Tik Tok vs YouTube – Everything Important to Know

TikTok and YouTube are currently the most popular video-sharing platforms. If you ever wanted to post video content, using one of either social media platforms would definitely be an excellent choice.

Some people even post both TikTok videos and YouTube videos simultaneously.

But, if you want to choose just one platform to upload videos and make it your main hustle, it’s important to consider what each platform offers deeply.

And that’s exactly what I’ll do for you in this article.

Here’s what awaits you down below:

Let’s get into it and compare Tik Tok vs Youtube

TikTok is probably the most downloaded app of recent years, especially after 2020. It seems like everyone has transferred there and is there to stay.

The TikTok app and its current popularity are a great indication that this will be a great choice to go for if you want to grow a significant audience.

But, before you start having fun with the short videos full of background music, let’s see what this social media platform is all about.

TikTok Content

As you probably know, the main content posted on TikTok is short videos, and it’s the main factor that made the video-sharing platform so popular.

The fast and catchy short TikTok video has become a great distraction and form of entertainment for people whose attention spans are getting shorter.

The content on TikTok is meant to be short and flashy, and that’s the main difference when it comes to the TikTok vs YouTube comparison.

TikTok’s content is by far the most addictive out of all video-sharing platforms.

The videos posted on TikTok are usually meant to be funny, but there’s educational and wholesome content on there, too.

But overall, the primary purpose of the content on this social media platform is to make people relax and have fun.

TikTok Algorithm

TikTok users have stated time and time again that the algorithm on TikTok is the most addictive of all platforms.

The main things that TikTok uses to generate people’s ForYou pages are hashtags and users’ viewing habits.

TikTok takes note of the type of TikTok videos people watch and what communities these videos are coming from, and then it creates personalized For You pages for its users.

To have your content pushed to more users when you create things on your TikTok profile, you will need to consider the video information, like what goes in the caption, did you add music to it, and what kind.

Also, it’s influenced by how people engage with your latest posts, so the more these you get, the higher the chances that the whole world will see the videos you create.

TikTok Demographic

The main assumption for the TikTok demographic is that it is mostly made out of younger audiences.

And this is a highly accurate assumption.

The highest amount of people on TikTok is Gen Z and Millenials, even though both older and younger people than that are also involved.

To be precise, 41% of TikTok users are 16 to 24 years old, which you should definitely consider.

All social media platforms, except maybe Facebook, are used mainly by people of that age bracket, but it’s TikTok that gets the most attention from them.

So, when you think about what to post to get a wider audience, look for viral trends among people of these ages.

Target Audience

To create a successful online career, you have to be aware of who your target audience is and who you want your target audience to be.

When thinking about this, think about the content you make and what audience is more likely to get it well.

If you already have an audience from some other platform, like Twitch or Instagram, consider whether you want to do something more for the same kind of audience or if you want to reach more people than you already have.

If you want to reach a broader audience in terms of numbers, then opting for TikTok to make favorite videos for people is probably better.

This also goes for content that really is better suited for the younger generation.

Making Money

Popular TikTok creators are some of the richest people nowadays, and it seems like TikTok is very easy to use in order to earn money.

Similar to Twitch’s Partner program, TikTok has its Creator Fund, and I’ll break down the technicalities of that right now so you know what you are up against.

But, just like on YouTube, this platform also has a lot of sponsorship opportunities, so it’s one point where YouTube and TikTok are similar. It is also useful to have a TikTok verified account to gain more trust from potential followers.

1. TikTok Creator Fund

To be a part of the TikTok Creator Fund, creators need to meet certain requirements, and here’s what they are:

Once they started the fund, TikTok invested £231 million into it, and that money will be distributed to creators.

Once you get accepted, TikTok will pay you anywhere from 2 to 4 cents for every 1000 views you get.

2. Sponsorship Opportunities

Many brands have realized the impact that the short bursts of videos on TikTok have.

That’s why many brands decided to use the full benefit of TikTok influencer marketing for their products and services.

This means that at the moment, TikTok might have a lead in the TikTok vs YouTube race when it comes to sponsorship opportunities.

YouTube videos have been the main source of entertainment for all of us for a very long time now. In a way, it’s the platform that started it all.

While TikTok is new and exciting, YouTube is something that has been here for a long time and is a constant in a lot of people’s lives, so let’s see if it’s something that you should go for.

YouTube Content

Over the years, the type of content that was posted on YouTube has changed a lot when it comes to the popular themes and how people see them.

At first, it was mostly centered around sketches and funny content that we find quite cringeworthy nowadays.

And while most of us still see YouTube videos as a form of entertainment, a lot of different kinds of videos have become highly popular on YouTube.

To start with, educational content is a very popular thing on YouTube. Nowadays, if we’re not sure how to do something, or we need a further explanation for something we’re learning, we’re more likely to go to YouTube than to read what Google has to say.

This goes for gaming as well as for setting up IKEA drawers or doing a very complicated maths equation.

Then, the type of content that was popular back then stayed popular nowadays, and will most likely stay popular as long as YouTube exists, are vlogs.

People are curious (some might say nosy) by nature, and going about someone’s day together with them is something that feeds into that.

Especially if you usually post some other kind of content, the occasional vlog will probably be seen as very exciting by your viewers, and it is sure to gain a lot of views.

