A Content Creators Guide to Social Media Platforms in 2022

How Important is it to be on Social Media Platforms?

As a Content Creator, you will be creating content not just for websites, but also for different social media platforms. So which platforms should you be on, and which ones should you be creating content for? Keep reading as we guide you through the list of the top social media platforms in 2022, and their pros and cons. 

Let’s just say, it’s important. Kepios recently did a study in October 2021 about social media usage around the world and the numbers are staggering. 

Over half the world’s population are on at least one social media platform, and the average internet user is active on 6.7 platforms each month, spending an average of 2.5 hours on social media every day. Now, assuming that you sleep for 7-8 hours a day, that means people spend approximately 15 percent of their waking lives on social media. Click here for more info.  And what are they doing there? 48% are connecting with friends and family, but 26.2% are looking for products to purchase and 22.7% are watching content from their favorite brands, some big wins for Content Creators and their clients.

So with so many different social media platforms to choose from, as a Content Creator, which ones should you be active on?

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Top 15 Social Media Platforms by Active Users in 2022

Firstly, let’s see which are the most popular. Dream grow identifies these as the top 15 social media sites and apps by active users. 

See the Dream Grow stats here

1. Facebook – 2.74 Billion Active Users

2. YouTube – 2.291 Billion Active Users

3. WhatsApp – 2.0 Billion Active Users

4. Facebook Messenger – 1.3 Billion Active Users

5. Instagram – 1.221 Billion Active Users

6. Weixin/WeChat – 1.213 Billion Active Users

7. TikTok – 689 Million Active Users

8. QQ – 617 Million Active Users

9. Douyin – 600 Million Active Users

10. Sina Weibo – 511 Million Active Users

11. Telegram – 500 Million Active Users

12. Snapchat – 498 Million Active Users

13. Kuaishou – 481 Million Active Users

14. Pinterest – 442 Million Active Users

15. Reddit – 430 Million Active Users

Now, not all of these sites will be of interest to every Content Creator. Some on the list are region specific, so unless you have clients in China, or are located in China yourself, platforms like Douyin or Kuaishou, will not be of importance to you. Likewise, platforms such as Facebook Messenger are more commonly used for communication, rather than content creation. 

However, from this list, you can see that there are a number of popular social media platforms that many of us use every day. 

The 4 Top Social Media Platforms for Content Creators in 2022

So we’ve gone through and hand-selected what we believe are the most important sites to be on for content creation in 2022 and provided a list of the pros and cons of each platform:

1. Facebook 

Facebook needs no introduction. As the largest social media platform in the world, it dominates the market. As of February 2021 Facebook boasts 2.74 billion active users and is growing by roughly 500,000 new users every day. 

As the largest platform, there are definitely a whole lot of advantages for a Content Creator to be active on this social media platform. Some of these include:

PROS

● The ability to make money - Buffer podcast mentions that Facebook, Pinterest, and Instagram will be the three social media sites to watch for eCommerce. Post about products and services, share your content, and show potential customers your great customer reviews. Not to mention the new Facebook Shops. Facebook Business Page.

● Finding like-minded Content Creators - Facebook groups are a fantastic way to network with other Content Creators from all over the world. There are numerous groups specifically for networking and even job boards for different content creation opportunities. 

● Cross Promotion & Blogging - If you are a written Content Creator, then Facebook is a fantastic platform to be able to cross-promote your blogs and articles. Using automation apps like IFTTT (If This, Than That), you will be able to automatically post your articles on Facebook as soon as they are published on your WordPress website or blog. 

CONS

● Fake Facebook profiles - Facebook can also be frustrating as it contends with the multitude of fake profiles. Trying to promote your content and making sales on Facebook marketplace can be challenging at times with these fake accounts at work. 

● Biased algorithms - Facebook is, at the end of the day a business, they are there to make money. Therefore, its algorithms will always be biased toward paid content. Also, this could be good or bad, depending on what content you create, but Facebook tends to be more biased toward Video Content Creators. This is because the algorithms reward content that people spend more time looking at, which of course, is a video rather than an image. 

● Security breaches - In April 2021, 533 million Facebook users had their personal data leaked online. This included phone numbers, full names, locations, emails, and biographical information. These types of breaches are a definite disadvantage to sharing your personal information on social media platforms. That is why, even if you do use these platforms, it’s always best to use two factor-authentication and keep your profiles secure. Read the why here.

Want to learn more about pros and cons, click here.

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2. YouTube

As the world’s largest video content-sharing platform, YouTube is a must for any Content Creator involved in video editing but can be very advantageous for other Content Creators too.

PROS

● Easy to use - Even if you are new to the world of content creation, you will be able to get started on YouTube very easily. With its inbuilt video editing software, it’s easy to be able to share your video content online. 

● Monetization - If your YouTube channel starts to gain traction, then it is a great platform to generate income from the content that you produce online.

● Search Engine Optimization - As a Content Creator, you most likely have a website of your own to promote your portfolio and services. Many people use YouTube to help create backlinks for their websites. Also, rather than slowing down your website by embedding videos directly on your site, you can use YouTube to host your video and just link it directly to your site. 

