TikTok vs. YouTube: Which Platform Is Better for Your Business?

YouTube has over 2.68 billion users as of 2023, while YouTube Premium has 80 million users. The platform receives more than 122 million visitors, and more than 700,000 hours of video gets uploaded every day. The company also announced that its users watch over 1 billion hours of videos daily.

TikTok is the number one downloaded app in over forty countries in 2023. The social media giant has 150 million active users in America alone and a whopping 600 million in China. TikTok users spend just under 23 hours on the app monthly, while YouTube users spend 23.4 hours on the platform every month. TikTok recently surpassed the 1 billion global users mark, with 31% of these users falling into the 25–34-year-old age group.

These are impressive statistics, but it also makes it difficult to decide which platform is better for business and marketing. Both offer the opportunity to connect with audiences using video content, but they have different features to help you get there.

This article aims to break down the similarities and differences between TikTok and YouTube to help you decide on the best option for your brand.

TikTok Favors Short Videos

TikTok is about creating original content in short-video format and adding filters, effects, and sounds to make it stand out on the platform.

YouTube Focuses on Long Videos

YouTube has been around since 2005, much longer than TikTok, and is a massive favorite with users who like to create and upload long-form videos. The app also offers YouTube Shorts, which competes directly with Instagram and TikTok reels.

The main difference between TikTok and YouTube videos is that TikTok videos only remain relevant for a short time because they follow new trends or products. In contrast, YouTube videos can be evergreen, and users continue to receive likes over months or even years.

If you’re aiming for instant entertainment that is highly shareable, TikTok is probably the best platform for you. If you create content that will always be relevant, YouTube is the better option for your brand.

Both Platforms Can Help Strengthen SEO Strategies

YouTube users add SEO keywords to their videos to get them to rank higher on Google. When someone includes these keywords in their Google search, the videos rank on the first page alongside relevant websites.

TikTok doesn’t link to Google search rankings. But, since most TikTok users also use other social media platforms, they can leverage TikTok to improve SEO by using a website blog or YouTube account. You can also include links in your TikTok bio and video captions to improve organic traffic to your website.

If you use both TikTok and YouTube, your business will rank higher on Google. Not to mention that TikTok doubles as a search engine, with suggested keywords and comment sections.

Benefits of YouTube for Business

YouTube is ahead of TikTok when it comes to rewards. For example, in 2021, the platform paid its creators more than $15 billion because it channels around 55% of ad revenue toward them.

There is a constant rise in creators who earn more than $10,000 in revenue on the platform, with numbers totaling more than 40%. Additionally, YouTube’s Shorts feature has gained an extra 15 billion global views daily.

In another move that competes directly with TikTok, YouTube is exploring product placements as another revenue source. You can add a product feed to your YouTube channel in 2023 to highlight your brand offering. You want to do this, considering that 90% of users find new products on YouTube.

There are several benefits to advertising your brand on YouTube, including the following:

• Reaching a massive audience.
• Paying less for advertising.
• Choosing from a variety of advertising formats.
• Narrowing your audience if you offer a niche product.

Benefits of TikTok for Business

TikTok is shedding its reputation of being an entertainment-only social media platform. In 2021, the TikTok finance section grew by 255%, while the views for crypto content grew to nearly 2 billion.

TikTok also drives consumer spending — by the end of 2021, user purchases increased by 77%. The company continuously works on ways to fund creators without relying only on ads. Your brand can benefit from brand partnerships on the platform while TikTok establishes the way forward concerning product ads in video content.

TikTok comes with its own set of benefits for brand advertising, including the following:

• A diverse, international audience.
• Trendsetting.
• Several marketing formats.

Choosing Between TikTok and YouTube

TikTok offers quick videos, while YouTube offers videos of varying lengths. TikTok is concerned with viral content, while YouTube offers more variety. The user experience on TikTok centers around delivering new videos according to an algorithm, while YouTube focuses on recommendations and subscriptions to increase content visibility.

TikTok pays creators from a Creator Fund, while YouTube creators get paid via ads. YouTube has far more monthly users when compared to TikTok, but TikTok is easier to use. TikTok works best on mobile, while YouTube is better on a browser.

Despite these differences, both platforms can be equally valuable to your brand. It only depends on your goals and objectives. Should you want to create videos that TikTok cannot support, YouTube is the way to go. These videos include long reviews, documentaries, or even short films.

If you want to keep your audience entertained and interested in your brand, and if your products appeal to the younger demographic, TikTok can help you.

Conclusion

If you want your brand to reach an audience of all ages and backgrounds, YouTube is the better platform. If you wish your brand to appeal to Gen-Z and create short videos that increase engagement and interest, you should choose TikTok.

However, as stated above, there is no reason you can’t make both of these platforms work for your business. If your budget allows, you can incorporate YouTube’s cost-per-view structure and TikTok’s $50 per day cost in your marketing strategy.

If you don’t have the budget to commit to both platforms, why not experiment with both? When you compare the results of your experiments, you will soon see which platform resonates best with your brand.