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The days when influencer marketers were slinging new campaigns on a relatively unsaturated Instagram are long gone. Today, influencer collaborations have swooped in on not just social media platforms like TikTok, YouTube, LinkedIn, X, and Snapchat, but also in newsletters, podcasts, and private communities.
Our survey found that Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube take the lead as âthe most successful social media platforms for influencer marketing programs.â But are certain social networks better for some industries than others? Which platform should you begin with? And once you branch out, how should your strategy differ on additional platforms?
I asked these questions (and then some!) to experts who have marketed on these three core platforms. Hereâs what they had to say.
But first, letâs compare the strengths and weaknesses of each platform:Â
The TL;DR: Start with your overall goals for influencer marketing â evaluate which content formats would best achieve them â proceed with the formats within your budget. Donât be afraid to combine similar content formats across different social media platforms.
Tamara Torrecillas Gutiérrez, Influencer Marketing Manager at DIALECT, suggests thinking in terms of content formats instead of social media networks. She explains with an example:
As a fashion brand, I could be on all three platforms, but I would modify the type of content. For Reels: 7 days, 7 looks. For Instagram Stories: Unboxing and reviews. For YouTube: Tutorials on how to dress for an occasion. For TikTok and YouTube Shorts: Same concept as Reels.
So, instead of considering whether certain social channels work better in your industry, align the various content formats these networks offer with your goals. Andreea Moise, influencer marketing consultant and founder at HypeMaven, says picking the right content format is also dependent on your sales cycle and customer journey:
If the cycle is short, you can get away with producing mainly short-form content or sticking to just one high-volume platform. But if the cycle is long, Iâd always go for a mix of YouTube, too (30â50%).
She explains why:
Long sales cycles usually involve more research and consideration (e.g., high-ticket items, annual purchases, large volume, etc.), and long-form content plays a big role in buying decisions.
In light of that, hereâs a quick summary of Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok's various content formats and what those formats are best for.
Marit Tiesema, Sr KOL & Ambassador Specialist at Loop Earplugs, explains with an example of combining YouTube long-form videos with Instagram Stories to generate sales:
Most industries could benefit from YouTube, as products can be integrated naturally into influencersâ daily lives. Combine this with a few Instagram Story frames to showcase additional moments of use and include links to purchase to create a compelling, well-rounded storyline.
She continues:
Instagram and TikTok tend to perform better for industries that rely on aesthetics, trend-driven content, and impulse purchases, while YouTube does best in industries that require in-depth explanations and long-form storytelling.
Yes, certain industries and campaigns are naturally better suited to some platforms than others. But thatâs less of a platform choice and more of a content choice: once you have identified your content format, then consider which networks offer that format and how they differ. For example:
Michael Todner, Influencer Marketing Manager at Gear4music, agrees:
It ultimately comes down to what you are trying to achieve. I wouldn't be going for Instagram if thereâs a heavy focus on conversions in a campaign â I would think about YouTube instead. But if I'm looking to get a new product in front of as many eyes as possible, I would go for Instagram or TikTok over YouTube.
According to our survey, Instagram Reels is the top contender for sales via influencer marketing, followed by Instagram Stories and TikTok videos.
Your ICP research will also provide a general direction for where to put your influencer marketing efforts. Where are your customers most active? Which platforms influence their purchases the most? Andreea elaborates:
Find the place where people talk about their problems and pains the most. Look for places where they have created a community around finding solutions and recommendations, and look at what theyâre telling your direct competitors on social media.
Lastly, choosing social media platforms also depends on your budget. Certain content formats â like Instagram Stories â are significantly more cost-effective than others â like dedicated YouTube videos. The more âpolishingâ and production required, the higher the cost. Marit agrees:
TikTok and Instagram allow for lower-cost content creation, with TikTok having the highest virality potential, while YouTube typically requires higher production costs but provides lasting content value.
Influencer pricing doesnât just depend on the social media platform; it also depends on the content format youâre choosing, your industry, and the size of the influencerâs audience.
For the scope of this article, weâre going to stick to comparing video content. To begin with, below are some broad benchmarks for the cost of TikTok videos and Instagram Reels, segmented by follower count.
â ïž Disclaimer: the above are ballpark prices based on creators in North America. Influencer rates may differ based on region, niches, usage rights, location, and exclusivity terms. Use the above numbers as a jumping off point.
What about YouTube Shorts? Itâs still in its infancy as a content format, so Shorts is best used as an add-on, either by repurposing a long-form YouTube video or by cross-posting Instagram Reels and TikTok videos (with light edits).
