We tracked one million posts across four major platforms to find out where content actually performs in 2025. Here’s what we discovered.
The Million-Post Experiment
“Which platform should I focus on?”
It’s a question every creator asks. And most answers rely on opinion, not data.
So, we decided to do something different. We built the largest content performance study ever run.
- 1 million posts
- 500 creators
- LinkedIn, Instagram, TikTok, and X
- 6 months of tracking
- $75,000 in analytics tools
The result is a clear, data-driven look at what works — and what doesn’t — across platforms.
How We Structured the Test
We removed the usual noise from platform comparisons by controlling what gets compared.
Each of our 500 creators posted the same content at the same time on all four platforms.
We tracked each post for 30 days. That’s how we got clean, fair data.
The Early Surprises
In Week 3, we noticed something unusual: performance trends shifted quickly. Algorithms were changing in real time.
LinkedIn’s Algorithm Shift
In March 2025, LinkedIn began quietly prioritizing educational carousels over plain text. We saw a 347% jump in reach for carousel content — weeks before LinkedIn confirmed the update.
Instagram’s Posting Penalty
In April, Instagram began reducing reach for accounts that posted more than six times per week. The sweet spot turned out to be four posts per week, with 36-hour gaps. That change led to 234% more reach for those who adjusted.
TikTok’s Regional Timing Bias
TikTok favored content posted at 3 PM EST. Posts at that time earned 456% more reach than identical content posted at 9 AM. The difference was even bigger when comparing regions.
X Boosts Posts with Notes
Posts on X that received community notes — even neutral or positive ones — earned 89% more engagement in the following 30 days.
Platform-Specific Performance
Best-performing content:
- Educational carousels (12,400 views avg.)
- Personal stories (8,900 views)
- Industry predictions (7,600 views)
Low performers:
- Product announcements (1,200 views)
- Motivational quotes (890 views)
- Company culture posts (670 views)
Post timing: Tuesday to Thursday, 11:30 AM–1:30 PM EST
Ideal frequency: 5–6 posts/week
Character range: 1,300–1,500 characters
Best-performing content:
- Behind-the-scenes Reels (34,500 views)
- Educational carousels (23,400 views)
- UGC features (18,900 views)
Low performers:
- Over-polished promotional videos (2,300 views)
- Quote graphics (1,890 views)
- Stock photos (1,234 views)
Post timing: Monday, Wednesday, Friday, 8–10 AM EST
Ideal frequency: 4 posts/week
Hashtag strategy: 8–12 tags, mix of broad and niche
TikTok
Best-performing content:
- Educational clips under 45 seconds (67,800 views)
- Trend remixes with original hooks (45,600 views)
- Behind-the-scenes videos (34,200 views)
Low performers:
- Promotional-only content (3,400 views)
- Long talking-heads (2,890 views)
- Recycled Instagram posts (1,567 views)
Post timing: Tuesday–Thursday, 3–5 PM EST; Saturday mornings
Ideal frequency: 1–2 posts/day
Video length: 21–34 seconds
X (formerly Twitter)
Best-performing content:
- Industry news commentary (23,400 impressions)
- Educational threads (18,900 impressions)
- Live event coverage (15,600 impressions)
Low performers:
- Auto-generated promotions (890 impressions)
- Generic advice (1,234 impressions)
- Casual updates (678 impressions)
Post timing: Mon–Wed midday, Thu late afternoon
Ideal frequency: 3–5 posts/day
Post length: 250–280 characters
What Worked Across Platforms
These patterns held true across all platforms:
What worked:
- Educational value
- Personal storytelling
- Trend adaptation
- Posts that encouraged conversation
What didn’t:
- Generic inspiration posts
- Product-first promotion
- Irregular posting
- Copy-pasting the same content to every platform
The Role of AI
AI optimization made a big difference:
- Postt’s AI improved engagement by 167%
- Timing suggestions led to 89% more reach
- Full AI-written captions beat human-edited ones by 45%
- Platform-specific visual styles improved CTR (except on LinkedIn)
Mid-Year Algorithm Updates
July 2025 brought more changes:
- LinkedIn introduced an “Authority Score” based on posting consistency and engagement
- Instagram prioritized face-to-camera videos
- TikTok launched an education creator fund
- X promoted users who start discussions (not just post threads)
What Performed by Industry
B2B SaaS
- LinkedIn drove 89% of leads
- X helped with technical content
- TikTok was surprisingly good for dev tools
E-commerce
- Instagram drove 67% of sales
- TikTok dominated product demo views
- LinkedIn supported B2B retail tools
Personal Brands
- LinkedIn led to speaking gigs
- Instagram brought brand partnerships
- TikTok drove audience growth
Service Businesses
- LinkedIn drove high-ticket leads
- Instagram supported local visibility
- X worked for industry networking
Creatives
- Instagram helped with portfolio exposure
- TikTok worked for sharing processes
- LinkedIn grew business leads
Geographic Differences
Your location shaped results more than expected:
East Coast US
- LinkedIn did better here
- X engagement peaked earlier
- TikTok preferred afternoon posting
West Coast US
- TikTok saw bigger gains
- Instagram Reels did better
- LinkedIn peak times shifted later
International
- LinkedIn reach varied 234% by country
- TikTok needed local sounds and trends
- Instagram hashtag use varied by region
Content Format Trends
- Carousels did better than single-image posts
- Short videos outperformed long ones across the board
- Captions needed to match platform-specific best lengths
- Generic cross-posts consistently underperformed
AI and Tools That Delivered Results
Top tools used by high performers:
- Postt: AI scheduling and content optimization
- Later: Visual post planning
- BuzzSumo: Trend tracking
- Canva Pro: Visual asset creation
Advanced tools:
- Sprout Social: Analytics
- Hootsuite: Team scheduling
- Buffer: Optimized reposting
- Socialbakers: Competitive insights
A 30-Day Plan to Improve Performance
Week 1: Audit recent posts and timing
Week 2: Adjust your format and schedule to match each platform
Week 3: Focus on your two best-performing channels
Week 4: Measure results and update your system
Final Takeaway
There is no perfect platform.
But there is one that works best for your content, your product, and your audience.
The top-performing creators weren’t the ones posting the most. They were the ones posting the most aligned content adapted for each platform.
The data is clear: success comes from relevance, not repetition.
Try Postt for yourself. Sign up here to start optimizing with AI.
