🔪 Instagram Is Coming For You, TikTok

The Latest Battle Of The Social Media Wars

The war between Instagram vs. TikTok is heating up, and Instagram just made a couple of sneaky attacks.

1 - Meta announced a "Breakthrough Bonus program," incentivizing creators who are new to Instagram by giving them cash bonuses in exchange for exclusively posting Reels. They're specifically targeting TikTokers who have millions of followers to move to Instagram.

2 - Yesterday, Instagram posted TWO super provocative Reels on the official Instagram page. One reel was from Charli D'Amelio and one reel was from Bella Poarch. These are two of the biggest TikTokers in the world. TikTok gave birth to their careers and they've subsequently become pop culture ambassadors for the platform.

This is the social media equivalent of a sports team trying to poach the best players from their rival team. While I doubt Charli and Bella will stop posting on TikTok, the threat of a TikTok ban gave Instagram a chance to entice them over.

Meta is using Fear, Greed, and Envy to get TikTokers to move to Instagram:
-Fear through offering TikTokers a chance to diversify and de-risk against a TikTok ban.
-Greed through generous cash incentives that enforce the creation of Instagram-exclusive content.
-and Envy through trying to rebrand Charli D'Amelio and Bella Poarch as Instagrammers to get other creators to follow their lead.

Digital media is a ruthless place. The best thing a brand or creator can do is be smart about diversification - in all honesty, you should be on both Instagram and TikTok. Take advantage of the specific pros and cons of each platform.