• American’s need help to go viral on Instagram the most, with over 16,000 searches each month 

• TikTok ranks a close second, while YouTube is third 

• Half of the US searched for Instagram the most, while the other half searched for TikTok, with more Northern states searching for Instagram and more Southern states searching for TikTok 

A new study has revealed the hardest social media apps to go viral on, with Instagram narrowly beating newcomer TikTok.  

Video editing service Vidpros analyzed various search terms relating to virality, such as “how to get likes on [x]” and ‘how to go viral on [x]’ for 14 social media platforms to determine which is the toughest to shoot to fame on.  

The top 5 toughest social media apps to go viral on 

Rank	App	Average monthly search volume	Most popular search term
1	Instagram	16,018	“How to get followers on Instagram”
2	TikTok	15,983	“How to go viral on TikTok”
3	YouTube	8,725	““How to get followers on YouTube”
4	X	5,098	“How to get followers on X”
5	Facebook	5,007	“How to get followers on Facebook”

Instagram is named the hardest social media app to go viral on, with an average of 16,018 searches per month from American’s wanting help to achieve success.  

The term “how to get followers on Instagram” is not only the most searched term for the platform, but the most searched term overall, averaging 7,450.00 searches each month in the US. “How to grow on Instagram” is next for the app, with an average of 1,301.67 searches per month, while “how to go viral on Instagram” is third, with an average of 1,246.67 monthly searches.  

25 states searched for Instagram the most, including New York, New Jersey, Maine, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island. Instagram’s algorithm prioritizes content from accounts that users frequently interact with, favoring established creators with large followings, making it more difficult for new or smaller accounts to have their content seen by a wider audience. 

TikTok is a close second, with an average of 15,983 searches for virality help per month.  

“How to go viral on TikTok” is the app’s most popular search term with 4,608.33 searches per month. This is also the second most popular search term overall in the US. “How to get followers on TikTok” and “how to get views on TikTok” are next, with an average of 4,507.50 and 1,938.33 searches per month, respectively. 

25 states searched for TikTok the most, including Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Virgina, and Tennessee. With TikTok’s rapid growth, the platform has become saturated with content, intensifying competition among creators. This saturation makes it more challenging for individual videos to stand out and gain widespread attention. 

In third is YouTube, with an average of 8,725 searches asking for help to achieve fame per month.  

“How to get followers on YouTube” is the most popular term for the platform and the fourth most popular term overall, with an average of 2,335.00 searches each month. “How to get views on YouTube” is second with 2,166.67 average monthly searches, while “how to get popular on YouTube” is third, averaging 1,148.33 searches per month. 

YouTube is the third most popular platform to search for in every state, tied only with Facebook in Mississippi. With over 113 million YouTube channels as of early 2025, just 0.01% have surpassed 100 million subscribers, showing just how highly competitive the app is, and how difficult it is for new users to make a significant impact.   

Fourth is X (formally known as Twitter), with an average of 5,098 searches for help going viral each month.  

The most searched for term for the platform, and tenth most searched for term overall, is “how to get followers on X,” with 1,305.83 average searches per month. “X engagement” is second with an average of 582.50 searches each month, while “how to grow on X” is third, with 525.00 average monthly searches.  

In 22 states, including Arizona, Colorado, California, New Mexico, and Utah, X was the fourth most searched platform for help going viral. Engagement rates on X are a lot lower compared to other platforms. A study by Buffer found that Threads posts drove 73.6% higher engagement rates than X on average. Changes in platform ownership and policy have also had an impact, with new algorithmic changes favoring some content over others.  

Facebook ranks fifth, with 5,007 average monthly searches for virality help.  

“How to get followers on Facebook” is the most popular term for the app, and the seventh most popular term overall, with an average of 1,763.33 searches a month. Second is “Facebook engagement” with 508.33 average searches each month and “how to get likes on Facebook” is third, averaging 462.50 monthly searches.  

Facebook is the fourth most searched for platform in 19 states, including Illinois, Iowa, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and South Dakota. Although the app has introduced features like the explore tab which shows users a wider range of content, many only see and interact with pages or friends that they follow, making virality difficult.  

Commenting on the findings, Michael Holmes, founder of Vidpros said, “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.  

“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.”