Emplifi Report 2024 Social Media Benchmarks en

2024 REPORT
Social media benchmarks

1
INTRODUCTION
Look back to move forward
Social media benchmarks are pivotal for organizations navigating the complex and
ever-changing landscape of digital marketing. This comparative analysis — which
includes proprietary Emplifi data from more than 325,000 unique brand social
profiles* — is not just about measuring likes, shares, or engagement rates.
It’s about understanding the effectiveness of platforms like Instagram, Facebook,

TikTok, and X (formerly Twitter) for awareness, engagement, and driving business
growth. Utilize this data as a navigational tool, but also as a path to test new
strategies, channels, and content.
Key takeaways 03
Brand activity through Instagram is on the rise 04
Visual storytelling continues to dominate all engagement 05
Audiences remain open to long-form video 07
Why some brands should prioritize Friday publishing 09
X (Twitter) marks the spot 11
Brand investment in (paid) social reaches new highs 12
This report includes data sourced from Emplifi from January 01, 2022 - December 31, 2023. The sample size sources 233,737 Facebook
profiles, 87,890 Instagram profiles, 27,272 X / Twitter profiles, and 1,656 TikTok profiles of small, medium, and large brand accounts, meaning
pages of organizations or businesses for commercial activity. As our analysis includes periods before Twitter’s re-brand to X, charts will
reference the name “Twitter” only.
2 2
OVERVIEW
Key takeaways
Brands increase Instagram usage: There’s 26 seconds is the new black: Attention spans X has stabilized for brands: Elon Musk’s
clearly a surge in activity, engagement, and are dwindling, but that doesn’t mean every new vision for the company hasn’t altered
investment into the Meta-backed platform. In video has to be short form. Our data suggests its considerable audience size and unique
a year of new market entrants and uncertainty the opportunities and potential engagement place in the social media landscape. How you
around its peers, Instagram continues to be of long-form video (over 26 seconds) is key to approach this channel is worth evaluation as
the place for brands and their audiences. capturing your audience’s gaze. part of your social strategy.
Visual storytelling content and channels Friday is your peak window for engagement: Paid social investment reaches all-time highs:
are king: The divide between visually The most engaged window for your most More and more brands are rushing into the
engaging content and its static counterparts engaging content (Reels and TikTok videos) paid social space to reach their audiences.
has never been deeper. The overwhelming is now firmly Friday. It’s time to scope what See why Instagram remains expensive but
success of Reels, TikTok, and Facebook Live activation during this window looks like for effective, and why Facebook and X could
is central to this trend, but there are other your brand. offer value-based opportunities.
content types to consider and benchmark.
3 3
SPOTLIGHT
Brand activity through Brand content activations

Median content activations per page
Instagram is on the rise 35
Median activations per page

30
25
20
15
10
Instagram saw increases in content activations across 2023, 5
and that’s likely because brands have been rewarded for 0

Q1 2022 Q2 2022 Q3 2022 Q4 2022 Q1 2023 Q2 2023 Q3 2023 Q4 2023
investing their resources in the channel. The channel led
Facebook Instagram Twitter TikTok
paid and organic interactions (per 1,000 impressions) over
every quarter for the last two years, and it has continued to
Source: Emplifi data
Date Range: 01 January 2022 - 31 December 2023
Sample: Unique FB Profiles: 233,737, IG Profiles: 87,840, TW Profiles: 27,272, TT Profiles: 1,647
widen the gap between it and TikTok, which saw declines in
both brand activations and engagement during this time.
Brands post interactions on Instagram

Instagram enjoyed its best numbers in more than
Paid and organic post interactions per 1K Impressions
two years, improving 9% in brand post interactions
Median interactions per 1K impressions

35
per 1,000 impressions in the final two quarters of 2023. 30
25
TikTok’s decline in brand post activations and interactions 20
15
could be viewed as a byproduct of the app’s particular vibe, 10
which tends to support creators, influencers, and everyday 5
people over brand content. Entering that space through

