Top 10 Social Media Platforms: Dominating SocMed to Explosively Grow Your Brand

What are the top 10 social media platforms? The top 10 social media platforms are Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Reddit, Snapchat, Twitter, and Discord. Facebook leads with the largest user base, while platforms like TikTok and YouTube thrive on short and long-form video content. These social media platforms offer unique features and cater to different audiences, making the right choice dependent on your brand goals and target demographics. It’s 2025, and if you’re thinking about the same strategies last year that you plan on using for this year, you need to rethink your options. The industry is changing, advertisement costs are increasing, and more and more people realize how crucial building an organic audience is. Social media platforms are more critical now than ever.

Perhaps you don’t want to be a content creator who actively engages in top social media platforms to expand your reach. However, you need to understand that building an audience is the most valuable thing any brand can do right now. Most people don’t know how or where to start with this journey. Lucky for you, this is what this post is all about.

The last 17 years have shown how top social media platforms have taken off and dominated the internet. What are the top 5 social media platforms you can use right now? Guess what, because today we are discussing not 5 but 10 of the best social media platforms you can utilize to generate followers, build a community from these followers, and ultimately transform them into loyal customers who will continuously buy your product or service. We’ll start at no. 10 and work our way up. Let’s get started!

Key Takeaways

• Adapt to Evolving Strategies: Relying on outdated social media tactics can hinder brand growth. It’s essential to reassess and update your strategies to align with current trends and platform features.

• Importance of Organic Audience Building: With rising advertising costs, cultivating an organic audience has become more valuable than ever. Building genuine connections can lead to sustained brand loyalty.

• Understanding Platform Dynamics: Each social media platform offers unique features and caters to different audiences. Selecting the right platform depends on your brand’s goals and target demographics.

• Consistency Over Instant Success: Achieving significant milestones, like amassing a large follower base or substantial sales, requires consistent effort and time. Patience and persistence are key.

• Commitment to Learning: Staying informed about platform updates and emerging trends is crucial. Continuous learning and adaptability can significantly impact your brand’s success on social media.

Discord

First on our list of the top social media platforms is Discord, with over 150 million active users per month. In 2015, it started as a group chat platform primarily dedicated to gaming. So plenty of gamers would hop on board to create a group to discuss a specific game topic. But in 2020, it took off as one of the social media platforms beyond gaming, but a communications app that allows you to share voice, video, and chat with friends, gaming communities, and developers. To use Discord, participants join themed servers, and anyone can create their own server after they sign up to become a discord member. You can also invite people to join your server with a link. Server admins can create text and voice channels narrowed by topic or restricted by users, such as age channel topics.

Twitter

Next is Twitter, with more than 330 million active users. Twitter is one of the oldest of social media platforms, started in 2006. At that time, you could share your thoughts as long as you limit your characters to 140. Thus, you must be creative to come up with short but catchy takes. You can also follow other public figures and celebrities and contribute to the conversation. Tweeting and retweeting have become great ways to amplify a message you are passionate about.

This is a great way to share something on Twitter that does not have to stay forever on their profile. Speaking of which, now is the time to try out a cloud-based Twitter growth tool to help brands post content, schedule, and increase engagement. Read more on our Hypefury review.

Snapchat

Next on our list of the most trending social media platforms is Snapchat, with over 350 million active users. In 2011 it began as a messaging platform for sending messages to your friends, and then the message will disappear after looking at it once. This was the unique thing about Snapchat that made it so popular with the younger generation since it was a feature no one else had.

Snapchat also has realistic filters when recording yourself on camera or taking selfies. You can put on a mustache, a big, funny hat, and even turn yourself into a baby! There were a lot of funny and cool things to play around with that eventually turned into a full-blown social media platform. In 2020 it introduced Spotlight for sharing videos in a vertical format which lasted around 15 seconds. Other platforms on social media have their version of this as well.

Reddit

At number 7 is Reddit, with over 430 million active monthly users, which has been around since 2005. It used to be just an internet forum mainly for sharing content and could be used anonymously. Just create a personal profile, read the latest posts, share comments, and create your own posts.

Pinterest

Then at number 6 on our list of the best social media platforms is Pinterest, with over 445 million active monthly users. This social network has been around since 2010, so it’s also one of the oldest members of this group. It’s like a digital scrapbook where you create a profile or a board for yourself. Think of it like a folder on your computer. Within that board are different items called pins. You can make boards for whatever interests you, for toys, gadgets, recipes, DIY, and just about anything you can imagine.

Starting is easy; create an account with multiple boards depending on your interests. Then search all of Pinterest and find unique things you could pin on your board/s. They can be in the form of photos, videos, or even animations that could be linked to other websites. You can also pin other people’s things onto your board and create your very own customized scrapbook. And to ensure you have your content planned weeks or months ahead, why not get the help of a social media scheduling and automation application? Read more on our Social Champ review.

LinkedIn

Number 5 on our list of top 10 social media platforms is LinkedIn with over 760 million active monthly users. It is no longer privately owned since Microsoft purchased the company for $26 billion in 2016. LinkedIn is the oldest of all the social media platforms out there since its foundation in 2003. We are talking about 20 years of existence, long before YouTube or Facebook emerged.

