Emplifi data shows median brand follower counts on TikTok increased 200% year-over-year

NEW YORK, February 19, 2026 — Emplifi, a leading CX and social media marketing platform, today released its 2026 Social Media Benchmark Report, revealing key performance data based on the tens of thousands of global brands that leverage Emplifi solutions for their social media marketing and customer experience strategies. 

According to Emplifi’s data, TikTok saw median follower counts for brands increase 200% year-over-year in 2025, generating the highest levels of follower growth and engagement for brands. Not only did TikTok lead in median follower growth, but it also generated twice the median interactions of Instagram and 20-times the median interactions on Facebook. 

LinkedIn also showed strong, targeted growth, with double-digit median follower gains associated with professional, employer-branding and thought leadership use cases. Instagram and Facebook continue to provide consistent, predictable reach, however, Instagram median follower growth for brands remained steady with mid-single digit growth, while Facebook follower growth was flat. 

“This year’s benchmark data shows that social media performance is becoming increasingly platform-specific,” said Susan Ganeshan, CMO, Emplifi. “Each channel is rewarding different content formats and audience behaviors. The brands that see the strongest results are optimizing their strategies to match how people engage on each platform.”

Emplifi’s data makes it clear that performance trends are diverging at an accelerated pace as social media apps continue to evolve—making it more important  for brands to continuously connect with their target audiences with a drumbeat of always-on messaging. In fact, according to EMARKETER, social media marketers report that “the ability to reach their target audience” was their top challenge last year, more so than keeping up with content trends, calculating ROAS, or managing campaigns across channels.

Emplifi’s Social Media Benchmark report takes a deep dive into brand performance data across social media platforms. In addition to follower growth findings, the full report includes data on engagement trends, content format performance, video insights, and ad spend across social platforms. Here are the highlights:  

Engagement Across Social Media Platforms

• TikTok delivered the highest median engagement rates, reaching 27.6% in Q4 2025.
• Instagram’s median engagement rates dropped from 16.9% in Q1 2024 to 9.7% in Q4 2025.
• Median engagement rates on Facebook ranged between 1.4% to 2.5% between Q1 2024 and Q4 2025
• Emplifi’s data found that TikTok generated more than twice the median interactions of Instagram, and 20-times more than Facebook

Facebook and Instagram Content Performance 

• Facebook Live videos generated significantly more interactions than any other format type on the platform, with a median of 37.5 interactions per post, four-times more than posts with links and six times more than image-based posts. 
• Instagram Carousels and Reels delivered the strongest median interactions, generating approximately 44% more engagement than image-based posts. 
• Instagram video content generated 30X more engagement than Facebook, making Instagram the second strongest environment for video (after TikTok). 
• On X, lightweight, fast-consumption formats saw the strongest engagement, with GIFs earning a median of 7 interactions per post.

Social Media Ad Spend

• TikTok consistently commanded the highest median ad spend per account, reaching $14.9K per account in Q4 2025.
• Facebook maintained a stable median ad spend, ranging between $8.5K and $11.2K per account between Q1 2024 and Q4 2025. 
• Instagram earned the lowest overall spend per account, reaching $5.1K in Q4 2025.
• Facebook Feed Ads accounted for roughly 70% to 80% of spend every quarter between 2024 and 2025. 
• Instagram Reels ad spend tripled between Q1 2024 and Q4 2025. 

“One of the clearest signals in this year’s report is that TikTok rewards commitment. The brands seeing the biggest gains are the ones that treat it as a core channel—not a side experiment,” said Ganeshan. “But at the same time, our data shows Facebook and Instagram remain essential for steady reach. This creates an opportunity for marketers to drive impact on each platform, and align strategy accordingly.”