0
Q1 2022 Q2 2022 Q3 2022 Q4 2022 Q1 2023 Q2 2023 Q3 2023 Q4 2023
influencer marketing or user-generated content (UGC) could

be an ideal way to balance the success most brands are Source: Emplifi data
seeing on Instagram. Date Range: 01 January 2022 - 31 December 2023

Sample: Unique Profiles: 87,840, Posts 38,376,381. Stories Excluded
What’s clear from the benchmark data is that most brands

can find their audience on Instagram, and based on their
level of activity, that effort is paying off.
4 4
SOCIAL MEDIA ENGAGEMENT
Visual storytelling continues to

dominate all engagement
Instagram’s emphasis on images and short-form video content – paired with

TikTok’s still sizable engagement lead over Twitter and Facebook – means
that visual storytelling is only going to increase in importance for brand
content activations. Additionally, Facebook Live’s domination of median post
interactions (Page 6) across all other channel content types suggests that
audiences want visually engaging content.
Brands should consider visual content and video engagement across 2024
to take advantage of these trends, in particular on TikTok, which (Page 8)
continues to curate strong organic brand engagement versus its peers.
Brands
Brands post
post interactions
interactions
PaidPaid
andand organic
organic postpost interactions
interactions per 1,000
per 1,000 impressions
impressions
35
Median Interactions per 1K Impressions
30
25
20
15
10
0
Q1 2022 Q2 2022 Q3 2022 Q4 2022 Q1 2023 Q2 2023 Q3 2023 Q4 2023
Source: Emplifi data Instagram TikTok Twitter Facebook

Date range: 01 January 2022 - 31 December 2023
Sample: Unique FB Profiles: 233,737, IG Profiles: 87,840, TW Profiles: 27,272, TT Profiles: 1,647
5
SOCIAL MEDIA ENGAGEMENT
Performance of post types (worldwide by channel)
Performance of post types on Facebook (worldwide) Performance of post types on Instagram (worldwide)
Median post interactions of brands Median post interactions of brands
Live Video
Carousel
Carousel
Reel
Video Reel
Image
Link
Image
Status
0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70
Median post interactions

Source: Emplifi data Source: Emplifi data

Date Range: 01 January 2023 - 31 December 2023 Date Range: 01 January 2023 - 31 December 2023
Sample: 42,500,928 Posts Published by 211,751 Profiles on Facebook Sample: 18,591,479 Posts Published by 82,567 Profiles on Instagram
Performance of post types on Twitter (worldwide) Through a global lens of media post interactions across each major
Median post interactions of brands
platform, visual post types significantly outperform their peers
Gif
in organic social media. TikTok, which is fully a video platform,
consistently keeping pace with Instagram (Page 5) shows how much
Video
social media has morphed into a video-content delivery engine.

Status
Image
This does not mean that brands should fully invest their focus into
Link
0.00 1.00 2.00 3.00 4.00 5.00 6.00 7.00

multimedia and interactive content, but the balance of output clearly
favors visual storytelling to reach your audience.
Sample: 9,096,319 Posts Published by 24,549 Profiles on X (Formerly Twitter)
6
VIDEO ENGAGEMENT
Audiences remain open Quarterly evolution: Median video views

Instagram & TikTok sister profiles
to long-form video 15,000
Median video views

12,500
10,000
7,500
5,000
Instagram Reels and TikTok videos continue to be a 2,500
significant catalyst for brand engagement. Instagram

0
Q1 2022 Q2 2022 Q3 2022 Q4 2022 Q1 2023 Q2 2023 Q3 2023 Q4 2023
leads TikTok for median video views consistently over Instagram TikTok
the past two years*. That lead is dropping with small Source: Emplifi data
gains from TikTok across 2023. Date Range: 01 January 2022 - 31 December 2023
Sample: IG & TikTok Sister Brand Profiles: 1,055. Unique posts: 520,461
Brands can reliably assume their audiences still thirst

for engaging video content, and Reels and TikTok videos TikToks vs. IG Reels: Median interactions
are the leaders in that space. Their popularity has yet to Lengths (secs): Short: 1-12.9; Medium: 13-25.9; Long: >= 26
erode our collective attention spans as medium-to-long 200
videos – from 13 seconds to more than 26 seconds –

