Avoid the twelve-year-old YouTuber if you want to know the outcome of the Instagram vs Facebook battle.
A quick Google search to compare the merits of Instagram vs Facebook will generate the same results. You find a website offering “secret” growth strategies for both platforms that yield nothing.
By now, you can probably predict the outcome. A YouTuber named Zack, who looks about twelve, will kick off with a quick reminder to follow his account before he spends 35 minutes rambling about how he got 10k followers in 30 days.
Just as you give up hope, he reveals his most treasured secret: there is no difference between Instagram and Facebook – it’s all about the content!
Thanks, Zack, but that’s like telling me I must learn to write well to win a Pulitzer Prize. Not helpful.
Zack is not alone. Every website, blog and video will say something similar. So, is great content all you need? As an agency that has grown accounts from inception to over 10k followers, we set off to compare Instagram vs Facebook.
Which is better to use Facebook or Instagram?
As any good social media strategy will dictate, deciding which platform is better depends on your purpose.
From an end-user perspective, the debate about Facebook vs. Instagram is relatively straightforward—both are great for different reasons and depend entirely on personal preferences.
Yet, from a content creator perspective, the answer is much more nuanced. Both platforms are owned by Meta, whose stated mission is to “give people the power to build community and bring the world closer.”
Therefore, at first glance, there would appear to be little difference. Both platforms allow you to share videos, stories, and pictures. However, the differences, and consequently, the ability to influence, are enormous.
Facebook is primarily designed for users to stay connected with people they know while fostering online communities. Until recently, Facebook was heavily weighted towards personal connections. This is no surprise, given that its original purpose was to connect friends.
In contrast, Instagram started as a platform for sharing photos with the world, including people you didn’t know. It retains its visual focus today, albeit venturing into short videos known as Reels. These videos have transformed the platform and ensured it can compete with TikTok.
Yet, Instagram continues to focus on creativity and entertainment, aiming to inspire users while serving as a discovery platform for trends, brands, and influencers.
So, from face value, Instagram is the best option for growing an online following, especially since the world is moving towards video content.
But things are changing. Facebook has also introduced Reels onto its platform, meaning the debate on Instagram vs. Facebook has resurfaced.
Why do people move from Facebook to Instagram?
Before the introduction of Reels onto Facebook, the platform was challenging to grow on. For most content creators, posting on their Facebook page yielded few views and engagement.
So, the best way to obtain influence on Facebook was to create groups, but getting the reach to grow a group was problematic.
Therefore, with its higher reach, Instagram was the place to be.
Moreover, there has been a shift in how the platforms are perceived. Instagram is commonly seen as a cooler brand, underpinned by its visual elements and a younger user base.
Therefore, many creators continue to prefer Instagram over Facebook despite the introduction of reels.
However, frustration over a lack of reach is not unique to Facebook and is why fewer people post on social media today. While many content creators have moved from Facebook to Instagram over the years, complaints over low reach and content not even reaching followers have surfaced.
Therefore, it’s essential to investigate further to determine the winner of the Instagram vs Facebook debate.
Investigating Instagram vs Facebook – who wins?
We compared engagement and follower growth across both platforms to settle the Instagram vs Facebook debate.
Moreover, if your content is all that matters to engage an audience, the engagement should be similar across both platforms if you post the same content.
Therefore, we analysed four health influencers by comparing the same content across Instagram and Facebook.
Mark Hyman
First up was the NY Times best-selling author and TV doctor Mark Hyman, aka the George Clooney of medicine.
Mark Hyman has 3.1m followers on Instagram compared to 1.2m on Facebook. Over 2.5 years, Hyman’s Instagram account has increased by an eyewatering 1.2m while his Facebook account has increased by only 200k.
Poor guy, he must be one of those frustrated influencers!
Reviewing the identical posts on both platforms, we assumed the engagement would be approximately double on Instagram. However, on Instagram, he had 20,100 likes and 290 comments compared to 2,700 likes and 76 comments on Facebook.
That’s an astonishing 644.4% increase in engagement on Instagram. So, how does he get so many more likes on Instagram? It was clearly not about his content.
David Perlmutter
Celebrity doctor and author of The Grain Brain—which, let’s be honest, sounds more like an awful disease than a bestseller—Dr David Perlmutter’s social media stats tell an intriguing story.
On Facebook, he boasts an impressive 435k followers, dwarfing his 235k followers on Instagram. Over the past 2.5 years, though, his growth has been lopsided: just 9k new followers on Facebook compared to a booming 62k on Instagram.
However, while his Facebook account might be 185% bigger in sheer numbers, Instagram punches way above its weight in engagement.
