Event Management
TikTok or Instagram? The Best Social Media for College Events in 2025
TikTok vs. Instagram: Which platform drives the most engagement for campus events? Discover the best strategies to promote Greek life, student orgs, and fundraisers in 2025.
by Mitchell Whalen
Last Updated on
Feb 27, 2025
Instagram and TikTok are the top social media platforms for promoting college events. Whether you’re organizing a Greek life event, club fundraiser, or campus-wide festival, choosing the right platform can boost visibility and attendance. Here’s how to decide which one fits your event best:
TikTok: Best for casual, younger events like college parties, game nights, and informal gatherings. It excels in viral trends, quick engagement, and requires less time to manage. Great for undergrads and fast visibility.
Instagram: Ideal for formal or multi-phase events. It offers detailed promotion tools (Stories, Reels, carousels) and appeals to a broader audience, including alumni and faculty.
Quick Comparison
Key Takeaway
Use TikTok for quick, trend-based visibility and Instagram for detailed, structured promotions. Both platforms have unique strengths - choose based on your event goals and audience.
Platform Audience Size and Demographics
TikTok's Youth User Base
TikTok is a favorite among younger audiences, with 60% of its active users aged 16-24. College students, in particular, check TikTok an average of 8 times daily, compared to Instagram's 5. This makes TikTok a great tool for time-sensitive campus updates, especially since 73% of users check the app within an hour of waking up.
The platform's algorithm works wonders for campus events, boosting video visibility and resulting in 62% more student attendees compared to Instagram Reels. Graduate student orientation events have especially seen a spike, with TikTok usage increasing by 140% in 2024.
Instagram's Multi-Age Appeal
Instagram caters to a broader age range, with 35% of users aged 25-34. This makes it ideal for events targeting both current students and alumni. Instagram Stories, for instance, drive 58% engagement from students and 42% from alumni.
For schools focusing on alumni connections, Instagram is a strong choice. 41% of users aged 35 and older engage with university accounts, far outpacing TikTok's 12% in this demographic. This has real benefits for fundraising, with Instagram Story highlights achieving 28% higher gift conversions than traditional email campaigns.
User Stats Comparison
The differences in audience and behavior between TikTok and Instagram influence how universities approach event promotion:
Content Types and Event Promotion Tools
TikTok Video Features
TikTok's short videos are perfect for quick, eye-catching event promotions. With a 15 to 60-second limit, it’s an ideal platform for teasers, student organization highlights, and Greek Week event countdowns. For example, UCLA's spring fest promotion used a lively 60-second video showcasing highlights from the previous year. This approach boosted engagement by 42% compared to traditional methods, showing how effective TikTok can be for grabbing attention quickly.
The platform’s music-driven content and casual vibe are key to its success. Purdue University tapped into this with their #BoilerUpChallenge, which used trending sounds and student-generated videos. The campaign racked up over 2.8 million views, proving TikTok’s power to go viral through trends. Features like green screen effects and duet videos also allow organizers to creatively promote event venues and build excitement.
Instagram Post Options
Instagram provides a variety of tools for event promotion, offering flexibility through its multiple content formats. Here are three main types of Instagram content and how they’re used:
A great example comes from UC Berkeley’s hackathon team. They used carousel posts to share their event details, including sponsors, schedules, and prizes. This three-slide approach increased registrations by 28% compared to single-image posts. Instagram’s format options make it a strong platform for targeted engagement.
Platform Features Comparison
Each platform brings unique strengths to event promotion, shaping how content is created and shared:
Northwestern University used these differences to their advantage, creating TikTok videos with trending sounds for reach and Instagram Highlights for detailed event information. This strategy led to a 40% increase in attendance.
How To Grow on TikTok vs. Reels - Key Differences
User Engagement Methods
Engaging users effectively means using each platform’s features and discovery systems to their full potential.
TikTok's Content Discovery System
TikTok's For You Page (FYP) algorithm is a game-changer for campus event outreach. Unlike platforms that prioritize follower counts, TikTok focuses on engagement patterns - making it possible for smaller campus organizations to gain visibility by tapping into trends and creating engaging content.
For instance, the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s homecoming committee posted behind-the-scenes dorm setup videos. Without any paid promotion, these videos racked up 82,000 likes, proving the power of TikTok’s algorithm.
Instagram's Event Tools
Instagram offers built-in features that are perfect for promoting campus events. Interactive tools like Stories can drive strong results, as shown in the table below:
These tools create what Instagram calls "micro-engagement moments", encouraging active participation. For example, Texas State University's career services used polls to gauge interest in workshop topics, leading to a 28% boost in attendance compared to events without interactive features.
Success Stories: Campus Events
Campus campaigns show how these methods can deliver real results.
The University of North Carolina saw viral success when a professor’s dance video hit 2M views on TikTok, sparking a surge in student interest for upcoming campus events, club fundraisers, and open-mic nights. Meanwhile, UC Berkeley’s #BerkeleyFallFest hashtag campaign brought in 2 million views, leading to a record-breaking 1,200 event RSVPs.