Median page interactions
150
performed well on both channels in 2023.
100
Unsurprisingly, image-centric content still accounts for 50
a 65% share of posts on Instagram – and nearly 75% 0
of posts on Facebook. Brands wanting to invest in the Long Medium Short
potential of video engagement must juggle the resource Instagram TikTok
investment needed to deploy any video length. This is Source: Emplifi data
where partnerships with influencers and UGC could Sample: IG & TikTok Sister Brand Profiles: 1,055. Unique posts: 313,788
help brands looking to balance these numbers and

save on investment.
7 *Analysis based on comparison of over 1,000 sister Instagram and TikTok profiles from 2022-2023. 7
VIDEO ENGAGEMENT
Instagram Reels vs. TikTok videos (organic activity)
Quarterly evolution: Median number of page Reels/TikToks Quarterly evolution: Median page interactions
Instagram & TikTok sister profiles Instagram & TikTok sister profiles
40 350
Median activations per page

300
30
250
200
20
150
100
10
50
0 0
Q1 2022 Q2 2022 Q3 2022 Q4 2022 Q1 2023 Q2 2023 Q3 2023 Q4 2023 Q1 2022 Q2 2022 Q3 2022 Q4 2022 Q1 2023 Q2 2023 Q3 2023 Q4 2023
Instagram TikTok Instagram TikTok

Sample: IG & TikTok Sister Brand Profiles: 1,055. Unique posts: 520,461 Sample: IG & TikTok Sister Brand Profiles: 1,055. Unique posts: 520,461
TikToks vs. IG Reels: Video views TikToks vs. IG Reels: Median interactions
Lengths (secs): Short: 1-12.9; Medium: 13-25.9; Long: >= 26 Lengths (secs): Short: 1-12.9; Medium: 13-25.9; Long: >= 26
10,000 200

Median video views
8,000
150
6,000
100
4,000
50
2,000
0 0
Long Medium Short Long Medium Short
Instagram TikTok Instagram TikTok

Sample: IG & TikTok Sister Brand Profiles: 1,055. Unique posts: 313,788 Sample: IG & TikTok Sister Brand Profiles: 1,055. Unique posts: 313,788
Brands have favored publishing more on TikTok over the past two
years, but Instagram continues to consistently reward businesses
with more interactions. However, keep an eye on TikTok as
it continues to experiment with long-form video options.
8
BEST TIMES TO PUBLISH
Why some brands should prioritize Friday publishing
According to Emplifi data, the best time to post Instagram Reels This strategy is particularly effective if your content aligns
and TikTok videos may be on Fridays, with the best window being at with the audience’s mindset during this window, which could
4pm on TikTok and 5pm on Instagram. More than 50% of average benefit industries like Entertainment, Retail, and Hospitality.
impressions (Page 10) for both content types come in the afternoon.
What does that mean for your publishing schedule? The psychological
Fridays mark the beginning of the weekend, a time when consumers impact of TGIF shouldn’t be underestimated, but that also doesn’t
are planning their free time, looking for entertainment options, or mean that your typical content is likely going to work within that
considering purchases they’ve been contemplating throughout the window. Experimentation will be key to understanding what specifically
week. By aligning content publication with this timing, brands position is hooking audiences during these high-impression windows and how
themselves at the forefront of consumer minds, potentially influencing your audience’s mindset shifts.
weekend plans and purchasing decisions.
TikToks & Reels:

TikToks BestBest
& Reels: day to post
day to post
Average impressions
Average by day
impressions byofday
the week
of the week #TGIF
20.0%
15.0%
% Impressions
10.0%
5.0%
0.0%
Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday
Source: Emplifi data Date Range: 01 January 2023 - 31 December 2023 Sample: Unique European IG & TikTok Sister Profiles: 308. Unique Reels & TikToks: 75,850. Stories Excluded TikTok Instagram
9 9
BEST TIMES TO PUBLISH
Sample set of Instagram Reels and TikTok video

performance during peak (European time zones)
TikToks & Reels: Best hour to post

AVG impressions by hour
25.0%
20.0%
% Impressions
15.0%
10.0%
5.0%
0.0%
12 PM 01 PM 02 PM 03 PM 04 PM 05 PM
TikTok Instagram

