Every creator’s journey is unique, but certain trends reveal a shared roadmap to success. With a lot of social media platforms available, each offering unique advantages, the challenge is choosing the right channels to maximize engagement and monetization. Our research dives deep into platform usage across different creator tiers, providing clear insights that can empower creators, brands, and industry enthusiasts alike. 

Through Vicarious Lab Insights, we monitor creator trends, analyze market changes, and deliver actionable insights to drive smarter decisions. Whether you’re a creator scaling your work, a brand aiming for impact, or a platform boosting engagement, our expertise helps you grow with clarity and confidence.

Arian, built by Vicarious Lab, enables creators to earn directly from their audience while simplifying how they reward and connect with loyal fans.

This report is part of our ongoing research to uncover what works—and what doesn’t—in the creator economy. We are always one with DATA.

Methodology and Research Findings

Our analysis is based on a robust dataset of 1000 creators segmented by follower count, allowing us to understand platform preferences among various tiers of creators. We categorized creators into three groups.  

Follower Size:

• Creators under 50K 
• Creators between 50K – 500K
• Creators over 500K 

Each creator’s presence was assessed across four major platforms: YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, and Facebook. This approach allowed us to calculate not only the raw numbers but also the relative adoption rates within each category, shedding light on where creators invest their time and energy.

Platform Breakdown by Category

Let’s translate the raw data into percentages that speak volumes about platform adoption across each creator tier.

Under 50K Followers

• TikTok & Instagram: A striking 94% of these creators embrace TikTok and Instagram, underlining these platforms as vital for quick engagement and visual storytelling.
• YouTube: Roughly 80% of emerging creators have a channel, suggesting that with the introduction of Youtube shorts, many see value in prioritizing Youtube content even at the start of their journey.
• Facebook: With about 64% presence, Facebook appears less central for newcomers, perhaps due to its more traditional engagement style.

50K to 500K Followers

• TikTok: An overwhelming 93.5% are active on TikTok, reaffirming its role as the engine for discovery and trend-based engagement.
• Instagram: Around 90% use Instagram, leveraging its visual appeal to solidify their brand identity.
• YouTube: Just under 70% of mid-tier creators maintain a YouTube presence, indicating a balanced but more selective approach to long-form content.
• Facebook: About 62% are present on Facebook, consistent with the notion that this platform, while useful, isn’t the primary engine for growth in this tier.

Above 500K Followers

• Instagram: A robust 90% presence emphasizes Instagram’s sustained importance in maintaining a strong, visually-driven brand.
• TikTok: Nearly 88% leverage TikTok, though slightly less than the mid-tier, suggesting a diversification of content strategies as creators evolve.
• YouTube: Over 81% of top-tier creators are on YouTube, highlighting the platform’s enduring value for deep, meaningful content and community building.
• Facebook: An impressive 82% of established creators use Facebook, reflecting its enhanced role in advanced monetization and engaging a mature audience.

Platform Analysis

Each platform has its own advantages and of course considerations to every creator depending on the growth stage and goals. 

YouTube

Strengths:

• Ideal for deep dives into topics, building long-term audience loyalty as well as shorts for bite sized content.
• Offers mature monetization avenues through ads, memberships, and sponsorships.

Consideration:

• Requires higher production effort, which might explain why mid-tier creators show a slightly lower adoption rate.

Story in the Stats:

From nearly 80% among emerging creators especially due to Youtube Shorts  to over 81% for established ones, YouTube remains the trusted platform for monetizable content that stands the test of time.

TikTok

Strengths:

• Rapid growth potential due to algorithm-driven discovery.
• Lower barrier to entry with short-form, easily consumable content.

Consideration:

Monetization is evolving, and the rapid pace can be challenging to sustain.

Story in the Stats:

The near-universal embrace of TikTok, especially by creators under 50K and those in the mid-tier, signals its undeniable influence in launching trends and building quick momentum.

Instagram

Strengths:

• Strong emphasis on visual storytelling and personal branding.
• A variety of content formats (posts, stories, reels) that cater to diverse creative expressions

Consideration:

Algorithm changes and evolving user expectations require constant adaptation.

Story in the Stats

With about 90% adoption across mid-tier and top-tier creators, Instagram clearly remains a favourite for personal branding and creative expression.

Facebook

Strengths:

• Robust community-building tools and mature monetization options.
• Access to a diverse, often older audience demographic.

.Consideration:

Perceived as less trendy for younger demographics as reflected by the lower percentages in the emerging and mid-tier groups. And its interface can be more cluttered. 

Story in the Stats:

The jump from 62% in the mid-tier to 82% in the above 500K category hints at a strategic shift. As creators grow, they leverage Facebook’s deeper engagement tools and monetization strategies to maintain a loyal and diversified audience.

Are Niche and Platform Related?

After doing an indepth study of creators’ top niches which you can find here, if you haven’t already, and their platforms, the relationship between niche and platform usage is clear.

 Your content’s core identity influences where you should invest your creative energy. For emerging creators, short-form, high-impact platforms are key to building a following, especially when your niche leans towards humor and quick engagement. As you grow, integrating longer-form content and leveraging platforms that foster deep community connections can unlock further opportunities, especially if you’re venturing into storytelling-rich genres like drama.

Consider these key observations:

1. Short-Form Dominance for Early Growth:
   Emerging creators gravitate towards TikTok and Instagram. The popularity of comedy in this group underlines the effectiveness of short, engaging content that quickly captures attention.
2. Mid-Tier Balance Between Speed and Depth:
   As creators transition from experimentation to optimization, the consistent performance of comedy and vlogging indicates a dual strategy: fast engagement on TikTok/Instagram paired with thoughtful, longer content on YouTube.
3. Mature Content for a Mature Audience:
   For creators over 500K, the rise in drama and an increased reliance on YouTube and Facebook suggest that storytelling and community-building become paramount. This shift is supported by a modest decline in TikTok usage, as creators invest more in platforms that reward narrative depth.
4. Stable Niches on Visual Platforms:
   Fashion and food remain relatively consistent, mirroring the unwavering high usage of Instagram. This reinforces Instagram’s role as the go-to platform for visually driven content that benefits from aesthetic appeal and consistent branding.

The data tells a compelling story. While TikTok and Instagram are the powerhouses for rapid growth and visual impact across all creator tiers, YouTube and Facebook become increasingly crucial as creators evolve and aim for deeper engagement and monetization.

Key Insights:

The journey of a content creator is as much about strategy as it is about creativity. Our data shows that early success is often fueled by rapid engagement on TikTok and Instagram, while long-term growth and monetization lean on the narrative depth offered by YouTube and Facebook.

• Emerging Creators: Leverage the immediacy of TikTok and Instagram. If your niche leans toward comedy or quick visual content, these platforms are your launchpad.
• Mid-Tier Creators: Integrate longer-form content on YouTube to add depth, while maintaining a strong visual presence on Instagram and TikTok.
• Established Creators: Prioritize platforms that support rich storytelling and community building—particularly YouTube and Facebook—to unlock further monetization and engagement.

Actionable Advice:

• Revisit your current social strategy with these insights in mind. If you’re just starting, prioritize platforms with rapid engagement. 
• As you scale, integrate deeper content formats and explore robust monetization options available on more established platforms. 
• Let the numbers guide you. The difference between creators and successful creators is strategy backed by data. Keep up with creator economy trends through VL Insights as we build data-driven tools and services that help creators, brands, and platforms achieve faster growth
• As a creator or content consumer, sign up on Arian, our creator-first platform that enables creators to earn from their audience regardless of follower count, while making it easy to gift and reward your most loyal fans.