Data from 2024 campus engagement metrics shows the strengths of each platform:
While TikTok excels at driving high engagement rates, Instagram shines in maintaining ongoing interaction through its wide range of tools.
Ad Options and Costs
When it comes to promoting campus events, TikTok and Instagram offer distinct advertising tools that cater to different needs and budgets.
TikTok Marketing Options
TikTok provides a variety of ad formats that work well for campus event promotion. In-Feed Ads are particularly budget-friendly, starting at just $10 per day. These 15-60 second videos blend seamlessly into users' feeds, making them perfect for event previews.
For larger events like homecoming rallies, TopView Ads deliver premium visibility by occupying full-screen space when users open the app.
"UCSD's hackathon team shifted 70% of their budget to TikTok after seeing higher conversion rates via DoorList analytics"
Instagram Ad Types
Instagram's ad platform benefits from its connection to Facebook's powerful targeting system. Stories Ads, which feature swipe-up links for ticket sales or RSVPs, are particularly effective. These ads generate 15-25% higher engagement compared to static posts for campus events.
Explore Ads are another strong option, helping organizations reach students based on their academic interests or past campus activities.
Ad Costs Overview
Here’s a quick comparison of TikTok and Instagram’s ad options:
For organizations not looking to spend on promotion, both platforms offer free tools to boost organic reach. TikTok's trending sounds and effects can help content go viral, while Instagram's interactive Story features, like polls and stickers, encourage engagement without requiring ad spend.
Additionally, Instagram’s advanced targeting capabilities, powered by Facebook, allow advertisers to focus on students’ academic interests and campus affiliations. This precision can significantly improve event turnout.
Platform Integration and Management
Once ad spend is optimized, the next step is ensuring smooth platform integration to boost event visibility. Managing multiple platforms effectively means tailoring content to fit each one, increasing reach while avoiding repetitive efforts.
2-Platform Content Strategy
Promoting across platforms requires smart timing and tailored content. Posting schedules vary widely - TikTok content tends to perform best in the evenings (7-10 PM), aligning with student activity, while Instagram posts see more engagement during daytime breaks (11 AM-1 PM).
To make the most of each platform, align your strategy with their unique features:
A great example is UC Berkeley’s Spring Fling, which successfully blended 78 TikTok teaser videos with Instagram Story countdowns. This approach drove the majority of ticket sales through social referrals.
DoorList Event Planning Features
Platforms like DoorList help streamline event promotion across TikTok’s fast-paced trends and Instagram’s highly visual engagement tools. This makes it easier to decide where to focus your efforts based on your event goals.
DoorList enhances social media promotion with:
Custom Event Posters – Create shareable graphics tailored for TikTok and Instagram.
Seamless Social Sharing – Easily share event details across multiple platforms.
Explore Page Promotion – Boost visibility by featuring events on DoorList’s public page.
For example, UConn’s ISA team used DoorList’s custom posters and explore page to promote their event while maintaining a strong Instagram presence, ensuring their event stayed on-brand and reached the right audience.
Conclusion: Platform Selection Guide
Key Takeaways
Choosing the right platform for campus events depends heavily on the type of event and the audience you want to engage. TikTok shines for casual, youth-focused gatherings with its short, engaging video content, while Instagram works better for more formal events that require detailed information sharing.
Instagram's appeal to a wider age range makes it a solid choice for events aimed at mixed groups, including alumni and faculty. Features like carousel posts and Story highlights allow for organized and thorough event promotion.
Practical Platform Tips
When deciding which platform to use, keep these factors in mind:
Budget & Visibility: TikTok's For You Page algorithm offers excellent organic reach, making it a go-to for student organizations with tight budgets.
Event Type: Instagram's diverse features are ideal for multi-phase events, while TikTok is perfect for creating buzz quickly.
Engagement Goals: TikTok drives rapid visibility, while Instagram fosters ongoing interaction through tools like polls, DMs, and Stories.
FAQs
Is TikTok better than Instagram for engagement?
When it comes to engagement, TikTok often outperforms Instagram, especially for campus events. Universities report an average engagement rate of 4.75% on TikTok, compared to 2.29% on Instagram. But the right platform for you depends on your event goals and audience.
For example, the University of Michigan used TikTok's evening hashtag strategy to increase event attendance by 40%. Meanwhile, UT Austin leveraged Instagram Stories for time-sensitive updates, achieving a 25% swipe-up rate. Both platforms have their strengths, so the choice should align with your specific needs.
Here’s a quick comparison of the two:
TikTok also tends to be more budget-friendly for ads, costing $2-4 per 1,000 views, compared to $6-8 on Instagram. For undergrad-focused events, TikTok is a strong choice. On the other hand, Instagram shines for events targeting a broader audience or those requiring detailed communication.