CONS

● Lots of rules - One of the disadvantages is that it can be hard to keep track of all the rules. Between copyright infringement and requirements for content to stay away from, you need to constantly be checking, to make sure you are up to date on the latest rules and regulations for the platform. Because, if your account is found to be in breach, it can be disabled without any notice, or reason given. 

● Any advertiser can put an ad on your video - So you’ve spent a lot of time creating a quality piece of content that you believe will drive lots of leads to your or your client’s site and services. But, did you know that your competition can put an ad at the front of it? Yes, YouTube allows your competitors to pay to advertise directly on your content. 

● Privacy - There is no option for ‘specific user content on YouTube. If you upload content publically, anyone in the world can see it. 

Want to learn more about pros and cons, click here.

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3. Instagram

Instagram is known as a visually appealing platform. Centered around sharing images and short videos called ‘reels’ there are definitely some clear benefits for a visually focused Content Creator. 

PROS

● Effective promotional platform - because of its visual appeal, Instagram is a great platform to showcase your or your client’s business personality online.

● Great features for Creative Content - Instagram has done a great job in providing a variety of cool features for Content Creators. From filters to reels and live streams, to stories and access to other apps like Boomerang and Photo Grid. There are heaps of fascinating ways to share your content on Instagram. 

● Easy to grow your reach - Compared to other social media platforms, it is relatively easy to grow your followers on Instagram if you know what you’re doing. By producing and sharing helpful and interesting content, you can really boost your channel and get a lot of followers over time. 

CONS

● Lots of advertising - Although it’s a definite advantage that Instagram is a great place to promote your content, too much of anything isn’t a good thing. If you are willing to pay for it, Instagram will place your ad in front of your target market, but this can mean advertisements being shown for every 4-5 friend’s posts.  

● Few web features - Instagram is definitely designed as a mobile user application. If you like to work on a desktop computer for everything, you may find it challenging to create effective content and post it on your Instagram account. 

● Not for every age group and niche - Unlike Facebook, Instagram tends to be more for the younger crowd. Almost two-thirds of Instagram are users aged between 18-34 years of age. Statistics Here.

Want to learn more about pros and cons, check these links. Link 1 Link 2

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4. TikTok

TikTok has grown a whopping 40% in 2021 and is predicted to keep this trajectory into 2022. Taken from Tech Crunch. What was once seen as ‘the dance app’ has rapidly expanded to provide an interactive and transparent platform for Content Creators and businesses alike. 

PROS

● Creating Authentic Content - Because of its narrative style to its content, TikTok is a great place for Content Creators to produce authentic content. Things like, behind the scenes of creating your products or services, and really showing the human element to a business profile. 

● Time-saving content - A huge advantage to the ‘authentic’ appearance of TikTok videos is that they don’t need to be high-production videos. Videos shot with a smartphone are simple and relatable and definitely saves time on post-production work for any Content Creator. 

● Reaching millennials and Gen Z - Although mostly home to Millennials and Gen Z users, don’t overlook this and think it’s a negative. These two groups of people currently have 40% of the global buying power. 

CONS

● Risk the reputation of your brand - With the pro of allowing authenticity, comes the con of ‘a little too much’. As a Content Creator you don’t want to be seen as unprofessional, so make sure that you are sticking to your brand's voice and being aware of how your customers and viewers might perceive the content you create. 

● Censorship - At the end of the day, TikTok is still owned by a Chinese company, and videos can get censored, for seemingly no reason, with no explanation given.

● Tiktok ads are expensive - In comparison to Facebook or Instagram, TikTok ads do tend to be more expensive.  

To find out more about Tiktoks pros and cons, Click here.

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‍5. Pinterest

Like Instagram, Pinterest is a very visual social media platform. The main difference however is that Pinterest targets a different demographic, typically female, under 45 years of age. More info here.

PROS

● Great for driving traffic to external sites

● Information on Pinterest is very easy to share

● Higher conversion rates from content

CONS

● The images must meet specific quality rules.

● Your content may go places you don’t want it to go

● You need a high share rate to get noticed 

To find out more about Pinterest pros and cons, Click here.

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6. Reddit ‍

PROS

● Great if you have a specific niche you want to target - subreddits interested in certain topics. Creating written content online for them. 

● Excellent for research - creating content, and seeing how your target market responds to it.

● Great to generate mentions of your business or content

CONS

● Cannot do too much self-promotion - Redditors are notoriously unkind to brands that blatantly self-promote. 

● 87% of Redditors are 35yrs or younger

● You need to be consistent - creating karma for trustworthy content and regular posting and likes.

To find out more about Reddit pros and cons, Click here.

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Final Thoughts

As you can see, as a Content Creator, there is an incredible variety of social media platforms to choose from with pros and cons for each. Depending on the type of content you create, will depend on which social media platform is right for you. But the main point is, if you aren’t on at least one social media platform today, then pick one and get on it. You are missing out on some amazing opportunities to share your content and interact with your target customers in a unique way online.  

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