71% of TikTok buyers purchase something they weren’t even looking for. On Instagram, the decision process takes longer but revenue per follower is higher. It’s not that one platform is better than another. It’s that people are in a completely different mental state on each one, and if you don’t adapt your strategy to that, you’re wasting money.
Gary Vaynerchuk said it better than anyone: “Content is king, but context is God.”
Part of a larger guide
This article is part of our full guide Which Social Media Platform Converts Best? 2026 Guide, where we compare every major platform with updated conversion, reach, and ROI data.
Gary Vee’s Framework: “Respect the Platform’s Psychology”
Vaynerchuk’s core premise isn’t complicated, but most brands ignore it: “First, you have to respect your platforms. Respect the psychology of what people are doing when they’re on the platform.”
In his own words: “I know a 40-year-old woman is in a different mindset when she’s on Facebook than when she’s on Pinterest. On Pinterest she has buying intent; on Facebook she’s catching up on her world. So I strategize around that.”
His main critique targets the mistake 90% of brands make: “The biggest mistake people make with social media is that they see it purely as distribution. They just want to post something and push it on every platform---same clip, same copy.”
Posting the same content on TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube isn’t a multi-platform strategy. It’s laziness disguised as efficiency.
Gary Vee’s framework forces you to ask one question before creating any piece of content: What mental state is my audience in when they open this app? The answer changes everything: the format, the tone, the CTA, even the length.
Let’s go platform by platform with hard data.
TikTok: Entertainment and Discovery Mode
When someone opens TikTok, they’re not looking for anything specific. They’re waiting for something to find them. It’s a state of passive discovery: the algorithm decides what you see, and your job as a brand is to fit into that flow without breaking it.
TikTok behavioral data
| Metric | Data |
|---|---|
| Daily usage | 95 minutes (53.8 min in USA), 19 app opens/day |
| Average session | 11 minutes |
| Primary mindset | Entertainment, discovery |
| Engagement rate | 2.65-7.5% (highest across all platforms) |
Those 95 daily minutes aren’t deliberate browsing time. They’re hypnotic scroll sessions where users experience heightened “telepresence” (total immersion in the content) and time distortion. They don’t know how long they’ve been in the app. They don’t care.
The stat that changes everything
71% of TikTok buyers purchase something they discovered in their feed---they weren’t actively searching for it.
Read that again. Seven out of ten purchases on TikTok are for products the user didn’t know existed ten minutes earlier. They weren’t searching for “best wireless earbuds.” They were scrolling, a video grabbed their attention, and the purchase happened on impulse.
This has massive implications for your content:
- Don’t sell. Entertain first. If your first frame looks like an ad, the user swipes before the second second loads.
- The hook must work within 0.5 seconds. No time for logos or intros.
- Visual demonstration beats any sales argument. Show > Tell.
The 2.65-7.5% engagement rate is the highest of any platform. But that engagement only exists if you respect the context: people came to be entertained, not to be sold to.
Instagram: Aspirational and Connection Mode
Instagram is a completely different experience. When someone opens Instagram, they’re in deliberate social mode. They want to see what the people they follow are doing, compare lifestyles, research brands, save ideas. The scroll is slower, more intentional.
Instagram behavioral data
| Metric | Data |
|---|---|
| Daily usage | 30-34 minutes |
| Average session | 2 min 44 seconds |
| Primary mindset | Social connection, aspiration, brand research |
| Conversion rate | 3-3.5% for direct product links |
The contrast with TikTok is stark. TikTok: 95 minutes in 11-minute sessions. Instagram: 30 minutes in sub-3-minute sessions. Instagram users pop in, check what interests them, and leave. Each interaction is more conscious.
What this means for your strategy
Instagram users browse more deliberately. They save posts, read full captions, compare options across brands. The decision process is longer, but it has an advantage: revenue per follower is higher than on TikTok.
Instagram is the platform for:
- Premium products. The user is already in aspirational mode. A high-end product fits the narrative of their feed.
- Established brands. Trust already exists. You don’t need to convince them you’re legitimate.
- Consultative sales. The format of DMs, educational carousels, and stories creates a natural consideration funnel.
- Saveable content. Guides, tip carousels, and posts people bookmark are assets that keep converting weeks after publication.
The 3-3.5% conversion rate on direct product links reflects that when an Instagram user decides to act, they do so with more intent than on TikTok. Fewer impulse buys, more informed decisions.
YouTube Shorts: The Entertainment-Education Hybrid
YouTube Shorts occupies a space that TikTok and Instagram don’t cover: the user arrives with a learning mindset, but wants it fast and entertaining. It’s the midpoint between TikTok’s passive scroll and Instagram’s deliberate browsing.
YouTube Shorts behavioral data
| Metric | Data |
|---|---|
| Daily engagement | 66% of US users engage regularly |
| Highest daily usage | Gen X (34%)---highest of any generation |
| Purchase behavior | 30% discovered and bought from new brands |
| Attribution window | 30 days (vs. 7 days for TikTok) |
The 30-day attribution window is critical. On TikTok, if someone doesn’t buy within 7 days, the attribution is lost. On YouTube, you get a full month. This means educational content---tutorials, comparisons, detailed demos---has time to mature in the buyer’s mind.
