YouTube vs. TikTok vs. Reels, not quite easy to decide which format is the best? Vertical formats have literally overwhelmed social media in the last few years and are the most popular social media content. Deciding which one is the best option is not an easy task. No worries, we will try to explain the advantages of each of these three formats in this blog post. You can judge which vertical format fits best your marketing strategy based on our pros and cons lists for each of these formats. Let’s start.
The reasons for the popularity of short and vertical videos
Till only a few years ago, we enjoyed a huge, traditional and horizontal format. Everything has changed with smartphones. The rules of the game have changed too. Above all, the concept of smartphones provides the comfort and ability to make everything accessible. Next, these smart devices have become an essential part of our everyday life, so this fact also influenced the way we communicate. This opened the door to a new format. These new formats are more convenient to watch because they are better adapted to a viewer.
Also, TikTok has not invented the vertical format. Short, 7-second videos existed on Vimeo before TikTok appeared. Certainly, TikTok managed to improve this format and attract the attention of millions of content creators on other networks too, especially on Instagram.
YT Shorts, TikTok, Reels- similarities
Let’s draw the line, and decide what’s in common with all these vertical formats.
- Width to height ratio 9:16,
- Resolution 1920 px with 1080 px,
- File format MP4 and MOV,
- A smart algorithm, that learns about the most interesting topics of the users via interaction,
- Huge collection of commercial music that can be inserted into a video,
- A user can read comments while the video is being broadcasted,
- Vertical video content allows the user to see other, similar content by scrolling down,
- Previously recorded video content can be posted on networks or can be recorded on the very network,
- Tagging and hashtags are in use on all three networks,
- It is possible to add the translation.
Now, let’s overview each of these networks and the vertical format.
YT Shorts
YT Shorts was officially launched in March 2021, on the American market and supports 15-60 second videos. You’ve must be wondering what are its advantages? First of all, this YT format has become available to users worldwide, so the subscribe button has become larger too. There is a special place within the platform on the Home page, where users can watch these short videos. YT Shorts are mostly watched by the young population of 18-20 years, but also by the older population.
This video format has its disadvantages too. The YT Shorts content looks very similar to TikTok videos so it doesn’t appear as something new, and this constant repetition seems to be pretty boring. Besides, monetization of this content is not possible, at least for now. Metrics are quite basic too, and it is impossible to edit on the very platform so the only available option is to post already recorded videos.
In short, this is the weakest platform for short, vertical videos, and in accordance with the above-said, the least popular platform.
TikTok
The youngest of the three networks that managed to bring something new to the virtual world, and trigger the revolution with short and vertical videos. TikTok has over 1 billion users on a monthly basis and represents the favorite network of Gen Z. This network brings the original and fresh content in 15 seconds to 10 minutes. The question is – Why do we love TikTok?
First of all, this social network dictates trends and constantly brings novelties. Literally, anyone can make a viral video on this network if there is a good idea behind it. When a video becomes viral (which can be tracked via great analytics), monetization follows. Also, its narrative is made in a way to makes this network ideal for storytelling and presenting authentic stories. Fans of this network easily identify themselves with the everyday stories of TikTok influencers. There is one convenient technical fact about this network, and that would be easily grouping of videos in playlists.
Instagram Reels
After realizing the growth in popularity of short, vertical videos on TikTok, they also tried luck in presenting this format and gathering a creative community. Target groups for Reels videos are a bit different than on TikTok. Mostly between 25-34 years, but also the young population between 18-24. The video reel lasts between 15-60 seconds. What do we like about reels?
The interface has been esthetically created so we can enjoy this format. Follow is clearly marked, just like the section on the first page of this social media. We can watch other videos by scrolling down, and it presents a very convenient way to solve this. When it comes to shopping, you can make a purchase directly from reels, because it has been integrated with the Instagram shop option so the user will not leave the platform while completing the purchase.
What we don’t like about Instagram reels is the inability to pause the video. On the other hand, the option to mute the video is great. Also, there is a save option, and finally, the analytics is not quite well because it mostly offers basic options and info.
Finally, which option wins in this competition of vertical videos?
If you’ve been wondering which option wins in this YouTube Shorts vs. TikTok vs. Reels competition, we will say – TikTok. Of course, we can understand other opinions too.
TikTok is the best example of the creation process of such a format. We have chosen TikTok due to the fact this network gives opportunity to everyone, no matter if it’s an individual or a brand. Also, due to interaction that is on the highest possible level in comparison to other networks.
Finally, we have one more message for you. Do you remember the global social media outage that happened last October? Yes, everyone from the Meta family, Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp were not available for about seven hours. We learned it is not smart to keep all eggs in one basket only, i.e., the focus cannot be on one social media network only. This is what we can advise today as well. Never focus on one network only, create a content plan for social media and plan your content in advance.
If you find our advice useful, read the other blog posts on our website, and learn about branding, logo design, social media, and many other topics.
4. Skiciranje
Konačno dolazimo do onog dela, gde će kreativnost doći do izražaja i gde će sve ideje biti prenete iz glave na papir ili direktno na računar. Dok se skicira logo, ključna stvar je naći vezu između ideje i forme u kojoj će logo biti predstavljen.
Neki dizajneri vole da prve skice nekog logoa naprave na papiru, dok se drugi odlučuju da to urade direktno u programima za kreiranje logoa. Naravno, u ovome svemu je najvažniji krajnji ishod a metode za dolazak do njega mogu biti različite ili jednostavno ‘šta kod koga radi’.
Ovo je konačno faza u kojoj umetnost sreće nauku i istraživanje. Sve ono što je dizajner godinama učio i istraživao, skupljao inspiraciju – sada može primeniti na izradu skice, čime logo poprima svoje prve obrise.
Ova faza može oduzeti dosta vremena, jer je kreativna, zahteva puno koncentracije i svaki dizajner će vam reći da se njoj najviše treba posvetiti zato što je u osnovi svega IDEJA. Od nje polazimo i kada dođemo do ideje, koju ćemo dalje razviti, sve je mnogo lakše i dalje faze idu mnogo lakše.
Stigli smo na pola puta i želimo da ovde zastanemo, a o sledećim fazama možete da čitate u narednom blog postu.
Ukoliko vam je ovaj tekst bio koristan, prosledite ga prijateljima i kolegama a ako vam je potreban dizajn logoa, pišite nam.
