Why Search-Driven Content Is Winning in Beauty, Home & DIY, and Parenting
Audiences are no longer turning to traditional search engines for answers to everyday questions — they’re heading straight to social media. From beauty hacks to toddler toy tutorials, social is where people now search, and learning content is their guide.
In Part 2 of Tubular Labs’ report, we dive into three more content categories that are thriving thanks to this shift in behavior: Beauty, Home & DIY, and Family & Parenting.
Beauty: A Missed Opportunity for Brands and Creators
In 2024, Beauty videos featuring learning content like how-to’s, DIY guides, and product reviews consistently outperformed platform-wide Beauty content across social media. With learning content on Tiktok and Instagram, for example, influencers dominate Beauty educational content by uploads — but not by views per video or engagements per video.
- In 2024, influencers posted 187x more TikToks than media companies, yet media companies averaged 11% more views per video.
- On Instagram last year, media companies earned 7.7% more engagement per video than influencers despite uploading far less.
Key takeaway: Beauty brands should invest more in learning content and label it properly with how-to and DIY terms and captions to boost discoverability.
Example: e.l.f. Cosmetics scored 1.1M engagements on Instagram in 2024 by using a “how-to” caption — even though the video itself wasn’t educational.
Home, Craft & DIY: The Rise of Dad Creators
Social audiences are obsessed with dad DIY content — from toddler car makeovers to backyard playhouses.
- In 2024 the most engaging DIY video in this Instagram category was posted by @dadsocial and earned 8M engagements in just 90 days.
- On TikTok last year, another toddler car makeover by the same creator earned 81M views.
Don’t worry — if you’re not a dad, you can still leverage educational content on social. LG launched an “Ask LG” series to answer product FAQs and saw a 20% lift in views compared to their average TikTok content.
Key takeaway: You don’t need to reinvent the wheel to create educational content. Partner with a parent creator, or turn your FAQs and user manuals into social video content — it works.
Family & Parenting: Community and Care
Moms are turning to TikTok and Instagram for hacks, product tips, and emotional support.
- Instagram engagement for Family & Parenting learning content hit 145M in November 2024, the highest ever.
- TikToks with “safe” or “safety” in the caption earned 28M views in 2024.
- YouTube saw a surge in narrative-style parenting content, with October 2024 alone bringing in 3.6B views.
Key takeaway: Learning content here isn’t just instructional — it’s deeply emotional and community-driven. Brands should create content that feels helpful and human.
Key Learning Content Takeaways for Media Creators and Brands
Whether you’re in skincare or power tools, here’s how to show up where your audience is searching:
- Use learning language — Add relevant “how to,” “DIY,” or “tips” in captions, hashtags, and on-screen text.
- Repurpose existing content — Update your best posts to include relevant, learning-focused labels.
- Expand your partnerships — Work with creators who understand storytelling and education.
📊 Want to learn more? Download Tubular’s full report here.