Sample: European IG & TikTok Sister Profiles: 308. Unique Reels & TikToks: 75,850. Stories Excluded
TikToks & Reels: Best time of the day to post

AVG impressions by time of the day
60%
50%
% Impressions
40%
30%
20%
10%
0%
Night 24:00am-5:59am Morning 06:00am-11:59am Afternoon 12:00pm-17:59pm Evening 18:00pm-23:49pm
TikTok Instagram

Sample: European IG & TikTok Sister Profiles: 308. Unique Reels & TikToks: 75,850. Stories Excluded
10 10 10
Exhibit 1
Brands post interactions on Twitter

Paid and organic post interactions per 1K Impressions
H E A LT H C H E C K
Median interactions per 1K impressions

12
X (Twitter) marks the spot

10
After reaching a high in 2022 — notably aligned around news of its

0
Q1 2022 Q2 2022 Q3 2022 Q4 2022 Q1 2023 Q2 2023 Q3 2023 Q4 2023
acquisition in 2022 — engagement on X dropped before stabilizing

across 2023 (Exhibit 1). Source: Emplifi data
Exhibit 2
Sample: Unique Profiles: 27,272, Posts 16,532,601
The channel saw a flurry of competitors – like Meta’s Threads in

July 2023 – enter the marketplace of real-time social platforms. Evolution of median posts interactions
On Twitter (worldwide)
X held strong with 335.7 million monthly active users (MAUs)
worldwide in 2023. That means X is here to stay, and brands should 12

10
find ways to reach their audience despite the evolving landscape. 8
Experiment with GIFs: It is important to diversify your content 4
strategy, and our data (Exhibit 2) suggests that users love brands who 2
share quick, impactful visuals like GIFs.

0
Q1 2022 Q2 2022 Q3 2022 Q4 2022 Q1 2023 Q2 2023 Q3 2023 Q4 2023
GIF Image Link Status Video

Get verified to increase engagement: Verified accounts continue to
dramatically outperform (Exhibit 3) accounts without any of X’s check
Exhibit 3 Sample: 27,272 profiles and 16,532,601 posts on Twitter
mark hierarchy. As X engagement favors verification, utilize this tactic

to distinguish your brand from other organizations. Performance of verified vs. unverified Twitter profiles
Median post Interactions of brands
Leverage real-time tactics: X has remained – and has been emulated –
15
for a reason. It occupies a unique space and engagement opportunity 12
in the social media ecosystem. Despite its overall performance trailing 10
juggernauts like Instagram and TikTok, utilize it appropriately within

7
your customer engagement strategy. 2
0
Q1 2022 Q2 2022 Q3 2022 Q4 2022 Q1 2023 Q2 2023 Q3 2023 Q4 2023
Verified Not verified

Sample: Profiles: 27,266, Posts: 16,532,524
Source: Emplifi data of 27,272 Twitter profiles from 01 January 2022 - 31 December 2023
11 11
PAID SOCIAL
Brand investment in Quarterly comparison of ad account spend (USD)

Worldwide brands
social reaches new highs 12,000
Median ad account spend

10,000
8,000
6,000
4,000
Emplifi’s data indicates that brands surged in paid social 2,000
investment – reaching a two-year high – in the final quarter 0

Q1 2022 Q2 2022 Q3 2022 Q4 2022 Q1 2023 Q2 2023 Q3 2023 Q4 2023
of 2023 across Instagram, Facebook, and X. While median Facebook Twitter Instagram
ad account spend soared, cost on X was cheaper, registering
a lower CPC and CPM year-over-year. Date Range: 01 January 2022 - 31 December 2023
Sample: 10,091 Facebook Ad Accounts, 10,172 Instagram Ad Accounts, 1,305 Twitter Ad Accounts
Here are key benchmarks from our paid social data:
• Instagram’s main feed has the highest CPC costs – Quarterly comparison of ads CPC (USD)
Worldwide brands
versus other tracked social ad content types – for the
second consecutive quarter (Q3-Q4 2023). Median ad account CPC
0.70
0.60
• Instagram Stories and the main feed saw a 0.50
substantial increase in CPM costs, likely due

