TikTok vs Instagram: Which Pays Nigerian Creators More in 2025?
If you're a Nigerian creator trying to decide between TikTok and Instagram for maximizing your earnings, you're asking the right question. Both platforms offer real monetization opportunities, but they work very differently. TikTok is known for young demographic (16–30), entertainment-focused, high virality potential, while Instagram attracts visual-first audience, lifestyle and fashion enthusiasts, brand-conscious shoppers. In this detailed comparison, we'll break down earning potential, CPM rates, audience quality, and the best strategies for each platform — so you can choose the right one (or learn how to dominate both).
Earning Methods Compared
TikTok Earning Methods:
- Brand sponsorships
- TikTok Creator Fund
- Live gifting
- TikTok Shop commissions
- Affiliate marketing
- Sponsored content
Instagram Earning Methods:
- Sponsored Reels
- Story ad placements
- Feed post sponsorships
- Affiliate links in bio
- Instagram Shopping
- Branded content partnerships
Analysis: TikTok offers 6 monetization methods while Instagram offers 6. More methods means more revenue streams, but what matters most is which methods align with your content style and audience. TikTok's strength lies in brand sponsorships, while Instagram excels at sponsored reels.
CPM Rates: What You'll Actually Earn
TikTok CPM Range: ₦200–₦2,000
Instagram CPM Range: ₦300–₦2,500
CPM (Cost Per 1,000 views) is the most direct way to compare earning potential. These ranges reflect what Nigerian creators typically earn in 2025.
Note that higher CPM doesn't always mean higher total earnings — a platform with lower CPM but higher reach might generate more revenue overall. For example, a TikTok video with 100,000 views at ₦200 CPM earns ₦20,000, while a WhatsApp Status with 3,000 views at ₦2,000 CPM earns ₦6,000. The TikTok earns more total despite lower CPM.
On Arocado, your CPM is optimized based on your engagement metrics across all connected platforms, helping you maximize earnings regardless of which platform you're on.
Audience Quality & Engagement
TikTok Audience:
Young demographic (16–30), entertainment-focused, high virality potential
Instagram Audience:
Visual-first audience, lifestyle and fashion enthusiasts, brand-conscious shoppers
Audience quality matters as much as size. A smaller, engaged audience (like most WhatsApp Status audiences) often converts better than a large, passive one. Here's what each platform's audience looks like:
- Trust level: TikTok audiences tend to have high personal trust, making them more receptive to recommendations. Instagram audiences may be larger but less personally connected.
- Purchase intent: The platform where your audience is most likely to buy depends on your niche. Fashion and beauty convert well on Instagram, while tech products often perform better shared via WhatsApp or Twitter.
- Engagement patterns: TikTok users engage through Short-form video (up to 10 minutes), Duets and Stitches, LIVE streaming, while Instagram users interact via Reels (short video), Stories (24-hour), Feed posts.
Feature Comparison Matrix
| Feature | TikTok | |
|---|---|---|
| CPM Range | ₦200–₦2,000 | ₦300–₦2,500 |
| Monetization Methods | 6 | 6 |
| Key Features | Short-form video (up to 10 minutes), Duets and Stitches, LIVE streaming | Reels (short video), Stories (24-hour), Feed posts |
| Best For | Brand sponsorships | Sponsored Reels |
| Audience Type | Young demographic (16–30) | Visual-first audience |
Which Platform Should You Choose?
Choose TikTok if you:
- Have a strong personal network and direct audience relationships
- Want to leverage brand sponsorships, tiktok creator fund, live gifting, tiktok shop commissions, affiliate marketing, sponsored content
- Prefer young demographic (16–30) audiences
- Are comfortable with short-form video (up to 10 minutes) content formats
Choose Instagram if you:
- Want access to algorithm-driven reach and virality potential
- Want to leverage sponsored reels, story ad placements, feed post sponsorships, affiliate links in bio, instagram shopping, branded content partnerships
- Prefer visual-first audience audiences
- Are comfortable with reels (short video) content formats
Our recommendation: Don't choose — use both. The most successful Nigerian creators on Arocado monetize across multiple platforms simultaneously. Cross-promote your content, build audiences on each platform, and let Arocado's ad matching algorithm optimize which campaigns go where based on your performance data.
How Arocado Helps You Earn on Both Platforms
Arocado eliminates the need to choose between TikTok and Instagram by:
- Multi-platform ad matching — Connect all your social accounts and receive campaigns optimized for each platform's strengths
- Unified analytics — Track earnings, engagement, and CPM across all platforms from one dashboard
- Automated campaign distribution — Ads are routed to the platform where your audience is most likely to convert
- Cross-platform performance insights — Understand which platform generates the best ROI for different ad types
- Instant payouts — Earn from all platforms and receive consolidated payments via Paystack or Flutterwave
Whether you're a TikTok native or Instagram star, Arocado maximizes your earnings across every platform you use.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which pays more in Nigeria, TikTok or Instagram?
TikTok typically has CPM rates of ₦200–₦2,000 while Instagram ranges from ₦300–₦2,500. However, total earnings depend on your audience size, engagement rate, and niche. Creators with smaller but highly engaged audiences may earn more on TikTok, while those with larger reach may earn more on Instagram.
Can I monetize both TikTok and Instagram at the same time?
Absolutely! Most successful creators on Arocado monetize across multiple platforms. Connect both your TikTok and Instagram accounts to receive campaigns optimized for each platform's unique strengths.
How many followers do I need on TikTok or Instagram to start earning?
On Arocado, you can start earning with as few as 500 WhatsApp Status viewers or 1,000 followers on other platforms. The focus is on engagement quality, not follower count. Nano-influencers with 1,000–5,000 engaged followers regularly earn ₦5,000–₦50,000 per campaign.
Is it better to focus on one platform or spread across both?
Start with the platform where you already have the most engaged audience, then expand. Having 2–3 monetized platforms creates multiple income streams and protects you from algorithm changes on any single platform.
Stop wondering which platform pays more — start earning on both. Join Arocado to connect your TikTok and Instagram accounts, get matched with paying advertisers, and track your earnings across all platforms from one dashboard. Sign up free today.