Overall, people usually like watching videos that are 10 minutes or longer because they go to YouTube when they want to focus on something and either relax or learn something new.

Despite people’s attention spans being shorter and shorter, YouTube users will still gladly give you a longer watch time if you post something that they enjoy, so that probably won’t be a big problem. But, always try not to go on for too long.

The main difference between YouTube and TikTok in this regard is that YouTube offers more in-depth content, and that’s precisely what people go on YouTube for.

On YouTube, videos can have a maximum length of 24 hours if they come from verified accounts, which is unseen on other platforms.

Finally, one big thing to consider if you want to upload videos on YouTube is your video editing skills, as that’s the most significant part of making video content for this video-sharing platform.

YouTube Algorithm

When it comes to the YouTube algorithm, this is something that the viewers have a lot of control over.

The main goal of YouTube’s algorithm is for viewers to find as many videos as they like and watch them for as long as possible.

YouTube wants people to find their favorite videos and stay on them for as long as possible.

To achieve that with its recommendations, YouTube uses three categories for recommendation personalization:

The most important thing to consider when it comes to the algorithm is to see what people who are subscribed to you like and try to make more of that, as they will watch it more, pushing you out to more people.

YouTube Demographics

When it comes to people who watch YouTube, it’s all over the place.

People spend billions of hours daily watching YouTube, and it’s coming from all ages, and all kinds of YouTube channels, so there really is no rule.

Unlike TikTok, YouTube videos are something that even Boomers have down and like to watch and create content, too.

So, whoever you want to film for, you will be sure to reach that audience on YouTube.

Target Audience

Choosing which platform is more suited for you is mostly centered around the type of content you want to create, whether you want short videos or maybe prefer a good old long-form YouTube video.

But another very important factor is your audience.

When it comes to the audience, each video-sharing platform works better for different people, and I already went through the basic demographics.

But, the thing that you are to consider here is who are the people you vibe with the most and who are the people you feel creating content for.

For example, if your humor is on the edgier side, that can be a very important distinction.

If you already have some audience. If you’ve been exclusively streaming, for example, or if you have an Instagram audience, you might already know very well what your audience is.

In that case, the thing to consider would be if you want to widen that audience or do you want to get more of the same people.

YouTube is definitely more suited for reaching an audience that is wider when it comes to its characteristics, but not so much an audience that will be wider in numbers.

Making Money

Video content makes people a lot of money nowadays, and there are numerous ways how doing YouTube can bring you that.

The two main ways are YouTube ads and video ads you get to do yourself when you get some brand recognition.

So, let’s see how each of these works.

1. Ad Revenue

Many YouTubers earn money on this social network thanks to the ads that play at several points in the video.

YouTube ads are not generated by the creators but by the algorithm.

Depending on the viewer’s Internet activity, many users will get different ads.

Now, the amount of ads you get depends solely on the type of content you make.

Suppose you have content that is “advertiser-friendly,” meaning that you make politically correct, kid-friendly, and overall innocent and neutral content. In that case, you will appeal to more advertisers, and you will be able to have your videos get a variety of ads.

This also means that you will get higher-paying advertisers.

This is why we can never say an exact number that you might earn from the YouTube ad revenue, as it can range from numbers that can be your main stream of income to numbers that are just some additional dimes at the end of the month.

To be able to get your content monetized, you need to be a part of the YouTube Partner Program, and to achieve that, you need to have at least 4000 hours of watch time in the last 12 months and at least 1000 subscribers.

2. Sponsorship Opportunities

You can get a lot of sponsorship opportunities on Youtube, and what type of opportunities you get depends on your content.

Usually, the brands that contact you will have some connection to your content, but that isn’t always the case.

How much the brand will pay you depends mostly on your analytics, the number of subscribers and views, and overall engagement.

In order to help you decide definitely what is for you, let’s look into exactly what are the similarities and differences between TikTok vs YouTube.

YouTube vs TikTok – Similarities

YouTube vs TikTok – Main Differences

What You Should Choose

So, what should you choose?

After considering everything above, it mostly delves down to two main things – what is your target audience and what type of videos are you making.

If your audience is younger, or if you want to reach more younger people, and if you are keen on making light-hearted that will amuse your viewers and you as well, then definitely go for TikTok.

But, if you want to create content that, besides being maybe light-hearted, is useful to people and that you want your videos to reach a wider audience than just young people, then YouTube is a better choice, especially if you have a lot to say.

Finally, make sure that you make content on a platform that you enjoy using yourself because if you don’t like what you’re working on, your motivation and overall happiness will suffer, directly impacting your content.

And while you should choose wisely, don’t be afraid to try things out before making any final decisions.

Posting On Both YouTube And TikTok – Pros And Cons

If, after reading all of this, you still aren’t sure what the right decision for you is, and posting video content on both of these platforms seems like something that’s going to be manageable for you, then let’s see what exactly would be the pros and cons of doing so.

Before getting into it, I want to add that if you opt for doing both of these, that doesn’t mean that you have to invest the same amount of effort in both of them.

If you want to do both, you can try to decide which platform will be your main one and which one will be something you occasionally do, when you feel like it.

When it comes to gaming-related content, maybe long-form YouTube videos can be your main deal, as that’s also where you can post your vods, and TikTok videos can be a fun addition to everything.

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