0.40
0.30
to increased demand. 0.20
0.10
•
The cheapest clicks are found on Facebook’s feed. 0.00
Q1 2022 Q2 2022 Q3 2022 Q4 2022 Q1 2023 Q2 2023 Q3 2023 Q4 2023
•
Instagram may have the highest costs, but the main
Facebook X (formerly Twitter) Instagram
feed and Stories (25% and 24% Q4 2023 CTR increases,
respectively) have some real momentum with users. Source: Emplifi data
Sample: 10,091 Facebook Ad Accounts, 10,172 Instagram Ad Accounts, 1,305 X (formerly Twitter) Ad Accounts
12 12
PAID SOCIAL
Instagram ad accounts
Quarterly comparison of ads CPC (USD) on Instagram

Worldwide brands
1.00
Median ad account CPC

0.80
Embrace Instagram (but be careful): Users clearly are responding 0.60
well to Instagram across organic and paid activity. It should be 0.40
noted, though, that even with a rise in CTR, it’s still lower than 0.20
both Facebook and X. With a comparatively high CPC, keep an 0.00

Q1 2022 Q2 2022 Q3 2022 Q4 2022 Q1 2023 Q2 2023 Q3 2023 Q4 2023
eye on your budget.
Feed Reels Search Stories

Sample: 10,172 Instagram Ad Accounts
Quarterly comparison of ads CTR on Instagram Quarterly comparison of ads CPM (USD) on Instagram
Worldwide brands Worldwide brands
0.50% 3.00
Median ad account CPM

Median ad account CTR
2.50
0.40%
2.00
0.30%
1.50
0.20%
1.00
0.10%
0.50
0.00% 0.00
Feed Reels Search Stories Feed Reels Search Stories

Sample: 10,172 Instagram Ad Accounts Sample: 10,172 Instagram Ad Accounts
13
PAID SOCIAL
Facebook ad accounts
Quarterly comparison of ads CPC (USD) on Facebook

Worldwide brands
0.50

0.40
Facebook may be a bargain to some advertisers: Very low CPC plus
0.30
very high CTR is a good combination for Facebook. If your brand can 0.20
see those are at least somewhat quality clicks, that could make it 0.10
worth some investment. And with the surge in ad account spend, 0.00
it seems brands are taking advantage.

Q1 2022 Q2 2022 Q3 2022 Q4 2022 Q1 2023 Q2 2023 Q3 2023 Q4 2023
Feed Reels Search Stories Video

Sample: 10,091 Facebook Ad Accounts
Quarterly comparison of ads CTR on Facebook Quarterly comparison of ads CPM (USD) on Facebook
Worldwide brands Worldwide brands
2.50
1.50%

1.25% 2.00
1.00% 1.50
0.75%
1.00
0.50%
0.50
0.25%
0.00% 0.00
Feed Reels Search Stories Video Feed Reels Search Stories Video

Sample: 10,091 Facebook Ad Accounts Sample: 10,091 Facebook Ad Accounts
14
PAID SOCIAL
Media type ad spend (Facebook & Instagram)
Quarterly comparison of ad account spend (USD) per media type Quarterly comparison of ads CPC (USD) per media type
Worldwide brands Worldwide Brands
3,500
1.50
Median ad account spend
3,000

1.25
2,500
1.00
2,000
0.75
1,500
1,000 0.50
500 0.25
0 0.00
Photo Share Status Video Photo Share Status Video

Sample: 10,091 Facebook Ad Accounts, 10,172 Instagram Ad Accounts Sample: 10,091 Facebook Ad Accounts, 10,172 Instagram Ad Accounts
Quarterly comparison of ads CTR per media type Quarterly comparison of ads CPM (USD) per media type
Worldwide brands Worldwide Brands
0.50% 2.50

