Will Instagram Reels become a genuine rival for TikTok?

It’s certainly a big ask – TikTok has seen massive growth over the past two years, and is projected to reach 1.2 billion users in 2021. That’s despite losing one of its biggest user markets (India) and despite the threat of being shut down in the US, which is still a possibility (though unlikely).  

But Instagram says that Reels is growing, and it continues to add new discovery tools and options to make it a more appealing option, in a bid to lure both creators and viewers over to its app instead.

It’s too early to say whether those efforts will pay off, but recently, The Influencer Marketing Factory conducted its own study to get an idea of comparative engagement and performance of Reels versus TikTok clips.

It’s worth noting that the scale of this test is fairly limited (60 profiles active on both Reels and TikTok), so the results may not be entirely indicative. But they do provide some interesting considerations, particularly around relative view counts versus engagement in each app.

It could be worth considering in your strategic planning, or as a comparative measure for your own results. Check out the full overview below.