A recent post earned him just 323 likes and 13 comments on Facebook, compared to a whopping 1563 likes and 17 comments on Instagram.
That’s a staggering 384% more engagement on Instagram—proof that size isn’t everything in social media.
Ben Greenfield
We decided to diversify our search to ensure we didn’t miss the memo mentioning doctors are the only cool people on Instagram. Therefore, we analysed another NY Times best-selling author and biohacking icon, Ben Greenfield.
Speedo-loving Greenfield seems to have found his tribe on Instagram, boasting 438k followers—double his 190k on Facebook. Over 2.5 years, his growth numbers told a familiar story: a modest 1k new followers on Facebook compared to an impressive 58k on Instagram.
Once again, Instagram crushed Facebook in terms of engagement. For the same post, Instagram delivered 1,329 likes and 55 comments, while Facebook barely showed up, with 74 likes and nine comments.
That’s a staggering 1,566% increase in engagement on Instagram. Apparently, speedos play better in the feed than on the timeline.
Higher Dose
To ensure Ben Greenfield’s speedo photos were not affecting the social media results, we investigated the biohacking company Higher Dose. Can Speedos ever be a good look unless you are called Michael Phelps?
Higher Dose, known for its infrared sauna blankets and other health tech, has a Facebook following of just 15k—far behind its 224k Instagram followers.
That means over 2.5 years, they have grown by 9k followers on Facebook and 119k on Instagram.
The result? Unless you are an eternal optimist who believes Dawsons Creek will one day have a happy episode (it ended in 2003), you will have guessed the outcome was not good. Even though their follower count is much smaller on Facebook, that doesn’t explain the drastic difference in engagement on the same post.
They received three likes and four comments on Facebook and 309 likes and 26 comments on Instagram. Suddenly, the doctors on Facebook were starting to look as popular as Kylie Jenner!
So, how do they rack up so many likes on Instagram? Honestly, we haven’t been this mystified since Dawson dumped Joey.
We did try to find other female health influencers, aside from Higher Dose, who are big on both Instagram and Facebook. However, this proved almost as challenging as when we tried to analyse which type of people decide to go on “Married at First Sight”. We are still investigating…
Instagram vs Facebook – The results
The Instagram vs Facebook debate appears settled. The results from our small sample size clearly illustrated that Instagram continues to be the better platform for content creators.
To really drive the point home, we decided to test it by launching a health account on both Facebook and Instagram.
We started by running Facebook ads to rack up over 500 followers quickly. Meanwhile, our Instagram account barely scraped together 50 followers. The results? You probably guessed it.
Despite the larger Facebook following, the same post only reached 14 people on Facebook, while 72 saw it on Instagram.
And the engagement? We got eight likes on Instagram—nothing to write home about, but still something. Meanwhile, on Facebook? Absolutely no engagement.
It’s safe to say Instagram is the clear winner.
The question isn’t Instagram vs Facebook. Instead, it’s about how you get better reach.
Contrary to YouTube Zach’s advice, it’s not all about content. It’s about your reach. Reach is social media jargon for how many people the platform shows your content to.
So, how do you get better reach? You need to understand what the Instagram algorithms want. Contrary to popular belief, the algorithms value simplicity. They want to understand who to show your content to.
Therefore, a clearly defined niche is critical to getting more views on Reels – the most effective way to drive new follower growth and get engagement.
This idea of increasing reach through identifying a niche is also accurate for Facebook. However, Facebook, compared to Instagram, continues to be a platform for immediate connections first.
Unfortunately, despite advancements in AI for social media, there are no shortcuts. You must spend time identifying a niche before you can grow organically.
Can Instagram replace Facebook?
We recommend replacing your Facebook account with an Instagram presence if you want to grow.
While Facebook’s adoption of Reels has given the platform a new lease of life and content creators hope to reach new audiences, it’s not enough for the platform to be an excellent option for content creators.
The only exception is if you already have a strong Facebook following. If you have spent time growing your account and have strong engagement, we suggest continuing to deliver content to your Facebook followers.
However, the great thing about being on Instagram is that you can automatically share your Reels to your Facebook page. Therefore, you can focus on Instagram whilst retaining your Facebook presence.
Moving forward
So, next time you think you have cracked the social media code because 12-year-old Zack has told you his top secret, stop. His knowledge of Instagram vs. Facebook is the same as his insight into what women want—clueless.
Creating great content and hoping it will be visible, regardless of platforms, is like driving a red Ferrari in the Sahara Desert. Nobody cares because nobody is there.
You need to be visible so people can see your content. Therefore, skip the Instagram vs Facebook debate and focus on increasing your reach by building a niche and growing via Instagram Reels.
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