As a creator or entrepreneur, promoting your work is essential to reaching a larger audience and growing your brand. With so many platforms available, it can be overwhelming to decide where to focus your efforts.
Today, I'll share some pros and cons of the more popular platforms, including Facebook, Google, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, Medium, and Substack. By understanding the demographics and strengths of each platform, you can make informed decisions on how to best promote your creative work.
Let's start with Facebook, one of the most popular (and largest) social media platforms. Facebook is great for creating awareness and engaging with various audiences. It allows for targeted advertising based on demographics such as age, location, and interests.
If your work would be considered more traditional, Facebook may be an ideal platform for you to lean into. Facebook has incredible features to work with (I'll dive into that in another post), such as groups, stories, reels, Messenger, and so much more. It has plenty of ways for you to connect with your ideal customer.
However, organic reach on Facebook has decreased over the years due to algorithm changes, so paid advertising will likely be necessary to reach a larger audience.
Moving on to Google, this platform is ideal for brands that already have some level of awareness. Google Ads can help drive traffic to your website or online store through search engine marketing. The key advantage of Google is that users are actively searching for products or services related to your brand, making it easier to convert leads into customers. However, Google Ads can be expensive depending on the keywords you target.
If you're running a local business such as photography or portraits, setting up and optimizing a (free) Google business page can be a big boost to your business.
Instagram is known for its visually appealing content and strong engagement rates. It is particularly popular among younger audiences aged 18-34 who are interested in fashion, beauty, lifestyle, and travel.
Instagram Stories and Reels are effective tools for promoting creative work in a casual and authentic way. The downside of Instagram is that competition is high among creators and brands vying for attention in users' feeds.
If you want to win on Instagram, you'll need to push outside your comfort zone and embrace your uniqueness to stand out. Above all, be yourself—authenticity is a refreshing change on social media (especially on Instagram).
TikTok has quickly risen in popularity among Gen Z audiences with its short-form videos and viral challenges. It offers a unique opportunity for creators to go viral overnight and reach millions of users organically. TikTok's algorithm favors new content creators over established brands, making it a level playing field for everyone. However, TikTok's user base skews younger with limited targeting options compared to other platforms.
The other thing to remember regarding TikTok is the pending government ban. You may experience dramatic success with TikTok, but if the platform gets banned, all your work could disappear overnight.
Be sure to have a strategy for capturing your leads from TikTok so you won't have to start over from scratch if the worst happens.
YouTube remains the go-to platform for video content with over 2 billion monthly active users worldwide. It is suitable for long-form videos such as tutorials, vlogs, interviews, or documentaries that provide value to viewers.
YouTube offers monetization opportunities through ads or sponsorships once you reach certain criteria as a content creator. The downside of YouTube is that competition is fierce in popular niches like gaming or beauty.
Many of the creators I meet tend to be introverted (like me) and want to avoid being on video at all costs. However, we can't ignore the potential that YouTube and video, in general, offer for growing your business.
Consider taking your fans behind the scenes and showing them how you bring your work to life. You could also provide tips and tutorials to fans who are inspired by your work.
Medium and Substack are both platforms focused on written content such as articles or newsletters. Medium allows writers to publish articles behind a paywall. At the same time, Substack enables creators to build an email list and monetize their newsletters through subscriptions.
These platforms are ideal for thought leadership or niche topics where readers are willing to pay for quality content. However, building an audience from scratch on Medium or Substack can be challenging without existing followers.
The key to remember for Medium and Substack is that they are perfect platforms for connecting with readers. If you write, you should go where the readers are.
Choosing the right platform for promoting your creative work depends on your target audience demographics and goals. Each platform offers unique strengths and weaknesses that cater to different types of content creators or brands.
You can maximize your reach and engagement with potential customers or fans by understanding these nuances and experimenting with different strategies across multiple platforms simultaneously.
Remember—it's not about the size of the audience—rather, it's about the quality. For example, if your craft is writing, promoting your work on YouTube may offer a vast reach, but it may not connect you with readers as well as Medium or Substack can.
Final thought - choose one platform to really lean into. Once you've established a solid presence, you can branch off into other platforms.