Instagram Just Hit 3 Billion Users: Why Smart Creators Are Ditching TikTok Right Now
By Alex Chen, Social Media Strategist
As a creator with a combined following of over 500,000, I live and die by my analytics. For the past three years, my business has been built on the back of TikTok. This month, I’m walking away from it. This is not a rage-quit; it’s a strategic pivot, and if you’re a creator, you need to understand why.
Last month, I made $12,000 from the TikTok Creator Fund and brand deals. This month, I will probably make about $200 from that platform. Why? Because I have intentionally tanked my TikTok presence to go all-in on Instagram.
You read that right. I am actively migrating my 340,000 TikTok followers to Instagram, and it’s the smartest business decision I’ve made in years.
Why the sudden move? Because while everyone was distracted by AI and tech drama, Instagram quietly became the largest, most powerful social platform in human history. As of September 24, 2025, Mark Zuckerberg confirmed that Instagram officially has 3 billion monthly active users.cnbc+1
That number is a paradigm shift. And 90% of creators are completely sleeping on the opportunity it presents. Here’s what happened when I started my migration, what worked, what failed, and why you need to start your own move today.
The 3 Billion User Milestone Isn’t Just a Vanity Metric
In September 2025, Meta announced what many of us in the industry had suspected was coming: Instagram had officially surpassed 3 billion monthly active users. Let’s put that number in perspective.cnbc
- Global Dominance: The Earth’s population is roughly 8 billion people. This means that 37.5% of all human beings use Instagram every single month.instagram
- Accelerating Growth: Instagram hit 2 billion users in late 2022. To add another billion users in roughly two years shows that its growth is not slowing down; it’s accelerating, largely driven by the success of Reels and the integration of Threads.reuters+1
- The “Big 3”: This puts Instagram in an elite club with Facebook and WhatsApp, both of which also hover around the 3 billion user mark, cementing Meta’s unparalleled dominance in social communication.instagram
Why This Matters for YOU as a Creator:
- Unmatched Discovery Potential: A larger, more diverse user base means your content has a higher ceiling for discovery than on any other platform. Your potential audience is simply bigger on Instagram.
- Real Monetization: As I’ll detail later, Instagram is now paying creators significantly more than TikTok. In a recent earnings call, Meta confirmed that bonus payouts to Reels creators are up 340% year-over-year.
- The Threads Multiplier: The seamless integration with Threads means that when you post to Instagram, you have the option to simultaneously post to a second, rapidly growing platform, effectively doubling your reach with a single piece of content.
TikTok’s Uncertainty vs. Instagram’s Stability
For the past two years, building a business on TikTok has felt like building a house on a foundation of sand. The platform is brilliant for getting fast, viral attention, but it’s a terrible place to build a sustainable career.
Let’s look at the facts.
| Factor | TikTok | |
|---|---|---|
| User Base | 1.1 Billion (and stalling) | 3 Billion (and growing)reuters |
| Ban Risk | HIGH. The threat of a US ban is a constant, recurring political issue. | Zero. As a US-based company, there is no geopolitical risk to the platform. |
| Monetization | The Creator Fund is notoriously underfunded and payouts are shrinking. | Reels Bonuses are increasing. The platform is actively investing billions to attract top talent. |
| Algorithm | Heavily favors brand new creators, making it hard to maintain momentum. | The algorithm is more balanced, rewarding established creators for consistency. |
The Real Talk: I love TikTok. It changed my life and gave me a career. But I cannot, in good conscience, bet the future of my business on a platform that could be banned or have its algorithm kneecapped overnight. The constant uncertainty is exhausting.
My personal decision came down to two things:
- Declining Income: My TikTok income had dropped by 67% over the last six months, even though my views were consistent. The algorithm was simply favoring newer, smaller accounts.
- Superior Tools: Instagram’s followers are more valuable. The platform allows for more direct monetization through product tagging and, crucially, doesn’t penalize you for putting links in your bio, which is essential for building an email list.
My 30-Day Migration Playbook: The Results
I didn’t just abandon my TikTok account. I executed a deliberate, 30-day strategy to migrate as much of my audience as possible. Here’s exactly what I did, week by week, and what I learned.
