Paid Advertising on Instagram vs TikTok

By: Emily Klempel, Senior Social Media Manager @ Foodie Tribe

Instagram has been competing with TikTok since it rose to popularity in 2020. Instagram launched Reels in August of 2020 and then Reels ads in 2021. While the video formats are similar, there are still many differences between the two platforms — especially when it comes to advertising. 

What is an Instagram ad?

There is a wide range of ad types on Instagram, including:

• Reels ads

• Image ads

• Carousel ads

• Shopping ads

• Collection ads

• Explore ads

• Story ads

The large selection of ads allows brands to choose the best ad format for their specific business goals.

According to Instagram, “Reels is the best place on Instagram to reach people who don’t follow you and a growing global stage where brands and creators can be discovered by anyone. These ads will help businesses reach greater audiences, allowing people to discover inspiring new content from brands and creators.”

On Instagram, you have the option to “boost” your existing posts or build an ad from scratch. Boosting is a quick and easy way to get your content in front of a wider audience. However, when you build the ad, you have more control over the specific audience you’re targeting. 

What is a TikTok ad? 

On TikTok, you’re able to promote an existing video, which are called “Spark Ads”, or build an “In-Feed Ad”. At Foodie Tribe, we recommend using Spark Ads because they are more organic to the platform and lead directly to your existing TikTok profile. They are video ads that show up on your FYP just like any regular TikTok, labeled ‘sponsored’ with a CTA button leading to the product’s landing page. Plus, Spark Ads not only lets you promote your own organic content, but also promotes content from other users or influencers that you can add your own link to. 

Unlike Spark Ads, In-Feed Ads are built in the TikTok business center. Those videos are not previously posted on TikTok, and they provide fewer metrics than Spark Ads. While Spark Ads will help you better understand how effective the ad was (paid clicks, music clicks, paid likes, paid shares, paid followers and paid profile visits), In-Feed Ads will only provide metrics on paid clicks. These are clicks recorded to the CTA button, ad caption, nickname, profile picture, or swipe left. 

Instagram ads vs. TikTok ads

The biggest difference in advertising between Instagram and TikTok is content types. You have several options for advertising on Instagram, beyond video content, while TikTok only allows 9x16 video content.

Want to learn more about advertising on social media? We’re here to help! Reach out to Foodie Tribe today to learn more about how we can help you accelerate your brand's digital presence through our influencer and social media marketing campaigns!