shadowban. One way to get around a shadowban is planning when you post. Engagement varies throughout the day, and choosing the best time for your content can boost exposure.
YouTube
There are more creators and viewers on YouTube compared to many other blogging platforms. The app has over 2 billion monthly users worldwide and more than 500 hours of video uploaded by the minute. If you were to begin creating content on YouTube, you would have access to all those people to grow your business. Depending on your content, delivery, and viewer response, your channel may grow as quickly as overnight or within a few years.
One benefit to uploading primarily to YouTube is organically gaining subscribers. The YouTube algorithm allows your videos to show up with related content, exposing your channel to viewers who may not have found you otherwise. You also have complete control over the entire video – the direction, backdrops, information, length. Your creativity (and a little bit of what your viewers want to see) is the only limitation.
Your YouTube videos also have a text-based description box that you can fill with links to your other accounts, social networks, or businesses. Being able to redirect traffic to other platforms is a unique feature of YouTube. Imagine being able to entertain or inform viewers on one network, boosting your engagement on accounts on different media.
TikTok
TikTok is a happy medium between YouTube's long vlog content and Instagram's eye-catching creativity. The app is filled with short, 1-minute entertaining videos that range from impressive dance routines, hilarious skits, and cute pets, and you can browse through all of them. Tiktok is the never-ending variety show that purely entertains you. Its most unique feature is the "Not Interested" button that allows the app to filter content that you don't enjoy, curating a feed that entertains you the longer you're on it.
The curation feature means that TikTok is a fast-paced app, and you as a creator will need to keep up. Successful creators grab people's attention from the beginning and may start with the finale and then explain how to get there.
Their clips are probably shorter than a whole minute since people are more likely to watch a 10-second video all the way through. Even with these restrictions, you still have a large amount of creative control over your content. You can share your favorite tips, react to hilarious videos, or talk about a project you're working on. There's plenty of ways to go viral on the app.
Which App Is Best For You?
Each platform we've covered has unique features that draw a particular demographic in. All these options also have a learning curve to gaining success. Think about what draws you into these platforms. Posting content is about what you enjoy too. The app to begin blogging on is the one you enjoy the most. That way, you're already familiar with the layout and a creator's attractive features. It also ensures sure you'll have a fun time.
