So similar, yet so different. The format of short (and not always short) vertical videos has already been integrated into almost all social media platforms and has no intention of giving up its positions. We at Hate Agency decided once again to analyze the actual information about the most popular platforms and made a short sammari, not to take too much of your time and not to bore you with big comparison tables.
TikTok
The trendsetter in short videos. 90% of the content on the other three sites duplicates clips from TikTok, and to catch up, the sites allocate money to their talent programs. New features are introduced regularly. Good Russian support for advertisers and content makers. Strict moderators, worth avoiding the slightest hint of policy violation.
Reels
The most enjoyable alternative to TikTok. Goes in synergy with your regular feed and can bring subscribers to an account that wasn’t even helped by paid promotion. Still not as large an audience pool as TikTok. Distinguished by less trash, more Instagrammable content takes off here: beauty, photo tips, travel and scenic spots.
VK clips
The most marginal site of the four in the review. Content with sexual connotations, violent prank calls predominate. May be suitable for FMCG promotion in the regions.
YouTube Shorts
Is a dump of slices uploaded from fresh accounts. Content-makers rarely make content solely for this tab, most often – uploading highlites of the main projects.
What are the different technical requirements for clips, what are the nuances?
TikTok
The maximum length of the video is 3 minutes. Description up to 150 characters, but you can see only the first few words before the kata. Inside there are live-streams from camera, from smartphone screen and via streamer software (StreamLabs, OBS). Hashtags can work in narrow topics ( #design , #programming ), but are useless if you use something like #hochureki . The site clearly follows the rules of the community, after three violations you can go to a permanent ban.
Reels
The maximum length of a video is 60 seconds. I think that limitation will be removed, as it was for the benefit of already dead IGTV. The description up to 2108 characters. You can edit the cover and description after publication, unlike TikTok. Reels rank well by hashtags, unlike the same TikTok, where the hashtag feature is still in question.
VK clips
The maximum length of a clip is 60 seconds. Description up to 200 characters, hashtags are supported, but useless little more than completely.
YouTube Shorts
The maximum length of a clip is 60 seconds. Description up to 100 characters. When posting, you need to adjust the age limit and specify whether the video is for children. Violations in the Shorts tab can cause problems for your main account as well, so you should be especially careful about copyrights.