TikTok, LinkedIn, Instagram: which platform actually earns commercial outcomes?
Platform choice is a commercial decision, not a trend one. Here is where each channel earns, and why most brands spend on the wrong one for their category.
Here is the contradiction that exposes the whole debate. TikTok runs at roughly seven times Instagram's engagement, yet advertisers cut TikTok spend by about 8 points in 2025 while Meta rebounded to around 60 percent of investment, per Search Engine Land. If engagement were the answer, the money would flow the other way.
For B2B, the case is clear. LinkedIn delivered about 121 percent ROAS in 2025, the only major platform with a positive measured B2B return, ahead of Google Search at 67 percent and Meta at 51 percent, per Dreamdata via eMarketer. TikTok is not worse, it is different. About 25 percent of users bought after seeing a product, and roughly 71 percent of those purchases were unplanned.
The mistake is treating one playbook as universal, then blaming the platform when the wrong category meets the wrong feed.
The platform allocation framework
The full piece, plus how the 95-5 rule should drive your budget, where TikTok and Instagram actually earn, and how to match each platform to how your customers buy. Straight to your inbox.