The underestimated stat
Creator Ads on YouTube Shorts increase purchase intent by 8.8% and generate 2.9x more spending intent compared to the competition.
That 2.9x isn’t a minor detail. It means creator content on YouTube Shorts triples the spending intent generated by the same type of content on other platforms. The reason: the mental state of “I’m learning something” generates more trust than the mental state of “I’m scrolling for fun.”
And there’s another surprising data point: Gen X (34%) is the generation that uses YouTube Shorts most daily. If your product or service targets that demographic---typically with higher purchasing power---YouTube Shorts should be in your mix.
Purchase Intent: The Data That Matters
Beyond mental state, purchase intent data confirms Gary Vee’s framework. Each platform generates a different type of post-ad action.
Action after seeing ads (Tune Mobile)
| Platform | % that take action |
|---|---|
| TikTok | 15% |
| 8% | |
| Snapchat | 7% |
| 5% |
TikTok triples Instagram in immediate post-ad action. But “action” doesn’t always mean “purchase.” It could be visiting a profile, searching for the product, or saving for later. TikTok’s impulsive action is consistent with its discovery mental state.
Platform preference for direct purchases (Sprout Social 2025 Index)
| Platform | % preference |
|---|---|
| 39% | |
| TikTok | 36% |
| 29% |
Here the story shifts. When you ask users where they prefer to buy directly, Facebook leads. Not because it’s more entertaining or more modern, but because it has the most established trust infrastructure.
What these data points mean together
The key is the type of purchase:
- TikTok dominates impulse purchases at low price points. The entertainment mental state lowers the decision barrier.
- Instagram converts better for higher-value products that require consideration. The aspirational mental state favors more deliberate decisions.
- Facebook leads in direct purchase preference due to accumulated trust in its ecosystem.
- YouTube Shorts has the longest attribution window (30 days) and generates the highest spending intent, ideal for products that need prior education.
How to Apply the Framework to Your Strategy
Gary Vee’s framework doesn’t tell you which platform to use. It tells you how to use each one. Here’s the operational summary:
TikTok: Entertain first, sell later
- Formats: Short videos, trends, fast visual demonstrations
- Tone: Casual, authentic, nothing corporate
- CTA: Soft. “Link in bio” works better than “Buy now”
- Best for: Product discovery, massive awareness, impulse purchases under $60
Instagram: Inspire and spark conversation
- Formats: Educational carousels, interactive stories, aspirational Reels
- Tone: Polished but personal, storytelling with substance
- CTA: Direct to DM or saveable product link
- Best for: Premium products, consultative sales, niche communities
YouTube Shorts: Educate in 60 seconds
- Formats: Quick tutorials, comparisons, contextualized demonstrations
- Tone: Informative but not boring, add real value
- CTA: “Full video on the channel” or link to landing page
- Best for: Products that need education, Gen X audiences, long sales cycles
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Gary Vee’s platform mental state framework?
It’s the principle that each social network has a different psychological context. Users are in a distinct mental state on TikTok (entertainment/discovery), Instagram (aspiration/connection), and YouTube (education/search). The framework says you must adapt your content to each platform’s mental state rather than posting the same thing everywhere.
Why shouldn’t I post the same content on every platform?
Because the user’s mental state is different on each one. A video that works on TikTok (casual, fast, entertaining) feels out of place on Instagram (where users expect more curated, aspirational content). Posting the same thing everywhere ignores context, reduces engagement, and wastes budget.
Which platform is best for impulse purchases in 2026?
TikTok leads with 15% of users taking action after seeing an ad, and 71% of its buyers discover products they weren’t actively searching for. For impulse purchases at low price points (under $60), TikTok delivers the strongest performance.
Where do users prefer to make direct purchases?
According to the Sprout Social 2025 Index, Facebook leads at 39%, followed by TikTok at 36% and Instagram at 29%. Facebook’s lead comes from its accumulated trust infrastructure built over more than a decade.
Is YouTube Shorts worth investing in for sales?
Yes, especially if your product requires education or has a long sales cycle. YouTube Shorts has a 30-day attribution window (vs. 7 days for TikTok), Creator Ads generate 2.9x more spending intent than the competition, and Gen X (34%) is the generation that uses it most daily---a demographic with high purchasing power.
Related Tools and Guides
If you’re mapping your platform strategy, these articles complete the picture:
- TikTok vs Instagram: Real Conversion Rates Nobody Publishes --- Hard conversion numbers by format and channel.
- Content Lifespan: TikTok vs Instagram vs YouTube --- How long each piece of content keeps generating results.
- WhatsApp as a Sales Channel in LATAM and Mexico --- The channel nobody measures but that closes sales.
- Engagement Benchmarks: TikTok vs Instagram 2026 --- Updated reference metrics by industry.
- Best Social Media for Coaches, Consultants, and Courses --- A specific guide for knowledge businesses.
Need a strategy tailored to your business?
Every business has an optimal platform mix based on its product, audience, and resources. If you want a concrete plan based on data, not opinions, get your free consultation with our team.
Context isn’t a detail. It’s the variable that determines whether your content converts or gets lost in the feed. TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube Shorts are not interchangeable. Each demands a different approach because the people using them are in a different mental place.
Stop posting the same thing everywhere. Start respecting each platform’s psychology. Gary Vee is right: context is God.