As the world of social media grows, so does the opportunity to monetize content. Influencer marketing is one of the most popular methods of making money online. 

While there are currently many options available, two of the more popular options are Instagram and YouTube.

There is nothing like a private account and a professional account on YouTube, and the same Instagram is the opposite of a YouTube account, so if you want to see someone's profile on Instagram, you have to send a follow request. But with IMGLookup, you can view their private profiles without sending a follower request.

Money is made on Instagram through sponsored posts, shoutouts, affiliate links, and selling products as well. In this post, we will look at both these platforms in-depth and compare Instagram Vs. YouTube. 

Difference Between Making Money on Instagram Vs. YouTube?

There are some key differences in how you can make money on Instagram versus YouTube. The main one is that YouTube pays its creators via advertising revenue. 

Creators have the option to showcase advertisements within their videos, consequently earning a portion of the generated revenue from these integrated ads.

This advertising revenue-sharing model doesn't exist on Instagram. Money is made on Instagram through sponsored posts, shoutouts, affiliate links, and selling products as well. as through Instagram reels and Instagram Live. 

As a creator on Youtube, you can also earn money from sponsorships, also from brands and companies, or merchandise sales of your own or another brand's product.

Instagram Vs. YouTube: Some Key Statistics

Before we get into the qualitative comparison, let’s first compare some numbers for each platform. These are some statistics for influencer marketing on each platform.

Ready to get started? Here you go.

Instagram

1. 
   1. Number of users: over 1 billion people
2. 2. Average engagement rate: 3%
3. 3. Average influencer rate: $10 per post/1000 followers
4. 4. The average number of likes on influential accounts: 1,542.
5. 
   

YouTube

1. 
   1. Number of users: over 2 billion people
2. 2. Average engagement rate: 18%
3. 3. Average influencer rate: $20 per post/1000 subscribers
4. 4. The average number of views for influencer videos: is 24,343.
5. 
   

Is YouTube a Better Way to Make Money?

The answer depends on your objective. It’s an amazing platform for people and brands who want to deliver explicit content in fields like food, music, nature, travel, and others.

Among the oldest platforms for content creators, YouTube is one of the most lucrative options for earning a living.

Pros

1. Huge Audience:

Over 122 million people use YouTube daily and growing. Moreover, YouTube is available in more than 76 native languages in 88 countries.

2. Acquire Potential Leads:

You must’ve seen influencers adding links to the products or services they’re promoting in the description. It’s easy to do that here.

3. Prefers High-Quality Video:

YouTube requires a standard production value in the creator’s video. You need a high-quality camera and lightning unit to create videos.

4. Pays Good Money:

A Youtuber makes $3 to $5 for every 1000 views on their videos. So, it all depends on how big you can get.

Cons:

1. Requires Certain Budget:

Although YouTube promotes high-quality content, it can be disappointing for some people or brands with limited resources.   

2. Not So Easy to Earn Money:

Factually, you must’ve at least 1,000 subscribers and 4000 watch hours to enable Youtube monetization. 

Is Instagram a Better Way to Make Money?

Instagram is an excellent platform if you want a more personal connection with your customers. With over 2 billion users worldwide, it has a huge customer base that you can target.

When it comes to making money, emerging influencers and brands prefer Instagram. You can create super engaging, cost-effective videos and monetize them by various means.

Pros

1. Cost-effective:

To start your Instagram career, you don’t have to be a very skilled creator. You have the capability to capture a video using your phone, make edits using third-party applications, and subsequently upload it to the desired platform.

2. Variety of Features:

Instagram is not just about posting cool images. Its features like IG stories, reels, and Live videos make it one of the versatile social media platforms for influencer marketing.

3. Better Engagements:

People don’t like watching long and overwhelming posts. It’s time-consuming and tiresome.

Cons:

1. Competitive:

Instagram is a highly competitive platform, meaning you’ve to manage your posts regularly for increased visibility.

2. No Partner Program:

Instagram doesn’t have a partner program like YouTube yet. So, if you want to make a living, you’ll have to rely on brand collaborations. 

Instagram Vs. YouTube – How to Choose the Right Platform for Your Campaign

When selecting a platform for your campaign, it is essential to consider the "Rs" of influence, which encompass the following factors:

Resonance – The potential engagement an influencer can generate from an audience that’s relevant and valuable to your business.

Relevance –What is the extent of your target customers' presence on this platform? You can check this by analyzing which platforms the influencers in your niche use more.

Reach – The number of people/users you can potentially reach using the influencer’s content on the platform. This can be measured by the follower counts of influencers that you plan to work with.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q1. Is Instagram better than YouTube?

Ans.  For those prioritizing long-form videos, YouTube is the ideal destination, whereas Instagram serves as the superior platform for engaging with audiences that prefer short-form content.

Q.2 What pays more, Instagram or YouTube?

Ans. As an influencer, Instagram is the go-to platform. The market for influencers is well-developed on the platform as compared to the rest, and you don’t necessarily have to create videos to earn.

Q.3 Are YouTube and Instagram connected?

Ans. No, YouTube and Instagram are different social networks, and they’re not connected.

Wrapping Up

So which platform should content creators choose if they want to monetize their work? Both platforms offer unique pros and cons depending on what content you want in terms of earnings potential and stability.

You can try both, but in my opinion, Instagram is a fast-growing platform with high engagement, making it simple to earn money when used effectively.