Vidpros analyzed major social platforms to determine where it's hardest to achieve viral growth, based on search trends.
According to the study, if you are planning to go viral on social media, Instagram ranks as the toughest app for achieving virality. There were an average of 16,018 searches per month about how to get followers on Instagram in America. With an average of 7,450 searches for “how to grow on Instagram” and 1,301 searches for “how to go viral on Instagram,” these were the platform’s second and third most common success-related queries. Most of the searches about virality on Instagram were from states like New Jersey, Rhode Island, New York, and Maine.
Instagram was followed by TikTok, with an average of 15,983 searches about going viral on the platform. The top search in this regard was how to go viral on TikTok, which got 4,608 average monthly searches, while "how to get followers on TikTok" was the second most searched query with 4,507 monthly searches. Arkansas, Tennessee, Alabama, and Georgia were the states with the most of these searches about virality on TikTok.
YouTube came in third spot with 8,725 searches asking about how to get fame on this video search engine. The most popular searches were how to get followers on YouTube (2,335 searches), followed by how to get views on YouTube (2,166 searches) and how to get popular on YouTube (1,148 searches).
With an average of 5,098 searches, X (aka Twitter) was in fourth spot, and how to get followers on X was its most searched virality question, with 1,305 average searches per month.
The fifth app with the most searched questions about virality was Meta's Facebook, with 5,007 searches. How to get followers on Facebook was the most searched vitality question with 1,763 searches, followed by Facebook engagement with 508 average monthly searches.
Overall, 'how to get followers' remained the dominant search across all platforms.
Michael Holmes, founder of Vidpros, reflected on the findings, saying, “Many people dream of going viral, which at one point was a lot easier to do than it is now. Across the top social media platforms, algorithms are becoming more complex and less predictable. For example, YouTube now emphasizes watch time, while Instagram and X focus heavily on user interactions, but as we’ve seen, this could change in a single update." Adding further he explained, "Oversaturation of the market also plays a huge role in how difficult it is to go viral nowadays, as anyone and everyone can post on social media. Even TikTok, which once offered a more level playing field, now sees competition rising exponentially, with 30% more daily videos uploaded in 2024 alone. With millions of users fighting for attention online, it’s no surprise that the average person now needs a solid plan to even have a chance at going viral."
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According to the study, if you are planning to go viral on social media, Instagram ranks as the toughest app for achieving virality. There were an average of 16,018 searches per month about how to get followers on Instagram in America. With an average of 7,450 searches for “how to grow on Instagram” and 1,301 searches for “how to go viral on Instagram,” these were the platform’s second and third most common success-related queries. Most of the searches about virality on Instagram were from states like New Jersey, Rhode Island, New York, and Maine.
Instagram was followed by TikTok, with an average of 15,983 searches about going viral on the platform. The top search in this regard was how to go viral on TikTok, which got 4,608 average monthly searches, while "how to get followers on TikTok" was the second most searched query with 4,507 monthly searches. Arkansas, Tennessee, Alabama, and Georgia were the states with the most of these searches about virality on TikTok.
YouTube came in third spot with 8,725 searches asking about how to get fame on this video search engine. The most popular searches were how to get followers on YouTube (2,335 searches), followed by how to get views on YouTube (2,166 searches) and how to get popular on YouTube (1,148 searches).
With an average of 5,098 searches, X (aka Twitter) was in fourth spot, and how to get followers on X was its most searched virality question, with 1,305 average searches per month.
The fifth app with the most searched questions about virality was Meta's Facebook, with 5,007 searches. How to get followers on Facebook was the most searched vitality question with 1,763 searches, followed by Facebook engagement with 508 average monthly searches.
Overall, 'how to get followers' remained the dominant search across all platforms.
Michael Holmes, founder of Vidpros, reflected on the findings, saying, “Many people dream of going viral, which at one point was a lot easier to do than it is now. Across the top social media platforms, algorithms are becoming more complex and less predictable. For example, YouTube now emphasizes watch time, while Instagram and X focus heavily on user interactions, but as we’ve seen, this could change in a single update." Adding further he explained, "Oversaturation of the market also plays a huge role in how difficult it is to go viral nowadays, as anyone and everyone can post on social media. Even TikTok, which once offered a more level playing field, now sees competition rising exponentially, with 30% more daily videos uploaded in 2024 alone. With millions of users fighting for attention online, it’s no surprise that the average person now needs a solid plan to even have a chance at going viral."
Methodology:
Search data spanning March 2024 to February 2025 was sourced from Google Keyword Planner monthly averages. Analysts examined 14 social media platforms across 17 targeted search terms to determine top-performing queries.
Read next:
• AI Search Engines Favor Product Content, Dismissing Blogs and PR Materials, New Study Reveals
• AI-Prescribed Diets Outperform Traditional Plans in Improving Gut Health and Preventing Chronic Diseases