0.40% 2.00
0.30% 1.50
0.20% 1.00
0.10% 0.50
0.00% 0.00
Photo Share Status Video Photo Share Status Video

Sample: 10,091 Facebook Ad Accounts, 10,172 Instagram Ad Accounts Sample: 10,091 Facebook Ad Accounts, 10,172 Instagram Ad Accounts
15
About Emplifi
Emplifi is a leading unified customer engagement platform that empowers

businesses to reach and grow communities through digital- and social-first
strategies. More than 20,000 brands like McDonald’s, Ford Motor Company, and
Delta Air Lines rely on Emplifi to enable connected, empathetic experiences for
the modern consumer across marketing, commerce, and care. Headquartered
in New York, Emplifi partners with major social media networks and digital
platforms, including Google, Meta, LinkedIn, X, TikTok, and Snapchat.
For more information, visit emplifi.io
© Emplifi Inc. All rights reserved. Emplifi™ and Empathy, amplified.™

are trademarks of Emplifi Inc. All product names and logos are trademarks
or registered trademarks of their respective owners.
16

Emplifi Report 2024 Social Media Benchmarks en

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Title

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Emplifi Report 2024 Social Media Benchmarks en

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

2024 REPORT

Social media benchmarks

Look back to move forward

It’s about understanding the effectiveness of platforms like Instagram, Facebook,

Brand activity through Instagram is on the rise 04

Visual storytelling continues to dominate all engagement 05

Audiences remain open to long-form video 07

Why some brands should prioritize Friday publishing 09

X (Twitter) marks the spot 11

Brand investment in (paid) social reaches new highs 12

Brand activity through Brand content activations

Instagram is on the rise 35

Median activations per page

and that’s likely because brands have been rewarded for 0

Brands post interactions on Instagram

Median interactions per 1K impressions

TikTok’s decline in brand post activations and interactions 20

which tends to support creators, influencers, and everyday 5

people over brand content. Entering that space through

influencer marketing or user-generated content (UGC) could

seeing on Instagram. Date Range: 01 January 2022 - 31 December 2023

What’s clear from the benchmark data is that most brands

Visual storytelling continues to

Instagram’s emphasis on images and short-form video content – paired with

Source: Emplifi data Instagram TikTok Twitter Facebook

Performance of post types (worldwide by channel)

Median post interactions

Source: Emplifi data Source: Emplifi data

social media has morphed into a video-content delivery engine.

0.00 1.00 2.00 3.00 4.00 5.00 6.00 7.00

Median post interactions

Audiences remain open Quarterly evolution: Median video views

to long-form video 15,000

Median video views

Instagram Reels and TikTok videos continue to be a 2,500

significant catalyst for brand engagement. Instagram

Brands can reliably assume their audiences still thirst

videos – from 13 seconds to more than 26 seconds –

Unsurprisingly, image-centric content still accounts for 50

a 65% share of posts on Instagram – and nearly 75% 0

of posts on Facebook. Brands wanting to invest in the Long Medium Short

potential of video engagement must juggle the resource Instagram TikTok

help brands looking to balance these numbers and

Instagram Reels vs. TikTok videos (organic activity)

Median page interactions

Instagram TikTok Instagram TikTok

Source: Emplifi data Source: Emplifi data

Median page interactions

Instagram TikTok Instagram TikTok

Source: Emplifi data Source: Emplifi data

Why some brands should prioritize Friday publishing

TikToks & Reels:

Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday

Sample set of Instagram Reels and TikTok video

TikToks & Reels: Best hour to post

Source: Emplifi data

TikToks & Reels: Best time of the day to post

Source: Emplifi data

Brands post interactions on Twitter

Median interactions per 1K impressions

X (Twitter) marks the spot

After reaching a high in 2022 — notably aligned around news of its

acquisition in 2022 — engagement on X dropped before stabilizing

• Instagram Stories and the main feed saw a 0.50