With the number of social media users increasing year after year, marketing on social networks is one of the best ways to grow a brand. But to craft an effective social media marketing strategy, you need to know where consumers are most active—in other words, the most popular social media platforms in the US.

The latest data shows that YouTube currently leads the pack. It’s sitting comfortably in first place on the list of the top social media platforms in the US, with more than eight in 10 (81%) adults using the online video-sharing platform. That’s not all—as many as one billion hours of videos are watched every single day on YouTube.

The second most popular social media network in the US is Facebook. It is used by 69% of adults—12 percentage points lower than YouTube. As it stands, the platform is the top social media marketing platform, with as many as 93% of companies using it to promote their business.

Third on the list of the top social media platforms in the US is Instagram, with four in 10 (40%) US adults using it. Before you jump to start marketing on the platform, doing some research on the average engagement rates on Instagram can help to guide your strategy and set realistic benchmarks. 

Interestingly, of the three most popular US social media sites, two (Facebook and Instagram) are owned by the same parent company, Meta. One way this benefits businesses is that there are plenty of convenient integrations between the two networks, including cross-platform messaging.

Pinterest is the fourth most popular social media platform in the US. Just under one in three (31%) adults use the image-sharing social network. If you’re thinking about marketing on Pinterest, knowing its user demographics can help you better position your brand on the platform. For instance, the majority of its users are female. 

Rounding out the list of five most popular social media platforms in the US is LinkedIn, with 28% of all adults on the professional network.

Here are some of the other top social media platforms in the US and the percentage of adults who use them:

  • Snapchat: 25%
  • WhatsApp: 23%
  • Twitter: 23%
  • TikTok: 21%
  • Reddit: 18%
  • Nextdoor: 13%

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