This is one of those social media platforms specifically designed for professionals. This means you create a profile the way you do with other socials. However, you don’t share personal stuff on that profile. You share your resume and work history instead, plus a professional headshot for your photo.

This is because you can easily connect with other professionals who are there either to hire or look for work. Of course, you can still share articles, photos, and videos as long as you keep them professional and work-related.

TikTok

Then at number 4 on our top 10 social media platforms list, we have TikTok, with over a billion active monthly users. The platform exploded on social media in 2020 and created TikTok superstars like Charli D’Amelio, Addison Rae, and Bella Poarch. TikTok took off in 2018 when it acquired Musical.ly, which had a similar design and where people created a lot of dance or lip-syncing videos.

It’s one of the social media platforms for sharing short-form videos that began with 15-second videos, with 60 seconds being the maximum. TikTok came with photo and video templates as well. Mainly it was used for entertainment purposes, but entrepreneurs quickly picked up on its potential as a great marketing and advertising tool for building their brand and increasing their reach to their target audience.

Instagram

Then there’s Instagram at number 3 on our list of the top 10 social media platforms, with over 2 billion active monthly users. When it was created in 2010, it was merely a filtering and camera, but it has evolved into a colossal social media platform. 2010 was also the rise of amazing camera phones, so it was perfect timing. People took pictures to post on Instagram while using it as a filtering app. In 2012 Facebook purchased Instagram for over $1 billion.

Ever since Facebook took over, it underwent a lot of significant updates. Gone are the days when it was just a filtering or photo-sharing app. Now people go live on the platform, sharing long or short-form videos. There’s also Instagram Stories, where the photos and videos you posted will disappear after 24 hours, much like Snapchat. Then 15-second Instagram Reels were introduced to compete with TikTok. There was also IGTV so you could share videos longer than a minute, with a maximum of 60 minutes for selected accounts.

YouTube

At number 2, we have YouTube, with over 2.6 billion active monthly users. It was one of the top social media platforms 2021 or any year for that matter. In 2020, entrepreneurs realized how much traffic they could get as business owners on TikTok but then realized that the audience wasn’t loyal. This all changed with YouTube Shorts since not only is it driving growth to your YouTube channels, but with the latest algorithm updates, if somebody watches your Shorts, they will also be served your long-form content. This means, then, that you can attract and nurture your target audience all at once in a single platform.

And lucky for those planning to start or already have a podcast since YouTube has a dedicated section for podcasts. Do not hesitate to post long-form videos on YouTube because they do not depreciate in value, even if it’s been weeks, months, or years. People can always search and find you and your content. This is Evergreen content, unlike Instagram or TikTok, where content will eventually depreciate in a few days or weeks. Also, because you’re making long-form videos, you can chop these up to create short-form clips that you can then distribute on TikTok or Instagram or repost on YouTube Shorts.

Facebook

So, what is the main social media platform? It’s none other than Facebook, with over 2.9 billion active monthly users. It is among the powerful social media platforms regardless of the size or type of business you are in. Here you can reach more potential customers and grow your brand online by engaging in paid or organic marketing or both. Thus, it is highly recommended that you also create a professional Facebook business page.

From a simple Facebook profile, the platform has added various features and now has a robust mobile app on iOS and Android. The Facebook app has become one of the top downloaded social media apps in the last decade or so. Today, the estimated valuation of Facebook is right over $800 billion.

FAQ

• Why is it crucial to update social media strategies regularly?
  Social media platforms frequently evolve, introducing new features and changing algorithms. Regularly updating your strategies ensures you remain effective and relevant.

• How can I determine the best platform for my brand?
  Assess your target audience’s preferences and behaviors. Research what social media platforms they spend most of their time and how they engage with content to choose the most suitable platform.

• Is building an organic audience more beneficial than paid advertising?
  While paid advertising can offer quick visibility, an organic audience often leads to deeper engagement and long-term loyalty, which are invaluable for sustained brand growth.

• How long does it typically take to see significant results on social media?
  Results can vary based on numerous factors, but consistent effort, quality content, and genuine engagement typically yield noticeable outcomes over time.

• What are some effective ways to stay updated on social media trends?
  Follow industry blogs, attend webinars, participate in relevant forums, and engage with thought leaders in social media platforms to stay informed about the latest trends and best practices.

Which social media platform is for you?

If you’re starting to build your brand, understand that this is relative. Just because it’s the best social media platform for XYZ doesn’t mean it’s the best one for you or your brand as well. Start with something you are already comfortable with, then build it up. Do your homework and check out, say, the top 50 social media platforms today. See what makes them tick, their common denominators, and what you think makes them super enticing to their audience.

To succeed, you can’t merely know the 6 types of social media platforms and then become an instant success. You can’t expect to rise from zero to 200,000 Instagram followers overnight or make over $10 million in sales in your first year. Beyond making money, you need to know the importance of building an audience. Only when you have built your authority and brand recognition can you expect to get some traction to expand your reach and turn your leads into conversions.

As long as you are committed to learning and growing, you can be sure to hit your goal sooner than later. To learn more about how you can use social media platforms to grow your business, check out our post What is Podcast? A Beginner’s Guide.