For Instagram Stories, the prices depend on all the above factors and the number of frames. Here are some ballpark ranges weâre seeing:
For YouTube, influencer rates vary depending on whether you want a dedicated video or an integration. While a dedicated video is its own separate beast, we have a few ballpark ranges in the US market just for video integrations:
Again, the rates differ based on your market, industry, and agreements in your influencer contract.
Instead of asking influencers to deliver just one piece of content, ask them to bundle multiple types of content together. This is an excellent negotiation tactic to drive the price-per-deliverable down while also getting more influencer content. For example, you could ask an influencer to share a dedicated YouTube video and repurpose parts of it for TikTok, Instagram Reels, and YouTube Shorts.
đ Looking for more info on influencer pricing? Here are our in-depth guides with best practices for Instagram influencer pricing, TikTok influencer pricing, and YouTube influencer pricing.
There is of course nuance for each platform, but letâs first look at some elements that should be present in every influencer brief, regardless of platform or content format:
Hereâs a summary of additional items you should include in specific briefs â differentiated by social media platform and content format. Iâve grouped Instagram Reels, TikTok videos, and YouTube Shorts together, as their briefs are similar and will contain a lot of overlap.Â
Influencer briefs also need to be tailored depending on the following factors:
Does the content approval process also differ across content formats? Yes. Dedicated YouTube videos that take a long time to shoot need content approvals at various stages (outline, script, etc.), whereas Instagram Stories might not need such a thorough content approval process. Hereâs a useful chart to help you navigate giving creative freedom to influencers:
đ If you need more information on how to share influencer briefs for various social media platforms, read our in-depth guides on Instagram influencer briefing and YouTube influencer briefing.
Looking for more guidance on running campaigns on Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube? Read our in-depth guides for each network:
Adding a new social media platform to your strategy depends on your risk appetite, experimentation budget, and campaign requirements. Marit suggests being ahead of the game â so donât wait until youâve exhausted a platform to experiment with another one:
When testing a new platform, start with a small, targeted group of influencers who share a similar audience and market. Launch within a short, controlled timeframe to collect reliable data. Approach it like a researcher â test a hypothesis, measure engagement, and iterate quickly based on insights.
Before expanding to another platform, always check that your target audience is present there and that the supported content formats make sense for your marketing strategy.
Once you have expanded to multiple platforms, keep testing different content formats so you donât get burned by massive platform changes (like the potential TikTok ban in the US).
Would it be safer to begin with creators youâve already partnered with on other platforms? For instance, if you already have a trusted influencer partner on Instagram and they also have a decent TikTok following, should you begin your TikTok influencer marketing through them? Andreea says thatâs where sheâd start:
Good concepts can work across platforms â Iâd ask my previous partners to just crosspost old content with my brand on the new platform to get things started (if they havenât already).
While working with the same creators is a safe bet, remember that there might be some audience overlap in this tactic. Michael agrees:
If you want a safer approach, partner with creators that youâre already working with. But bear in mind audience overlap. A creatorâs audience likely consumes content from that influencer on more than one platform. So, you run the risk of not reaching a lot of new people.
Itâs worth noting that multiple touchpoints are usually required before someone decides to purchase via influencer marketing. So partnering with the same creators on multiple platforms can work in your favor, even if they have some audience overlap. Marit adds:
Repetition isnât a bad thing, but itâs important to weigh it against CPM and ROAS. If youâre reinforcing a message thatâs already been shared multiple times, do it through an Instagram Story, which costs a fraction of what a YouTube video would.
If youâre looking to start fresh with a new audience on a new platform, Andreea recommends three ways to find new influencers:
Suppose youâre looking to layer another social media platform onto a pre-existing strategy of YouTube partnerships. In that case, a better approach might be to point people from the new platform to your YouTube videos. Michael explains with an example:
Weâll have YouTube as the main platform, and âsupportingâ socials across the other platforms that funnel people towards the main piece of content. That can be a YouTube Short that redirects to the long form video or an unboxing Instagram Reel that has a CTA of, âcheck out the full thing on YouTube.
If youâre vetting new influencers for a social media platform, Marit suggests beginning with:
Marit also suggests asking creator partners to brainstorm content ideas for your new social media platform. This will not only help you learn the new platform faster, but also increase the strength of your influencer relationship:
If you're new to a platform, collaborate with the influencer on creative ideas. They know their audience best and will appreciate the partnership.
In addition to relying on your influencer partners for creative input, youâll also want to add time-saving tools to your arsenal as you expand your marketing efforts across multiple platformsâŠÂ
No matter which social media platform you choose, you need to:
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