Same content, different channels — every country uses different social media

Why “Where to Post” Comes First

Content that performed well in Korea often falls flat when posted overseas as is. In many cases, it’s not because the content is bad, but because people in that country aren’t really on that channel — or expect different content there.

The most-used social platforms vary considerably by country. X (formerly Twitter) is strong in Japan, Facebook dominates in the Philippines, and China uses domestic apps instead of foreign ones. In India, TikTok isn’t available at all.

The figures in this article come from DataReportal’s (published by We Are Social and Meltwater) “Digital 2026” country reports. Most are ad reach figures reported by each platform’s advertising tools, which may differ from actual monthly users. Also, because TikTok counts only users aged 18 and over and is shown as a “share of adults,” it’s best not to compare it directly with other channels’ “share of total population.”

East Asia — Japan, China, Taiwan, Hong Kong

In Japan, the messenger LINE is everyday infrastructure. At the end of 2025, LINE had 99 million monthly users (80.5% of the population). Among content channels, YouTube (63.9% of the population), X (57.9%) and Instagram (51.4%) have the widest reach, in that order. X is where new product news spreads fast, Instagram suits products that need to be seen, such as cosmetics and fashion, and LINE official accounts are used to re-engage regular customers. Facebook, by contrast, is small at 13.4%.

China has a different structure. Since foreign apps like Instagram, YouTube and Facebook are generally unavailable, the landscape centers on Douyin (抖音, the Chinese version of TikTok), Xiaohongshu (小红书, a review-driven social platform), Weibo (微博, China’s X) and WeChat. Weibo reported 561 million monthly users in June 2026. Roles are split: Douyin handles short-form and live selling, Xiaohongshu pre-purchase search and reviews, and Weibo buzz generation.

In Taiwan, YouTube (78.4% of the population) and Facebook (74.9%) still have broad reach, with Instagram at 52.6%. Notably, Meta’s text-based platform Threads has climbed to 28.8%. LINE is widely used for messaging and official account communication.

Hong Kong also centers on YouTube (84.4%), Facebook (63.6%) and Instagram (54.8%). TikTok exited Hong Kong in 2020, and its ad reach at the end of 2025 was just 2.6% of adults. Xiaohongshu is partly filling that gap, making it worth considering when planning for mainland China and Hong Kong together.

Southeast Asia, India and North America — Indonesia, the Philippines, India, the US

Indonesia is one of TikTok’s strongest markets. At the end of 2025, TikTok’s ad reach was 180 million, or 88.9% of adults, followed by YouTube (52.7% of the population), Facebook (42.2%) and Instagram (37.6%). Consumers are used to a flow that runs from short-form discovery straight to purchase via TikTok LIVE and shopping, and inquiries and consultations often continue on WhatsApp.

The Philippines is a Facebook country. Facebook’s ad reach is 95.8 million, or 81.9% of the population. TikTok also reaches 81.8% of adults, YouTube 50.9% and Instagram 22.9%. The standard mix combines Facebook pages, groups and live streams with TikTok short-form.

In India, TikTok has been unavailable since June 2020, when the government blocked 59 Chinese apps including TikTok. YouTube (500 million, 34.1% of the population) and Instagram (481 million, 32.8%) have taken its place. Instagram Reels and YouTube Shorts handle short-form, while YouTube is strong for long reviews and explainers.

In the US, YouTube (73.0% of the population), Facebook (56.8%), Instagram (52.3%) and TikTok (55.7% of adults) all have broad reach. TikTok is strong for discovery and buzz, Instagram for brand image and YouTube for long, detailed reviews, while channels such as Pinterest (27.9%) serve people looking for ideas before buying.

One Piece of Content, Recut for Each Channel

You don’t need to create brand-new content for every channel in every country. Shoot the original once, then recut it to fit each channel. There are four things to look at.

• Format — TikTok, Reels and Shorts work best in vertical 9:16, YouTube main videos in horizontal 16:9, and Xiaohongshu and Instagram feeds as multi-photo carousels.
• Length — Show the product within the first 2–3 seconds of short-form, and move longer explanations to a YouTube main video.
• Language — Don’t just swap the subtitles; adapt the wording to local speech. Taiwan and Hong Kong use Traditional Chinese characters, while mainland China uses Simplified.
• Subtitles — Many people watch with the sound off, so include on-screen subtitles by default, and research hashtags and search terms in the local language.

At first, it’s best to narrow down to 1–2 core channels per country. For example, start with Instagram and X in Japan, TikTok and Instagram in Indonesia, Facebook and TikTok in the Philippines, and Xiaohongshu and Douyin in China — then expand once you see the response. Running two channels consistently also makes results easier to read than opening many channels you can’t manage.

HOMI FACTORY works with local creators from our Japan and Indonesia offices and our networks in North America, China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, the Philippines and India — deciding first what to post on which channel in each country before launching a campaign.