Instagram Reels vs TikTok
Earlier in March, Instagram Reels was (finally) rolled out to all users living in the Middle East. The update comes as TikTok’s popularity continues to grow in the region. Reels closely mirrors TikTok apart from a few minor differences. Users familiar with making short-form content on either platform may have a slight learning curve as the recording/editing function across either platform.
Even though Reels and TikTok editing interfaces may look similar, they are pretty different from each other. Filters are trendy on TikTok, and users can choose from several effects, templates, and filters. On Instagram, the filters and effects are limited and can only be selected from the ones available on the Instagram effects library.
Additionally, voice effects and unique to TikTok but Instagram Reels users can add voiceovers but can’t add any special voice effects. TikTok’s duet and video stitch options are very popular among users and enable brands and individuals to interact creatively.
If you have an established Instagram account with many followers, joining a new platform and growing your audience base from scratch can be daunting. With Instagram Reels, you leverage the short and trendy content format to engage with your audience and reach the wider Instagram community through a new space in Explore. When you share Reels featuring certain songs, hashtags, or AR effects, your Reel may also appear on dedicated pages for those songs, hashtags, or AR effects.
What team are you on – Instagram Reels or TikTok?