Metricooler, this week we turned into Doctor Strange, except instead of scanning millions of possible futures to find the right one, we scanned over 6 million short videos to find the answers. The difference is that he found one winning outcome, and we, spoiler alert, didn't.
Short video rules every feed, but that doesn't mean it works the same way everywhere, and that's where the usual doubts creep in:
If you think your audience isn't on TikTok, can you ignore it completely?
Do Reels really get shared as much as they seem to?
Where do YouTube Shorts stand right now?
This newsletter is just an appetizer, and if you're still hungry, you'll find the link to download the full report at the end 👇🏻
All your videos, everywhere at once
Just like Evelyn lived in several universes at once, your videos can live on Reels, TikTok, and Shorts at the same time, without any extra effort on your end, only upside.
Posting to three networks sounds like triple the work, but with Metricool's multiposting you upload the video once and it gets scheduled on all three.
One more thing before we start: we have free stuff.
We have 4 extra tickets for DMWF Global, taking place in New York on September 9-10. One of the world's leading marketing events, with talks from people at Google, Meta, Red Bull, and CNN, plus plenty of time to network with other professionals and hang out with us if you're around.
Here's what to do:
Post on LinkedIn about what you love about this newsletter
Reply to this email with the link to your post
First ones in get the tickets. Easy peasy!
#1. A leader with a few cracks
The data doesn't lie: TikTok leads the short-video views by a wide margin, generating 42.6% more views than Instagram and 518.3% more than YouTube.
Even with that lead, TikTok's views dropped 31% compared to 2025 (TikTok Study 2026)
Getting over 40% more views than your closest competitor is no small feat, but Instagram isn't falling behind either.
While TikTok wins on views, Instagram is buzzing with interactions, with more than 20 comments on average per post and over 1,000 total interactions, and engagement is through the roof at 4.30%, compared to 3.67% on TikTok and 1.85% on YouTube.
➜ Bottom line: sorry, but there's no single winner here…
50+ ideas to get those views
A gallery of more than 50 accounts that are dominating short video, hand-picked by our social team, all on one page. Direct inspiration, no hours of scrolling needed.
#2. TikTok is the best place to start
If you're taking your first steps with short video, keep this number in mind:
Accounts with fewer than 2,000 followers get an average of 2,429.26 views per video on TikTok, well ahead of Instagram (1,483.55) and almost double what Shorts gets (1,289.72).
➜ Bottom line: on TikTok you're more likely to get discovered early, even starting from zero followers.
Got 2 minutes? Get a full report on your social media
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#3. The joy of sharing
Nowhere gets shared like Instagram. It's the platform where sharing happens most naturally, in large part because when you discover new content there, it often comes as a recommendation from someone you know rather than from the algorithm. Maybe that's why it's the network where interactions multiply and connections grow stronger.
And the data backs it up: an average of 71.44 shares per post, more than double TikTok's number.
TikTok might take home the views, but Instagram is where you build loyal communities that engage with your content.
Reels are the format that gets the most interactions (1,035.48) and the highest engagement (4.30%) on Instagram (Instagram Trends 2026)
➜ Bottom line: if you want to get shared, Instagram is your place.
Is 713 views a lot or a little? It depends...
A number on its own, without context, doesn't always tell you much.
With this Claude skill, you compare your Instagram data against 375,000 real accounts and find out right away whether you're above or below accounts your size.
#4. A format still finding its footing
YouTube is the original video platform on the internet, but when it comes to short video, TikTok and Instagram are still ahead. Even so, the numbers keep improving year after year, and YouTube has anadvantage its rivals can't match:
61% of YouTube's organic views come from the Shorts feed, making it the main engine for getting discovered (YouTube Study 2026)
We’ve watched over 6 million short videos…
And these are just some of the highlights. Get the full report to see where each platform shines.
THIS WEEK’S STORIES
LinkedIn adds a button to flag low-quality AI posts: over 1 million people have already clicked it
Instagram shares 5 tips for writing the perfect caption to connect with your audience
Instagram launches 'First Draft', a new way to create a Reel that gives you a starting point to build your video from
95% of social media professionals now use AI for their daily tasks, according to Metricool's Social Media AI Usage Study
VIDEO
Are Trial Reels worth it? We tested 50+ to find out
Trial Reels let you test content on a small audience before it goes to everyone, but does that make them worth using?
We posted 50+ over four weeks to find out. Here's what still made it worth doing, and what we changed.
PD
This week we say goodbye to Yayoi Kusama. The Japanese artist spent decades seeing the world covered in polka dots, pumpkins and infinity mirrors, a vision almost no one else understood for years. She could have kept it to herself to fit in, but instead she painted it, repeated it, and turned it into her entire universe, until the rest of us finally saw it too.
Thank you for the dots, Yayoi 💛
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