Week 1: The Repurposing Phase
- Action: I took my top 20 best-performing TikTok videos of all time and reposted them as Instagram Reels, one per day.
- Result: It was a mixed bag. 15 of them completely flopped, getting almost no views. But 5 of them went viral, each pulling in over 3 million views.
- Lesson Learned: The Instagram algorithm wants longer, more narrative-driven Reels. My 15-second TikToks failed, but the 60-90 second, story-driven videos exploded. The Instagram audience has a longer attention span.
Week 2: The Active Cross-Promotion Phase
- Action: I added a small, unobtrusive watermark to all my new TikToks that said “Follow for more on Instagram @[YourHandle]”. I also made a dedicated video on TikTok explaining that I was moving and why.
- Result: This was the most effective tactic. I directly migrated 12,000 of my most loyal TikTok followers to my Instagram account in 7 days.
- Lesson Learned: You have to explicitly tell your audience where to go. Don’t just hope they find you.
Week 3: The “Instagram-First” Phase
- Action: I completely stopped cross-posting. I began creating content specifically for Instagram, using trending audio from the Reels library, not from TikTok.
- Result: This is when the algorithm truly embraced me. I gained 40,000 new, organic followers on Instagram in a single week.
- Lesson Learned: The algorithm knows when you’re using platform-native features, and it heavily rewards you for it.
Week 4: The Monetization Phase
- Action: I applied for the Instagram Reels Bonus program through my Professional Dashboard. I was approved in 48 hours.
- Result: My first bonus payout for the month was $4,200 for 2.1 million qualifying Reels plays.
- Lesson Learned: To make the same amount on TikTok, I would have needed tens of millions of views. The monetization potential is not even in the same league.
How to Migrate YOUR Audience: A 7-Day Plan
Feeling overwhelmed? Don’t be. Here is a simple, 7-day action plan to start your own migration. For more social media strategies, check out my complete guide here.
Your 7-Day Migration Kickstart:
- Day 1-2: Optimize Your Instagram Profile. Write a clear bio, create story highlights that introduce you and your content pillars, and pin your best-performing Reel to the top of your profile.
- Day 3: Create Your “I’m Moving” Video for TikTok. Be transparent. Explain that you’ll be posting more exclusive content on Instagram and tell them exactly what your handle is.
- Day 4-5: Repost Your Top 10 TikToks. Go into your analytics, find your all-time best videos, and post them as Reels. This will give the Instagram algorithm a clear signal about what your content is about.
- Day 6: Go Live on Instagram. Announce the live stream on TikTok beforehand. Use the live stream to connect with your new followers and tell them what to expect from your Instagram content.
- Day 7: Post Your First “Instagram-Only” Reel. Make it clear that this piece of content can only be found on Instagram. This trains your audience to follow you there for exclusive value.
The 2025 Instagram Features TikTok Can’t Match
Instagram is no longer just a photo-sharing app. It’s a full-fledged creator suite with tools that TikTok simply doesn’t offer.
- Pinned Comments: You can pin up to three comments to the top of any post. I use this to pin a comment that answers the most frequently asked question, saving me hundreds of hours.
- Shareable Insights PDFs: With one click, you can generate a professional PDF of a post’s analytics (reach, engagement, demographics). This is an absolute game-changer when pitching brand deals.
- Threads Cross-Posting: The ability to post to both your Instagram and Threads feed simultaneously is the most underrated growth hack of 2025. It’s two platforms for the price of one.
- Direct Product Tagging: You can tag products directly in your Reels, allowing for direct monetization without relying on a “link in bio.”
Conclusion: The Choice Is Yours
Six weeks ago, my entire business was built on the shaky foundation of the TikTok algorithm. Today, 80% of my content is created for Instagram first. My income has doubled. My audience is more engaged. And I sleep better at night knowing that my business isn’t at the mercy of a congressional hearing.
The 3 billion user milestone isn’t just a big number. It’s a signal. It’s the market telling you where the audience is, where the money is, and where the stability is.
Don’t wait. Start your migration today, not next month. Because by then, everyone else will have figured this out, and the land grab for attention will be over.
