YouTube has been on the heels of TikTok for a while. And for the 360 million daily active users of YouTube, clicking on its Shorts button on the bottom tabs isn't hard. Short-form videos have obvious appeal, so it's no surprise that marketers are investing more resources than ever into this content format.
Pros
Longer Videos: While YouTube Shorts can only be 60 seconds, TikTok videos can be as long as three minutes.
More Filter & AR Options: More filter and AR options offer users the option to customize their posts more for a more likely edge over the competition.
Easier collaboration with the creators: TikTok’s Stitch and Duet features make it easy for creators to put their spin on existing content, which helps keep content creation consistent.
Analytics visible in-app: Being able to see analytics in-app saves time. With quicker access to data, creators can spend more time producing more of what works and less of what doesn’t.
Cons
No scheduling tool: Scheduling is everything with content. This is a fundamental principle of content marketing.
No audience filters to help restrict targeting: TikTok instructs creators to think about "what" their audience likes. Without being able to restrict targeting, users can’t deliver their content to the best possible set of eyes. Being able to target age, location and other factors can greatly increase engagement.
No dislike button: Depending on user opinion, this could be good or bad, but TikTok does not allow dislikes. This could be a disadvantage if favorable outcomes result from a dislike button. For example, public dislikes may cause creators to improve content at higher rates.
YouTube shorts are bringing YouTube an additional 15 billion views daily worldwide. They even offer a $100M Shorts Fund available in 100 countries, dispersed as a reward for standout YouTube community content. Thousands of creators each month receive the bonus, allowing them to reinvest in their content production and enjoy the recognition of a job well done.
Besides already being on your phone, what are the obvious pros of YouTube over TikTok? It has had a large music library since it began life as YouTube, a scheduling tool, and you can edit videos after publishing. These are some pretty important features that TikTok is likely developing for its own platform.
Pros
Extensive music library: Even though TikTok found early fame with musicians, YouTube still has more clout. By its own research it indicated: In the absence of YouTube, time spent listening to pirated content would increase by 29%, suggesting that people are going to YouTube instead of pirating music.
Has a scheduling tool: After you’ve used analytics to find out when people view your content most, distribute your videos at that time for fans to see them.
Gives the ability to edit after publishing: Why is this a win for YouTube? Because as creators receive feedback on videos, they can tweak videos for improved performance. What video aspects can you edit? Trim the length of the video, add music, blur a video, and add cards you might have forgotten, leaving viewers without an easy CTA to your site.
Cons
Videos can only be 60 seconds long: By limiting recording time to one minute, YouTube limits creativity. Leveraging any tool possible is key to standing out amongst the crowd as a creator, and limiting video length may hurt creators who are more skilled at engaging viewers through long-form vertical content.
Requires a separate app to view analytics: In order to see their analytics, YouTube shorts creators need to use an external app: YouTube Studio. Although it’s accessible on a desktop and phone, this friction getting to user visibility could potentially reduce the number of users who understand how to improve their content. They won't know why one video performs well, and another fails.
Verdict: It Depends
Key factors determine whether TikTok or YouTube Shorts is right for you. The type of videos and the goals for your content are two primary considerations.
Like most software, some providers have features users prioritize over others. Every user needs to understand their audience as best as possible, and from that insight, the optimal social media platforms, or cross-platform strategies, become evident.
But as TikTok points out on its own blog, the best way to do research is to interact with users. It’s not just about learning the customer details like demographics, but how they use TikTok or YouTube Shorts that’s important.
