Instagram Reels vs. YouTube Shorts: If you want to become a marketer and influencer in 2025, then which is the best platform for that?

Instagram Reels or YouTube Shorts: Which Platform is Best for Marketers and Influencers in 2025?

Today, if any brand wants to go viral online or someone wants to become an influencer, then in 2025, they have two options: one is Instagram Reels and the other is YouTube Shorts, and both of these have become a powerful source for both a marketer and an influencer today, through which they can go viral. You can earn and increase your sales.

But one question comes: which platform is the best? Let's see both of them in this blog.

YouTube Shorts

YouTube launched its Shorts option in 2021, and you can make YouTube Shorts videos of 15 to 60 seconds. You can use hashtags inside it. You can use audio from the audio library.

If we talk about its audience, then it is value-based content viewers and creators.

Instagram Reels

Instagram Reels was launched in 2020, and its length ranges from 15 seconds to 90 seconds.

Its features are that you can use music, filters, effects, and stickers.

If we talk about its target audience, it is trend-focused and aesthetic content lovers.

Viewership in 2025

YouTube Shorts: 2.8 billion monthly users

Instagram Reels: 2.6 billion monthly active users

If we talk about the audience of both:

The average age of people watching Instagram Reels is 18 to 35 years

The average age of people watching YouTube Shorts is 15 to 45 years

Engagement Rates

The reel that happens on Instagram goes viral quickly; it can even go viral within two to three days.

But if we talk about YouTube Shorts, it goes viral slowly, but whatever goes viral remains average and keeps going on.

Example: I have a Short of my own which I uploaded on YouTube a long time ago and even today I am getting viewership from there.

Monetization

YouTube Shorts

• You can monetize through the YouTube Partner Program

• You can take brand collaboration

• You can do affiliate marketing

• You can put affiliate links in the description of your video

• You can earn from fan funds

Instagram Reels

• You cannot directly monetize

• You can do brand collaboration and affiliate marketing

• You can put a link in your bio

Advertisements & Promotions

Instagram Reels

• You can run sponsored reels from Meta Manager

• You can do influencer marketing

YouTube Shorts

• You can sponsor your video through Google Ads

• You can give CTA (Call to Action) button inside your video

• You can generate a good amount of traffic from there

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